In this day and age, it’s important for real estate professionals to have a strong presence online, so some form of web design is definitely worth the cost. Home buyers and sellers are looking for houses and agents online before they look at anything in person, so it’s important to have a strong, professional site. It is your first impression and you want to make a good one. If you’re a part-time agent, just starting out, or have a small budget, it’s fine to start with a simpler site and then upgrade later. 

This is quite a simplified description of software development process. But still can give you some understanding of what this process is like.

1. Business analysis. Company’s business analysts clarify and document all requirements for the project to not to miss anything during development. This is a pretty standard process for most software development companies.

2. UI/UX design. After the work on documentation is finished, designers start working on wireframes. As soon as wireframes (schematic placement of elements) are approved by the client they work on a prototype (how the app will actually look like).

3. Development. Finally, developers start implementing crafted design and required functionality.

Websites range from basic sites with IDX functions to fully customized sites with luxurious layouts, multiple pages, and robust features—and prices vary accordingly. Users can opt for a basic site with a setup fee of around $100 and ongoing cost of $50 per month or spend upward of $30,000 for a site designed for luxury properties.

Typically, setup fees are paid to the real estate web design company upfront, with additional monthly fees required to host and maintain the site. 

There are four primary monetization strategies that you can integrate while creating a real estate website:

• Advertisement
• Premium features
• Subscriptions
• Partner programs

Web site design is different for every industry, and real estate professionals need to include certain key elements in their sites in order for them to be as effective as possible. It’s important to include MLS integrations, easy search tools, photos that are well-presented and organized, as well as lead generation, tracking and management, mapping tools, marketing campaigns, and CRM integration. However, a more basic site won’t include all of these features, and some brokerages provide a CRM so agents may use that plus a separate company for their website design.