How to Create Website Like Zillow Using WordPress [NEW Guide]
What sources the real estate companies are using to achieve the listing of properties ?
Do you know the right manners to get access ?
It hardly takes three steps to get it done.
That is; get licenses in each state first, join Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and then integrating the data which is not used by other MLS.
Now, you must be getting confused about MLS listing.
Right ?
Don’t worry !! We will make you relieved.
MLS is the service used by large group of real estate brokers. With this listing, the brokers can check other listings of sale for property. This gives benefits to selling broker and listing as well.
How you gonna react when we will recommend an option that can let you develop a website like Zillow ?
Relaxed ?
What would be the best option than WordPress Content Management System to execute this task ?
Let's start a new project with WordSuccor
From here the aim of this article generates that is to give you the impressive tips that will help you out to build MLS listing website on WordPress just like Zillow.
Yes, you heard it right!!
Zillow, the website with so many features and is incredibly famous. Recent stats says that Zillow’s annual revenue is of $1.3 billion with 24% year over year. (source)
But, before getting started, it is mandatory to examine how your real estate website will look like. Look before and comprehend!
1. Understanding Real Estate Websites
You’re reading this article as you want to create your own MLS listing website with WordPress. There is no doubt that the main aim of building WordPress real estate website is to attract the eminent customers, leads and for displaying the listings. A perfect real estate website design is a way to attain customer’s attention to initiate the procedure. So, to develop a real estate website, there are some aspects that you need to look after.
2. Important Aspect to Follow
2.1) Take an Exhaustive Market Research Before Trying Hands on MLS Services
An exhaustive and deep market research will give an understanding of what your target audience expect from your website. This will give you a perfect kick start for a business that will always grow if executed perfectly.
2.2) Keyword Research
Now, since you know your target audience’s expectations, you can easily anticipate the word they might look for you over the internet. That will be your keyword.
Now, I don’t think I have to give you any sort of in-detail explanation about what keyword is, or how crucial is that. You know it and you need to get it done exhaustively.
2.3) Include Appropriate Information of Every Listing
It is important to include accurate information of property with photographs.
2.4) Your Credentials
Include your contact information so that visitors can reach you easily. The details, like, emails, phone numbers and the other means by which the customers can reach you should be included.
2.5) Appointment-Friendly
Make easy for the customers to book an appointment with you. This will probably save you time and make your workflow seamless.
2.6) Map Listings
Let visitors find the properties quickly with map listing in the appropriate area. Or you can can hire WordPress web development company that will suggest you how to add the functionality to add this feature to the website.
2.7) Custom Fields
Find the solution according to which your can add the custom fields. This manner lets you alter the filtering to definite market.
You want to build a website that looks like Zillow or functions like Zillow. In order to do that you must understand how Zillow works.
What are its crucial key features and how it functions and aids its target audience ?
So, have a look at these features and functions Zillow offers to its customers.
3. Crucial Key Features of Zillow
3.1) Listing Availability
All of their users are actually home buyers (I prefer saying most of their users). They all can search through real estate agent listing. If you’re one of their users than you can search by using any of the filters as price, size, year of built and a number of rooms.
3.2) Awesome Payment Calculator
They have this unique feature, which facilitates you to use a calculator to anticipate your monthly payment. All you need to do is to provide the total price with the down payment. Later, everything else will be catered to you. It also avails you to calculate even more complex calculations. If you have any kind of monthly association dues, homeowner’s insurance costs or any mortgage insurance fees, then it will do the rest for you and with these filter, it will calculate your estimated monthly payment.
3.3) Brilliant Community Support
In general, Zillow have full advice on their website about mortgage refinancing, buy a home and even on internal decorating tips. Still, if you have any question regarding any other topic which is not covered on the website, then you can ask it in their community section which never left any questions unanswered.
3.4) Compare Lenders and Mortgages Rate
In this feature, you have to create a query using entries on total purchase price, your credit score and estimated down payment. This filter will provide you with different lenders rate to match best with your preferences.
3.5) The Local Information
You can search for the home for sale by its extremely interactive demographic feature. It also avails you with a filter of zip code, this enables you to search in the more refined way. In addition to that, it gives you the access to various photographs from different locations all around the town.
3.6) FAQs
These FAQs will guide you in your query and the existing member’s answers can provide you just the thing you might be looking for.
3.7) Comparisons
This is the best feature so far. When you have no idea about the pricing, you can go to this feature and take an idea about what the houses in the neighbourhood costs? This will give you the idea you might seek.
As you can see there is a huge number of properties which are the reasons as for Zillow making a buzz around the real estate market. Now, let’s understand how you can create your own Zillow like WordPress website.
4. Create Your Own Zillow like Website Using WordPress
You all know setting up a website with WordPress is easy. So, just follow my instructions to create an awesome Zillow like website of your own. I am here starting from scratch, so if you have already done that just wait, I will catch up with you sooner.
Hire our WordPress experts to build Zillow like Website
Step #1 Buy a Domain
First, you need a domain name that will represent your website. It must be relevant to this niche aka real estate. Now, let’s say you buy a domain named www.mydomain.com. Remember, always prefer .com domain name. You can opt for various hosting services for that.We believe for WordPress, Bluehost is the best. You can also go for Comcast or GoDaddy. This is something we want you to choose from yourself. Let’s move forward now.
I believe for WordPress, Bluehost is the best. You can also go for Comcast or GoDaddy. This is something I want you to choose from yourself.
Let’s move forward now:
Step #2 Set up WordPress
Now, after buying the domain and web hosting services, you need to set up WordPress as the CMS. In order to do that first, you need to install and setup FTP as website need lots of files. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) enables you to upload files quickly and quite comfortably.
