When more than 50% of users believe that a company’s website is a vital part of their brand, it’s easy to understand the importance of an exceptional website.
We’re in an era where not investing in a custom website is detrimental to your business for many reasons. This doesn’t only apply to old websites either, as time passes your website should update and change to adapt to web design trends.
Your website is your digital storefront; if you don’t keep it looking good and updated, then people will find an alternative. With so many businesses out there, it’s easy to search for one of your competitors and buy from them.
To stay ahead of the competition, your property website needs to embrace the latest web design trends. But which web design trends should you actually consider when there are dozens of different ones out there?
This article will help you find the perfect web design trends for your property site by providing you with a comprehensive list of trends that you can apply right now.
Want to improve your property website but don’t know where to start? We can help.
Current 20 Web Design Trends for Property Sites
This list is in no particular order, so make sure to take every web design trend into consideration when going through the list.
1. AI-Powered Searches
Traditional search functions are slowly being replaced by AI-powered search engines that provide better feedback and a more accurate search. Instead of making your visitors use rigid filters that might ignore products or services, AI can now interpret intent.
A user searching for a “pet-friendly apartment near school with parking” will get a lot more suggestions with AI than with normal filters since it will provide extra listings that might interest the user.
If the user is consistently searching for houses instead of apartments, then the AI will mainly show houses whenever the user searches for a place to rent.
By reducing the time the user takes searching for exactly what they want, it increases the overall odds of renting or buying a house or apartment in the listings.
2. Minimalist Layouts
There is a reason why minimalist layouts are so popular for property websites nowadays. When potential buyers enter your website, they want to instantly see listings and find what they’re looking for.
A minimalist website helps achieve that by removing any potential distractions from your site and displaying only what truly matters.
White space, simple navigation menus, and a bold but easy-to-read font are all vital for a good minimalist website.
For property websites, minimalism is more about letting their listings be the center of attention than anything else.
3. Virtual Tours
High-resolution 3D tours have slowly been implemented into property websites over the past few years. These immersive tours help potential buyers explore every corner of a house or apartment at their own pace.
This also means that they can revisit as many times as they want without having to book an appointment.
For potential buyers who are not in the country or buyers who are relocating, a virtual tour is even more important since they can get a realistic feel for the property.
4. High-Quality Video Backgrounds
Static images won’t always capture the full view of a property the same way a video does. That’s why utilizing video backgrounds that showcase the whole property slowly is becoming a web design feature for property sites.
Drone footage of the property from afar or coming from the street and going in is a great idea for video backgrounds. They create instant emotional appeal by making visitors engage more with the property from the start.
5. Mobile-First Design
When more than 66% of searches are made from mobile devices, it makes sense why having a mobile-first website is one of the best web design trends of this year.
A property website that looks amazing on a desktop but feels clunky and cluttered on a mobile device is always at a disadvantage compared to its competitors.
By creating a website that is built around mobile devices first, you can ensure that the website works well on any device, including desktop.
6. Advanced Filter Options
Potential buyers looking for a new home will always appreciate advanced filter options that let them find exactly what they are looking for beyond bedrooms and bathrooms. Buyers can now filter based on neighborhood amenities, commute times, and even EV charging stations. This ensures that they waste as little time as possible looking for the exact specifications they want.
7. Dark Mode
This web design trend is now a staple for most websites that want a sleek and modern look while also helping reduce overall eye strain when browsing. Not to mention that against dark backgrounds, every property image and video will pop with greater contrast.
This is without even factoring in the accessibility factor that having a dark mode brings to the table. For people with limited vision, a dark background can be the change needed to properly navigate through your website with fewer issues overall.
8. Integrated Chatbots
Buyers nowadays expect answers instantly. That’s why AI-driven chatbots have slowly become a necessity for brands and companies in every industry.
They are a web design trend for property sites because of how many simple questions they can answer without any input from your end. This also means that the really important questions get forwarded to you and are easy to spot.
Some bots can even set up a call with an agent, which makes scheduling tours that much easier.
9. Interactive Maps
Location is just as important as the property itself for potential buyers. An interactive map allows buyers to click on neighborhoods and browse schools, grocery stores, transit options, and even entertainment.
Instead of making them switch between a Google search and your property site, buyers can explore everything in one place with an interactive map.
10. Storytelling via Design
Selling a property isn’t just about taking some pictures and creating a quick description of the home, it’s about the lifestyle that comes with it.
That’s why a lot of property sites nowadays pair high-quality images with descriptive copy that helps paint a picture of what it would feel like to live in that property.
Combining lifestyle images, testimonials, and local narratives helps create a connection with a potential buyer, which in turn might lead to a sale.
