Real Estate Website

Real Estate Website Development Case Study

Project Analysis and Planning Before starting the website design and development, we conduct a series of analysis and planning activities to ensure that the website meets the client’s expectations and provides the best user experience. Before designing and developing a fully functional website for Jia Real Estate Company, we conducted a comprehensive analysis and planning of the project. The following are the details of our project analysis and planning.

 

Project Analysis

Our first step is to understand the client’s business requirements and goals to ensure that our website design meets their requirements. After communicating with the client, we learned that their main goal is to be able to manage and publish property listings themselves while showcasing the comprehensiveness and professionalism of their real estate business to potential customers. In addition, we also analyzed the competitors’ websites so that we could create a website that can compete with them and surpass their functionality and user experience. We also analyzed the needs and preferences of the target audience to ensure that the website’s design and functionality meet their expectations and needs. Our analysis includes research on the client’s business field, target market, and target audience. Based on our analysis results, our goal is to design a modern, user-friendly, and highly customizable website to meet the client’s business requirements and goals and provide the best user experience.

 

Project Planning

Based on our project analysis, we began planning the website’s design and functionality. The following are the main planning and implementation steps we developed.

1. Determine the website architecture and functional requirements We start by determining the overall architecture of the website and the required functionality. We discussed with the client to understand their needs and expectations and created a detailed list of functional requirements.
2. Choose the website platform Based on our analysis and the client’s needs, we chose to use WordPress as the website platform. We chose WordPress because it is a popular and user-friendly content management system with scalability and high customization.
3. Select a theme We selected a modern, responsive WordPress theme for the client, which includes many of the features and layout options we need and can be easily customized.
4. Design and develop the website We start designing and developing the website, including the website’s layout, colors, logo, and other visual elements. We also create necessary website pages and features, such as property listing pages, search function, developer list, and real estate company list.
5. Integrate necessary plugins We installed and integrated many necessary plugins to enhance the website’s functionality and security. For example, we use security plugins to ensure website security and use SEO plugins to help the website rank better in search engines.

 

 

Website architecture plan

We planned the following website architecture based on the analysis and functional requirements:

 

Front-end:

• Home page: displays recommended properties, popular regions, popular listings, latest news, etc., with a search box and access to contact us and online customer service.
• Property listings page: displays thumbnail images, basic information, and prices of all properties, with filtering and sorting functions and pagination.
• Property details page: displays detailed information about the property, including images, descriptions, property parameters, internal facilities, map location, walk scores, nearby facilities, and distances, with contact form and sharing function.
• Property classification page: classified according to different types of properties for user browsing.
• Real estate company listings page: displays all real estate companies, with filtering and sorting functions.
• Broker listings page: displays all brokers, with filtering and sorting functions.
• Developer listings page: displays all developers, with filtering and sorting functions.
• Mortgage calculator: provides a mortgage calculator function, supporting input of loan amount, term, interest rate, etc., for calculation.
• Stamp duty calculator: provides a stamp duty calculator function, supporting input of property price, state, etc., for calculation.
• Interest detail calculator: provides an interest detail calculator function, supporting input of loan amount, term, interest rate, etc., for calculation.
• Property assessment questionnaire: provides a property assessment questionnaire function to help users evaluate their property risks and requirements.
• News listings page: displays all news articles, with filtering and sorting functions.
• News details page: displays detailed information about the news article, including title, author, publishing time, content, etc.
• Online customer service: provides online customer service function for real-time communication with customer service personnel.

 

Surrounding facilities:

Surrounding facilities are important concerns for many customers, such as schools, hospitals, shops, etc. Real estate companies need to provide relevant information to customers and facilitate customer queries. In this project, we will build a surrounding facilities query system for real estate companies, including the following functions:

• Surrounding facilities query: customers can enter the address of the house on the website to query information about surrounding facilities, such as schools, hospitals, shops, etc.
• Surrounding facilities map display: the system can display the location of surrounding facilities on the map according to the address entered by the customer, facilitating customer viewing.
• Distance calculation function: the system can calculate the distance between surrounding facilities and the house according to the address entered by the customer and provide navigation function for customer queries.

