Selling luxury products in any industry is just as much about the culture surrounding the product as it is the actual purchase itself. The feeling of status and prestige that comes with luxury items isn’t always obvious to identify in digital form, but let’s try to establish what web design for luxury real estate brokerages looks like in 2018 by taking a look at the sites for some of the most valued luxury companies on the planet:
They don’t overcomplicate the process; they are simple and ultra-minimal, with wide, engaging imagery and compositions within well-defined cards, ready for mobile. It’s almost uncanny how similar they are from a foundational layout point of view. It might make you think all websites look the same. Not many bells and whistles, simply high-quality content, informing the public about their high-quality goods. These sites are made to be obvious and look familiar. Navigating the site, you’re not overly confused about where to go or what they are selling.
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Foundations of Web Design for Luxury Real Estate Brokerages
In real estate, the principles are no different. Obviously a little more information is required, but in web design for luxury real estate brokerages, the properties often speak for themselves. And while technically properties are being sold on custom real estate brokerage websites, the site itself is less of consequence than showcasing what sets each home apart from others. Take a look at some of the luxury collections from around the industry and navigate to an individual property:
Zephyr Real Estate’s Luxury Collection
RE/MAX Results’ Featured Listings
Willam Pitt Sotheby’s Historic Homes
Jameson Sotheby’s Imagine Magazine
Four Seasons Sotheby’s Exclusive Properties
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Having the ability to showcase the beauty and essence of a high-end property might seem simple from all the previous examples, but it takes a lot of preparation. Having the right type of content and accentuating it in a certain way on the page, through design, make all the difference in turning already special properties into an experience that stays with you.
Executing Web Design for Luxury Real Estate Brokerages
It really can be as simple and important as having large, HD photography that you can make the focal point of the website — it will make the page feel larger than life. But once we’ve gathered the proper photographs that show both detail and scale, how do you implement it?
- Make it feel as close to an in-person tour as possible. Virtual reality is still in its infancy in most industries, but having large, full-screen images can immerse users and let them picture themselves living in these lavish homes.
- Luxury often equates to exclusivity. Price certainly helps with the differentiation, but creating a separate, distinct visual personality and/or name for luxury properties makes for a psychological shift. It lets users know they’re dealing with something much different from the norm.
- Along with exclusivity comes a much more personable approach. Your audience is a lot smaller and they demand a bit more attention, as they are investing quite a bit more than the average purchase. Finding ways to make communication a bit more personal goes a long way. This could be as simple as highlighting a specific agent or even putting up a registration wall that makes it feel like a private club — establish a VIP communication.
- Designing the layout to show there are a smaller, hand-picked collection of listings is a helpful tool. Bigger is definitely better, as you end up fitting less properties on the page. In this way, you communicate these properties as truly being one of a kind.
- Play to the properties’ strengths by highlighting the areas and information that make them rare, exclusive and special. For instance, detail the craftsmanship, architect, architectural style or the home’s historical value.
Creating a luxury persona within your website takes a great deal of thought, which I’ve only begun to cover. Along with everything I’ve noted, balancing the right type of interactions, typography and storytelling, among many other things, will go a long way in establishing your reputation as an expert in the luxury world.
