Real estate went through a strange year in 2020. In many countries, prices fluctuated, especially when viewings and moving house wasn’t possible during the first stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. But then, prices started going up, in the wake of a turbulent global economy.
Physical assets, such as property, understandably became more valuable. It’s safe to say, especially in the US, UK and Europe, that real estate is doing well despite economic uncertainty.
Picture 1. Change in real estate market size in 2017-2020 years.
This means that real estate agents, brokers and firms need to do everything they can to maintain a competitive advantage. You need to keep attracting listings and clients, and ultimately, keep selling. If you can maintain happy customers during a time like this, then you can really thrive when the world gets back to normal.
When it comes to technology solutions, real estate companies are finding these provide an advantage. Technology plays an important role in the sector, and as a trusted web and mobile development agency, we have worked on numerous solutions for clients around the world.
In this article, we will take a look at technology solutions we’ve worked at, and how these have supported LaSoft clients.
Technology solutions in a competitive real estate sector
#1: User-centric product design
Real estate is a completive online market. Massive property portals and websites dominate the sector, so when potential buyers or rentals do find properties on a realtors website, there is a certain pressure to ensure the user-experience is as good, if not better.
Varia is a project for an Israeli company, designed for a new user experience to explore properties, such as offering 360 property viewings online. With a focus on transparency, potential buyers and renters can have a clearer view of properties they want to explore and the neighbourhoods the properties are in.
Giving potential buyers or renters 360 walkthroughs of properties increases the chances they’ll be snapped up quickly. It saves customers a massive amount of time and effort, because this way properties really are what they look like, instead of looking completely different in-person. It also makes it easier for owners to list properties, and for customers to search for them.
#2: Web development for urban renewal
In Israel, there is a popular movement to expand properties, which can involve complex transactions and changes being made. This often involves multiple service providers, and lawyers, to ensure property regulations are adhered to. LaSoft was appointed to work on a web portal to make this whole process easier for property owners.
The portal and mobile app we were appointed to develop is designed to make all of this easier. Livi helps homeowners and project managers keep everything in the same place, and handle the whole process, from the design to hiring lawyers and approving completion of the work done.
Picture 2. Livi project.
#3: Making construction management easier
Property construction is a complex process, with numerous moving parts and people to manage. Planzz is a system LaSoft was appointed to develop to make construction management easier for property owners and contractors.
Planzz allows for more effective management and coordination of activities between property owners, and those overseeing work, and the contractors on-site doing the work. A dashboard was developed to display project activities in real-time, and allow for planning future work being done. Within the dashboard are widgets that show project managers more detail, that all fit in with the project timeline.
Picture 3. Planzz project.
#4: Improved real-estate portal back-end
A real estate portal, for the UK and Netherlands market, needed the back-end re-written on Node.JS. This was for an MVP product being developed, according to a very specific list of features the client required.
The real estate portal MVP is designed to be a listing platform, for those looking for rental properties, and rental agencies listing them. A mobile and desktop version was developed as part of this project. We developed an elegant working solution, within the budget and timescale for getting the work done, ensuring that agencies can now use this product in the UK and Netherlands.
#5: Enhancing rental property management
Managing rental properties, especially for management companies with hundreds of properties on their books, can be a massive headache. You’ve got to ensure tenants pay on time, landlords get paid, your firm gets the management fees, work on properties are handled efficiently, and new tenants are processed the right way.
All of this did, and for many firms still does, involve loads of paperwork, emails and spreadsheets. It’s a headache for management companies, landlords, tenants, and causes them to be less efficient, competitive and profitable. Or you can use Casadesk, an online system that makes all of that easier for property management companies.
LaSoft was appointed to develop Casadesk, to integrate existing technologies into one online system. With this, management companies can keep everything on every property in a single database. Alongside all of the information they need about tenants and landlords. This also makes listings easier, as details are on file alongside pictures.
With Casadesk, everything is managed smoothly and easily in one user-friendly online system. It makes it easier for landlords and tenants, and ensures management companies get paid on-time, and can handle maintenance efficiently.
Picture 4. Casadesk project.
As you can see, LaSoft has extensive experience in the real estate sector. We specialize in multi-platform web and desktop applications, mobile and cloud solutions, system integrations in real estate portals, multiple listings services.
We can work to overhaul existing property management software or portals, or develop completely new ones. Our experience includes the following: Commercial property management systems development; Residential property management; and Tenants management.
LaSoft: Your web and mobile development agency. We are a technology partner you can trust. Get more information today. LaSosft provides a wide range of services, including web and mobile development, product design, management and quality assurance.