Through the surrounding facilities query system, real estate companies can provide customers with more comprehensive information on surrounding facilities and facilitate customer queries and navigation, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

 

Online mortgage calculator

An online mortgage calculator is a highly useful tool that can assist potential homebuyers in quickly estimating the mortgage costs they may need to pay. Our website will provide a convenient online mortgage calculator that allows visitors to quickly obtain an estimate of the costs they may need to pay after inputting some key information.

 

The online mortgage calculator will be embedded in a dedicated webpage on our website that includes a table with input fields such as loan amount, interest rate, repayment term, and so on. Visitors can input their information into these fields and upon clicking the “Calculate” button, the website will generate an approximate estimate of the mortgage costs based on the input information.

 

To ensure accuracy, we will be using third-party mortgage calculation tools such as MyHomeLoan and integrating them through their API interface. For the technical implementation, we will use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the frontend of the online mortgage calculator, while PHP and MySQL will be used to develop the backend to handle user inputs and communicate with the third-party API. Additionally, we will employ responsive design to ensure that the online mortgage calculator works seamlessly on different devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

 

Overall, our online mortgage calculator will provide visitors with a quick and convenient way to estimate their potential mortgage costs. We will ensure the accuracy and reliability of the calculator and provide additional features to help potential homebuyers better understand their mortgage costs and repayment plans.

 

 

Backend:

To enable real estate companies to easily manage and maintain information on their website, we provide them with a user-friendly backend management system. The backend management system is developed based on the WordPress backend management platform and includes the following functions:

 

1. Property Management: Real estate companies can add, edit, and delete property information, including property images, property parameters, internal facilities, surrounding facilities, and distances.

2. User Management: Real estate companies can manage user information on the website, including brokers, developers, buyers, and sellers. Administrators can add, edit, and delete user information, as well as classify and search users.

3. Content Management: Real estate companies can add, edit, and delete articles and pages on the website, including Australian real estate news, property evaluation surveys, etc.

4. System Settings: Real estate companies can set up basic information about the website, including website name, website address, company introduction, contact information, etc.

5. Data Statistics: Real estate companies can view the website’s data statistics, including page views, user registration, property browsing, etc.

6. Customer Management System:

The customer management system is an important component of the real estate company’s website, which can help them effectively manage customer information, follow up on customer needs, and conduct sales activities. In this project, we will build a complete customer management system for customers, including the following functions:

 

• Customer Registration and Login: Customers can register on the website and use their account information to log into the system.

• Customer Information Management: Real estate companies can view customer personal information, including name, contact information, home address, etc. in the backend management system.

• Customer Demand Management: Real estate companies can record customer purchase needs, such as house size, location, price, etc.

• Customer Follow-up Record: Real estate companies can record customer follow-up history in the customer management system, including phone calls, emails, face-to-face meetings, etc.

• Sales Activity Management: Real estate companies can record specific information about sales activities in the customer management system, such as hosting customer meetings, launching promotional activities, etc.

Through the customer management system, real estate companies can more efficiently manage customer information, follow up on customer needs in a timely manner, and improve customer satisfaction and business conversion rates.

 

Through the backend management system, real estate companies can easily manage and maintain information on their website, as well as communicate and interact with website users. Additionally, we provide detailed user instructions and technical support for the backend management system to ensure that real estate companies can fully utilize its functionality and advantages.

 

 

Technical Implementation

To meet the requirements of our clients, we have utilized modern technologies and tools, including the widely-used content management system (CMS) WordPress.

 

1. Website Framework and Technologies

We have employed WordPress as the primary framework and CMS for the website, which is an open-source system widely known for its ease of use and flexibility. WordPress provides a user-friendly back-end interface that allows clients to manage and publish property listings. Furthermore, WordPress offers numerous extensibility options.

For the website’s front-end development, we have used HTML, CSS, and JavaScript technologies. We have implemented responsive design to ensure the website delivers a good user experience across different devices. We have utilized modern front-end frameworks such as Bootstrap, ReactJS, or VueJS to quickly build the website’s appearance and interaction.

