Hire Real Estate Developers: A Complete Guide
- Jarvy Sanchez
- Aug 11
- 8 min read
Real estate isn’t just physical anymore - it’s digital, fast, and competitive. From property search platforms to AI-driven valuation tools, tech is now a core part of how deals are sourced, managed, and closed.
According to recent data from Zillow and NAR:
69% of homebuyers used mobile apps as their primary tool for property search.
87% of buyers relied on online platforms when looking for homes.
MLS integrations and valuation APIs are now standard in most real estate tools.
As the demand for digital experiences grows, so does the need for skilled software developers who understand the real estate space.
TL;DR: If you’re building real estate software in 2025 - apps, platforms, AI tools - hiring the wrong devs will cost you time, budget, and momentum. Here’s how to get it right.
What Real Estate Software Developers Build
Real estate software development involves creating systems that support the listing, searching, valuation, buying, leasing, or management of properties. Unlike general-purpose apps, these systems handle fragmented data sources (such as MLSs and tax databases), location-specific rules, and workflows customized to agents, brokers, and property managers.
The work requires more than just frontend/backend skills - you often need to normalize inconsistent data, build integrations with legacy infrastructure, and account for non-standard transaction flows.
Some examples of what development teams typically build are:
Property search platforms with filters, maps, saved searches, and alerts
Listing management systems for brokers and admins to manage inventory
AI-powered valuation tools that help estimate pricing using comps and trends
Real estate CRMs for managing contacts, deals, and communication workflows
Mobile apps for buyers, sellers, investors, or agents
Lease management portals with e-signatures, rent tracking, and document storage
Common Startup & Business Use Cases
Real estate developers work on projects with clear goals and constraints:
PropTech startups build MVPs to test core ideas fast. They often start with basic listing, booking, or search features, leaving room to expand later. Developers manage trade-offs between shipping quickly and avoiding future rework.
Brokerages replace spreadsheets or legacy tools with digital platforms. Developers review existing workflows, integrate with systems like MLS or CRMs, and write software that improves day-to-day tasks without breaking current operations.
SMBs launching mobile-first apps compete with larger platforms. They rely on developers to build focused features, keep infrastructure lean, and ship in short cycles with limited resources.
Enterprises need internal platforms or portals that support multiple roles, permissions, and integrations. These systems often require planning around existing software stacks, data flow, and scale.
AI is also becoming common in real estate systems. It’s used for property valuation models, lead scoring, smart search and recommendations, document parsing, and virtual assistants. Some teams use AI for automating workflows or predictive maintenance in smart buildings. Developers either integrate third-party APIs or deploy in-house models, depending on the data, latency, and infrastructure constraints.
Cost to Hire Real Estate Developers
The cost of hiring real estate developers depends on the engagement model, team structure, and project scope.
Hourly Freelancers
Freelancers typically charge between $35 and $100 per hour:
Experience | Hourly Rate | Notes |
Junior Developer | $35-50 | Slower output, needs close guidance |
Senior Developer | $75-100 | Faster, more reliable output |
Freelancers are flexible, but they come with overhead. You’re responsible for project management, coordination, and quality control. If your project requires multiple roles - backend, frontend, DevOps, QA - you’ll face bottlenecks managing them individually.
Nearshore Teams
Nearshore teams offer a balance of cost, quality, and timezone overlap.
Rates typically range from $5,000 to $15,000 per month per developer.
In countries like Colombia, you can find experienced developers at $29-65/hr, often through structured teams with project managers and QA included.
You get full-time resources, better coordination, and lower overhead compared to managing freelancers.
Full Product Development
If you're hiring a team to build an MVP or full product, expect project-based pricing:
Project Type | Estimated Cost |
Simple property listing platform | $40,000-60,000 |
Marketplace with search & payments | $70,000-100,000 |
AI-enhanced product | $100,000-150,000 |
Project-based pricing works when requirements are stable. But in real estate, changing needs and third-party integrations often require flexible teams that can adapt as development progresses.
If you're unsure about the cost for your project, you can also contact our team to get an estimate based on your scope, timeline, and technical requirements.
Factors That Affect Cost
Location: Developer rates vary by region. U.S. developers often charge $100-200/hour. In Latin America, experienced developers typically charge $29-70/hour. The quality gap has narrowed with better tools and remote collaboration.
Tech Stack: Choosing common stacks like React or Node.js usually keeps costs lower and maintenance simpler. Projects that use AI or newer frameworks often cost more due to the need for specialized skills.
AI Features: Adding AI or machine learning can increase project cost by 30-50%. This is due to the time needed to build, train, and test models, as well as the expertise required.
Scope: A basic MVP with features like user sign-up, property listings, and search will cost less. Projects that include payments, messaging, reviews, or mobile apps take more time and resources.
Advanced Features: Features like real-time alerts, interactive maps, or custom dashboards add several weeks of development time. It's better to prioritize features that support core functionality.
Timeline: Faster timelines require more developers working in parallel, which raises coordination overhead and cost. A standard timeline allows smaller teams to work more efficiently.
Where to Hire Real Estate Developers
1. Freelancer Platforms
Upwork and Toptal offer flexible access to individual developers, but they work best for smaller, well-scoped tasks.
Upwork gives access to a wide talent pool. You’ll need to screen for real estate-specific experience. Strong communication is also as important as technical skills.
Toptal pre-screens developers for quality. Rates are higher, but you’re more likely to find engineers with professional experience suited for complex builds.
Freelancers work best when the scope is tight. For full platforms, coordination, QA, and speed of iteration can become a challenge, especially without in-house tech leadership.
2. Hiring a Product Development Partner
For full product development, work with a dev company that can own the tech side - from architecture and design to coding, testing, and long-term maintenance.