Now, you just need to download WordPress client and unzip it to your hard drive. Create a database of WordPress on your web server and move to the next phase.
Step #3 You need a Relevant Theme
To be honest, if you’re opting for free WordPress templates as they are numerous in numbers, you are wasting your opportunity here. You must not go for it. There are many paid template which will be ideal for your MLS listing website just like Zillow.
Allow me to elaborate,
We all know, WordPress is open source software, whose source code can be accessed by anyone. So, in free themes, anyone can work on source code and this is the reason it is most vulnerable. This is very less in the case of paid themes that make it more secure than free themes.
There are loads of other themes as well you might be interested in such as:
5. WordPress Hacks to Make a Powerful MLS Listing Website
5.1) Consider Registration and Login Module for Agents
You must enter a registration module for your property agents. For this, you’ll need to add a new user role. Now with this user role, you will be able to create a profile which can be saved into custom post types as a property agent. This user can also publish property listing. Now, if you want you can set an auto to publish listing or you can set an admin approval on publishing. If you want you can also opt to easy allow submitting a property listing by integrating it with front-end custom post type publishing.
Get a custom Wordpress website by dealing with WordSuccor Ltd.
5.2) Arrange Properties and Agents as Custom Post Types
It really doesn’t matter what theme you choose when it comes to maintaining your seller and property data. One plausible solution to this problem is a custom post type for all the property sellers, brokers and dealers. For this purpose, you must use a WordPress plugin Custom Post Type UI.
Now, if you want, you can add features such as Price, Location, City, State, Zip Code, Area etc.
You can also make use of Custom Taxonomies.
5.3) Upload a Property Listing
Now, this is the most basic function of a real estate WordPress website. In WordPress, you must consider one thing that is security of property listing. So, in order to do that, you must provide a login area, through which your agent (Broker or Seller) can upload listing. In order to organize the listing, you must use categories such as property type, the number of rooms available, a price, image (If possible) etc. If you also start allowing any third party, then you need to create another category as their link. You must disclose this information as this is important for transparency.
5.4) A Search Box
You must add a search feature as mentioned earlier. It is important as if your viewer cannot find his desired property well, he is good as gone. So, never ever forget a search box with filters as by location, by price, only for rent or only for sale type. This facilitates the user to search according to his preference. As long as you provide your user base, he’ll love to stay on your website.
5.5) Integrate Lead Generation Forms
Always keep a window open for you and your viewer. You cannot make any kind of conversion if you didn’t clear your viewer’s doubt. To do that, you need to answer your visitor's questions. And how can you reach them? Of course by lead generation. Ask them to leave their Email ID and their query. Approach them and clear it and complete the conversion.
5.6) Call-To-Action Buttons On SideBar
You should go for three Calls to Action buttons on your sidebar and this will provide you maximum conversion at least to a lead. The seller-buyer conversion obviously depends upon the quality of deal you put up. These three CTAs suggestions are:
- Free Guide for Buyers
- Home Sellers' Guide for Free
- Free Valuation of Home
5.7) Embed A Seller Reviews Section
Now, see everyone needs trust before engaging in any kind of activity where money is involved. Provide them with reviews of your previous customer or client to build trust. Reviews and testimonials are very crucial in the process of trust building. So, make sure you make a room for customers or buyer reviews. And as for the ethics, please use genuine reviews.
In addition to that, you can also add a form to submit a review. This technique always gives a viewer a sense of reliability, which can result in a conversion.
5.8) Include Blogging, Video Content, and Virtual Tours
It is one of the most effective ways to get traffic and lead. Also, it is a very efficient way to enhance SEO of your Real Estate WordPress website. Similarly, make some video content, this will help you to acquire quality leads. It also increase your website’s reliability, SEO ranking and lead generation capability.
WordPress has come up with an amazing plugin that will make it easy for the customers to establish a virtual tour in WordPress real estate website.
Significance of Adding Virtual Tours to Real Estate WordPress Website
Virtual tour or 360 degree VR content is an authentic marketing tool which is attracting organic visitors and is covering most of the media. It is a useful technique used by many to show the properties on their respective WordPress websites.
This latest trend assists the realtors to enhance their business revenue. It develops a tour id and shortcodes for the virtual tour you created. For simple page editors, it apply the shortcodes and the virtual tour will be easily inserted on your website.
Also Read - How Much Does Custom WordPress Website Really Cost?
5.9) Active Share Buttons On Your WordPress Real Estate Sites is a Must
Everyone knows social sharing enhances SEO of the website. So, let it be added there and allow your visitor to share your WordPress site content on social media. So, use your profile links on the footer and the header. You can also go for share icon plugins to add a level of interactive feature.
5.10) Don't Forget to Add Forum and Community Pages
The forum is the best way to build community page in a WordPress website. You can add a forum and allow your viewers and visitors to ask for any query and then answer them. Then slowly but steadily your viewers will also help other viewers. Hence, things will be on track and whenever your viewer or visitor will be stuck in your website they can take part in the community discussion. They can express their views and can actually get what they were looking for.
5.11) Super Plugins that Might be Required
These plugins will make your normal website loaded with MLS listing. This is the main feature of any real estate website. Rest of the things are pretty same on all websites like community, forums, and FAQs things like that. You can use add-on plugins to create a community within your MLS website. So, let’s just check the plugins that can be used to convert your WordPress website into a fully featured MLS website.
Concluding Remarks
The best ways to build a real estate WordPress website as Zillow are defined in this article. Some of the features might get missed. Everyone has an opportunity to improve, so, create a website that fits your desires. If you thrive for success, make the most out of it!
Thanks for reading!
Please do share the post to spread the word. Until next time, have a good one!