11. Mirco-Animations
Design is in the details, and this is especially true for property sites that want to stand out.
By making it so property cards expand when hovered over or icons animate when clicked, it makes the experience more engaging overall.
These animations can subtly guide buyers by showing them where to click next while also giving the overall site a modern feel.
12. Mortgage and Affordability Tools
Buyers want to waste as little time as possible, and knowing if a property is financially within reach is a must for most.
Embedded calculators that show estimated mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance help keep potential buyers invested from the start.
13. Voice Search Optimization
Smart devices that let buyers search via voice commands have rapidly grown in popularity in recent years.
Optimizing your property site for long-tail voice queries such as “find two-bedroom homes near Tampa under $400k” ensures proper visibility for this search channel.
Not working on this is a massive web design mistake for your brand. Voice search helps your website by making you consistently work on long-tail keywords that sound natural and may not be searched as often.
Want to optimize your SEO but don’t know what is needed? Let us help.
14. Local Focused Content
When people search for a new home, they consider the community the properties are in. As far as web design trends go, locally focused content is one of the best due to how much it influences potential buyers.
Neighborhood guides, school reviews, dining recommendations, and amenities, if included, are all great points to talk about and that can be used to improve your local SEO.
This extra effort not only helps potential buyers make a decision, but it also positions your property website as a community expert, which can directly influence your SEO efforts.
15. Faster Page Speed
Good property website speed is by far one of the most essential web design trends on this list.
Speed alone is a major factor for both ranking SEO-wise and bounce rates. A delay of just a few seconds could make a lot of potential buyers leave and find another property website with faster loading times.
In fact, 40% of consumers leave websites that take over three seconds to load.
Making good use of compressed images, lazy loading, and content delivery networks (CDNs) for better load times is vital.
Your website can look amazing, but if it doesn’t load quickly, then it’s all for nothing.
16. Smart CTAs
Calls-to-action are now more personalized and action-driven instead of being stale and generic like they have been for years.
Good property websites should take advantage of every CTA they can, considering that a tour or booking process can seem a bit annoying to do for potential buyers.
Using “Book a Private Tour” or “Get Pre-Approved” over “Learn More” helps guide visitors toward their needs.
Remember, you want to encourage immediate action so your prospects can keep going down your sales funnel.
17. One-Click Appointment Scheduling
This is one of the best web design trends to implement by far. Convenience is key for property websites. Integrated scheduling tools now allow buyers to book showings with a single click, making it as easy as it has ever been.
One-click scheduling helps users skip all the processes of guessing when an agent is free while ensuring that their interest in a property turns into a real appointment.
18. Inclusive and Accessible Design
Accessibility is not optional anymore. Designers should now create property websites with ADA compliance in mind. This means they should have readable typography, screen reader compatibility, alt text for images, and high-contrast visuals.
Not only will your property website reach a wider audience by having these set up, but it will reflect positively on your company as a whole.
Inclusivity builds trust and shows that your brand truly cares.
19. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
PWAs grab the best of both websites and mobile apps and make it one. They let users browse offline, enjoy faster load times, receive push notifications, all without having to download any app.
For property websites, PWAs offer an app-like experience without the cost of developing an app.
20. AI-Powered Property Recommendations
Personalization has advanced a lot in recent years with different AI tools. You can now set AI recommendations for property websites based on user behavior. AI can analyze users’ browsing history while on your website and check saved searches to suggest listings that align with what they want.
Think of it like any streaming app that recommends similar shows or movies based on what you’ve been watching recently, but for properties in this case.
This is perfect since it will show potential buyers properties they might not have seen before that might fit all of their needs.
Get a Property Website that Converts With Blacksmith
After going through this web design trends list, you’re ready to start adding new features and ideas for your property website. While we recommend that you implement most, if not all, of them, it is not mandatory.
But let’s be real for a moment here; adding web design features to your property website takes time. Especially some features such as having a mobile-first design, since it entails a complete redesign of your website from scratch.
These projects could take you weeks or even months, depending on how much you want to change on your website.
This is time you could be using to improve other aspects of your business that also need your attention, so now what?
That’s where we come in. Here at Blacksmith, we are web design experts with dozens of different website projects under our belts.
As a professional digital marketing agency, we provide complete web design services based on your business needs. We have reliable web designers and developers ready to create the perfect property website for your business. They will ensure that every modern web design feature and strategy is applied to your website.
Still unsure if investing in a new property website is a good idea for your business?
Don’t worry, click here to schedule a call with us so we can audit your website and company. This way, we can show you all of the areas where your website is losing customers and where you could improve.