What to look for:
Real estate expertise such as MLS/IDX integrations, search filters, geospatial data, etc.
Strong process - planning, sprints, weekly check-ins, and post-launch support.
Past projects with clean UI/UX and scalable architecture.
Avoid vague proposals or partners who skip discovery.
3. Nearshore Staff Augmentation
Nearshore staff augmentation works well if you have in-house product leadership but need extra hands to execute. You manage the roadmap; the augmentation firm provides vetted developers to plug into your team.
Benefits:
Near time-zone overlap (e.g., Latin America).
Developers familiar with U.S. tools and workflows.
Easy to scale up or replace team members.
But you’ll need to manage tasks, reviews, and architecture internally. It’s best for teams with solid in-house oversight.
Building the Right Dev Team for Your Real Estate App
Real estate apps require features like listings, maps, role-based access, and compliance. A team that’s built similar systems can ship faster and avoid rework.
1. Backend Engineers build APIs and connect to MLS/IDX feeds. They should know how to handle large datasets and keep the search fast. Poor backend design leads to slow performance and higher server costs.
2. Frontend Engineers create the UI and filtering flows. They should be comfortable with responsive design and map tools like Mapbox or Google Maps.
3. Mobile Developers are useful if you're going native. Cross-platform tools often can’t handle map-heavy or image-rich real estate apps well.
4. Designers need to understand user search behavior, not just visuals especially for dense filters and data like prices or yields.
5. Project Managers should know real estate workflows and keep tech work aligned with business goals.
You don’t need every role on day one. Start backend-heavy and scale based on feedback.
Hiring for AI and Search
AI features make real estate platforms more competitive, but they take longer to build and cost more due to the specialized skills required.
Common AI Use Cases:
Feature | Requirements |
Vector Search | Embedding models, vector DBs (e.g., Weaviate, Pinecone) |
Price Estimation | ML regression models + domain data + feature engineering |
Chatbots (GenAI) | NLP + real-time market data integration + guardrails for accuracy |
AI features depend on high-quality data. Teams must know how to clean, validate, and pipeline structured and unstructured property data.
Start small - build basic recommendation systems or user behavior tracking. Avoid overinvesting in NLP or computer vision before validating user need and data readiness.
How to Hire the Right Team?
When hiring, real estate experience is useful but not essential. Developers who've worked with MLS feeds, fast search, or compliance will ramp up quicker. Still, engineers from marketplaces, finance, or logistics can perform well if they’re curious and ask the right questions.
Look for developers with strong product sense. They should care about performance, maintainability, and how the feature affects users - not just getting it to work.
Good communication is the critical factor. Strong developers explain trade-offs in plain terms, especially when discussing budget, speed, or complexity.
Ask how they work. Version control, code reviews, tests, and CI/CD should be standard. So should honest updates, especially when things aren’t going to plan.
Timezone overlap helps. Real estate moves quickly. Delays in feedback slow everything down.
Managing the Project
Even with the right team, poor management can derail your project.
Milestones and Scope
Set technical milestones that support business goals. Don’t skip discovery - it reduces rework and helps focus on what users actually need.
Discovery: user flows, tech requirements, integrations.
MVP: smallest useful version - no bloat, but still usable.
Testing: both functional and UX, using real data and edge cases.
Iteration: user feedback should guide the next phase.
Plan for third-party delays - MLS access, payment setup, and map APIs all take time.
Tools for Remote Teams
Pick tools that fit how you work. Avoid overlap and noise.
Slack or Teams: Fine for chat - set rules to avoid constant pings.
Jira or ClickUp: Pick one for tracking work. Keep it updated.
Notion or Confluence: Use for specs and decisions - stay consistent.
Figma: For quick design feedback.
GitHub/GitLab: For code, reviews, and CI. Keep branches clean.
Zoom or Meet: Use when async doesn’t cut it.
Hold short check-ins for blockers. Avoid meetings that just repeat the tracker. Define how decisions get made and who handles blockers - don’t leave it vague.
Common Risks to Watch
Scope drift: It adds up fast. Lock scope early, and document how change requests are handled.
Underestimating integrations: Plan buffer time for MLS, payments, and maps. These are rarely plug-and-play.
Incomplete estimates: Ask for full feature breakdowns, not just surface-level timelines.
Poor communication: Watch out for vague updates. “Almost done” means nothing without working code.
Getting Started
If you're planning to build a real estate platform, start by defining the scope - listing-only, marketplace, or AI-assisted. Identify what needs to be built now versus later. This helps narrow down budget, timelines, and team structure.
If you already have specs or wireframes, get a technical review to validate feasibility, effort, and potential risks - especially if you're integrating with MLS data, map layers, or AI components.
If you're still shaping the product, talk to a team that’s done similar builds. It saves time and avoids rework. You don’t need a final product vision to start - just clarity on your short-term goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much does it cost to build a real estate app?Simple listing platforms start around $40K-$60K. AI-driven or complex platforms can reach $100K-$150K. Hiring freelance developers can cost $35-$100/hour. Nearshore teams, especially in Latin America, often charge $29-$70/hour.
2. Where can I find developers with real estate experience?You can look find on Upwork or Toptal, or contact Leanware to hire a dedicated team with PropTech experience.
If you're open to broader talent, developers with marketplace, map-based app, or search experience can adapt quickly to real estate needs.
3. How long does it take to build a real estate MVP?A basic MVP takes around 3-4 months. If you’re building a marketplace with user accounts, filters, maps, or mobile apps, expect 5-6 months. MLS integration often adds 2-4 weeks for approvals and setup. Plan a soft launch to identify real-world issues before scaling.