 

For the website’s back-end development, we have used the PHP language, which is the core technology of many popular web frameworks and WordPress. We have used popular PHP frameworks such as Laravel or Symfony to build the website’s back-end and API interfaces. Additionally, we have utilized technologies such as Node.js to implement some of the back-end’s asynchronous functions and real-time interactions.

 

2. Database

We have used MySQL as the primary database for the website, which is a widely-used relational database known for its reliability and stability. We have utilized the object-relational mapping (ORM) and database abstraction layers provided by WordPress to access and manage the MySQL database.

Besides MySQL, we may also consider using NoSQL databases such as MongoDB or Cassandra to store certain non-structured data, such as property images and videos.

 

 

3. In order to implement some key features such as map display and WalkScore display, we

have utilized several third-party APIs, which include:

 

• Google Maps API for map display, street view, and address display functionalities,
• WalkScore API for WalkScore display, nearby facilities, and distance display functionalities, and
• Zillow API for mortgage calculator, stamp duty calculator, and outstanding interest details calculator functionalities.

We have used RESTful API interfaces to call these APIs to easily integrate them into our website.

Security and performance are essential elements for any website. To ensure that our website is secure and efficient, we will adopt the following security and performance strategies:

 

• HTTPS: We use HTTPS protocol to ensure the security of website data transmission. We will configure SSL certificates for the website and ensure that all access is through HTTPS.
• Data encryption: We will use powerful data encryption algorithms to ensure the security of data. For user passwords and sensitive information, we use hash algorithms for encryption and adopt techniques like salt to enhance their security.
• Firewall: We will configure a firewall for the website to prevent malicious attacks and intrusion. We use popular firewall tools such as ModSecurity and Fail2ban to monitor website traffic and intercept malicious requests.
• Secure backup: We will regularly backup website data and store it in a secure location. This ensures that website data can be quickly restored in the event of data loss or system crashes.
• Responsive design: We will adopt responsive design to ensure that the website can present a good user experience on different devices. This can improve website usability and user satisfaction.
• Performance optimization: We will optimize the website performance to ensure that the website can quickly respond to user requests. We will use popular performance optimization tools such as WP Super Cache and CDN to speed up website loading and response times.
• Monitoring and maintenance: We will regularly monitor the website’s operating status and perform necessary maintenance work. We use popular monitoring tools such as New Relic and Pingdom to monitor website performance and availability.

 

4. WordPress Plugins and Themes:

WordPress offers a rich library of plugins and themes that allow for easy extension and customization of website functionality and appearance. We have used several popular WordPress plugins to meet our client’s needs, including:

• WPForms for creating contact forms and surveys,
• Yoast SEO for search engine optimization and website analysis,
• Visual Composer for creating website pages and layouts,
• Advanced Custom Fields for creating and managing custom fields and data.

Through the use of modern technologies and tools, we will build a feature-rich, secure, reliable, and high-performing real estate website for our clients. We will use WordPress as the main framework and content management system for the website, and employ technologies such as PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to achieve the desired functionality and appearance.

 

 

Testing and Evaluation:

Upon completion of website development, we will conduct comprehensive testing and evaluation to ensure the quality and stability of the website. This will include the following aspects:

 

1. Functionality testing: Testing of various functional modules of the website, including property listings, search, categorization, online calculators, online customer service, real estate assessment surveys, and other features to ensure their smooth operation and error-free performance.
2. Compatibility testing: Testing the website’s compatibility with different browsers, operating systems, and devices, including PCs, tablets, and mobile devices, to ensure it displays and operates properly across all devices.
3. Security testing: Testing the website’s security against SQL injection, cross-site scripting attacks, file upload vulnerabilities, and other security issues to ensure that the website is capable of withstanding various security attacks and threats.
4. Performance testing: Testing the website’s performance and load capacity, including response speed, concurrent processing ability, stability, and other aspects, to ensure that the website can function properly under high load conditions.
5. User experience testing: Testing the website’s user experience, including page design, interaction effects, navigation structure, and other aspects, to ensure that the website can provide a good user experience and ease of use.

After testing and evaluation, we will analyze and summarize the results, and address any issues and deficiencies through optimization to improve the quality and stability of the website. We will also provide our clients with detailed testing reports and optimization recommendations to help them better understand the website’s operation and provide further improvement and optimization solutions.