Top 10 Real Estate Websites in 2024

In today’s digitally driven real estate industry, knowing how to properly navigate the online is vital. With that in mind, the importance of popular real estate websites cannot be overstated for agents trying to find their footing. But with so many options out there, it’s important to consider the top 10 real estate websites in the present day. 

What are the Most Popular Real Estate Websites? 

These platforms have transformed the traditional real estate landscape, offering expansive digital marketplaces where agents and sellers can showcase properties, reach a global audience, and connect with potential clients. As agents figure out where they belong in the competitive world of real estate, having a strong presence on the right platforms can be the difference between fading into obscurity and thriving as a standout professional in a bustling market.

As stated, a massive array of options is available when looking for the best real estate listing websites, so identifying the right ones can seem a little daunting. That’s why we’ve done it for you. In this article, we’ve compiled comprehensive reviews of the top 10 real estate websites, detailing their strengths, features, and unique selling points so you can decide which suits your business best. 

Whether you’re an agent seeking a platform to showcase properties or a buyer looking for a new home, understanding these platforms is crucial.

Top 10 Real Estate Websites for Agents by Traffic

The digital age has significantly transformed the real estate industry, from social media marketing to email drip campaigns, but nothing has shifted more than how properties are listed and discovered. With a plethora of platforms available, it’s essential to understand which sites offer the most value and why. 

We’ve put together a list of the top 10 real estate listing websites based on online traffic, highlighting their features, strengths, and potential drawbacks, so you can feel confident before choosing to build a presence on any or all of them!

Note: Traffic based on a Semrush report from August 2023

Zillow

The leading real estate marketplace, Zillow provides thousands of property listings, including homes for sale, rentals, and foreclosures. With its intuitive, user-friendly interface, users can access a wealth of property details, price estimates, and neighborhood insights.

Features: 

• Comprehensive property listings
• Price history details
• Zestimate tool for home valuations
• Mortgage calculators 
• Agent reviews

Pros: 

• User-friendly interface
• Extensive property database
• Detailed property information

Cons: 

• The Zestimate tool is often criticized for being inaccurate

Why We Chose It: 

Zillow stands out from the crowd for its massive user base, reaching over 250 million users in August 2023. It’s also notable for its innovative features and user-friendliness, making it THE go-to platform for many homebuyers.

Craigslist

While primarily a classified ads platform, Craigslist features a hugely popular real estate section where individuals can post properties for sale or rent, making it a great place for agents to scan for potential clients. It’s known for its simple but effective interface and broad range of listings, including everything from apartments to commercial spaces.

Features: 

• Classified ads for various categories, including real estate
• Simple and direct property listings

Pros: 

• Wide reach
• Free postings in most areas
• Ability to directly contact listers

Cons: 

• Less professional presentation 
• Rife with potential scams

Why We Chose It: 

Its broad audience and simplicity make it a unique platform where both professionals and homeowners can list properties. Its user base of over 180 million in August 2023 shows it’s clearly a great space for finding business.

Realtor.com

The official website of the National Association of REALTORS®, Realtor.com offers a massive database of both for-sale and rental listings, with an emphasis on the role of agents themselves. It’s highly trusted for providing users with in-depth property insights and agent details.

Features: 

• Extensive detailed property listings
• Accredited agent directories
• Valuable market statistics 
• Home buying/selling advice

Pros: 

• Credible source of properties
• Association with the National Association of Realtors
• Regularly Updated market trends

Cons: 

• Less direct user-listing interaction than is offered in other platforms

Why We Chose It: 

Realtor.com offers a blend of comprehensive property details and industry insights, making it a trusted source.

Redfin

This tech-forward real estate brokerage offers detailed listings, interactive map searches, and virtual home tours. Redfin’s key selling point is its commitment to refunding part of its commission to the buyer.

Features: 

• Real estate listings
• Agent services
• Modern brokerage model with salaried agents on hand

Pros: 

• User-friendly interface
• Savings on agents’ commissions for buyers
• Virtual home tours

Cons: 

• Limited service areas
• The salaried model may not appeal to all agents

Why We Chose It: 

Redfin switches up the traditional real estate model for its over 71 million monthly users, offering consumers potential savings and transparent services.

Apartments.com

Catering to renters, Apartments.com offers an array of apartment listings, complete with virtual tours, floor plans, and amenities details. It’s a go-to platform for those seeking rental flat properties.

Features: 

• Extensive apartment listings
• Includes photos, videos, and 3D tours

Pros: 

• Comprehensive details about rental properties
• User reviews embedded throughout

Cons: 

• Primarily focused on rental apartments, so not particularly versatile for agents

Why We Chose It: 

The platform offers insights into rental properties to over 35 million visitors a month, uniquely assisting apartment renters in making informed decisions.

Trulia

A subsidiary of Zillow, Trulia offers a user-friendly platform featuring property listings, neighborhood insights, and local market trends. It’s especially unique for its community-driven Q&A section, where users can ask locals about specific neighborhoods.

Features: 

• Property listings
• Localized neighborhood insights
• Interactive maps showcasing local amenities

Pros: 

• Unique neighborhood information from the source 
• User reviews 
• Relevant stats on crime and more

Cons: 

• Some information might be outdated

Why We Chose It: 

Trulia goes beyond a simple listing database, offering over 28 million monthly users a real sense of communities and their surroundings.

Homes.com

With a massive range of listings, Homes.com caters to buyers, sellers, and renters alike. The platform is known for its simple search filters and comprehensive property details.

Features: 

• Property listings
• Agent directories 
• Home value calculator
• Buying/selling educational resources

Pros: 

• Clean interface
• User-friendly search tools

Cons: 

• Smaller database compared to competition

Why We Chose It: 

Reliable listings and value-added tools assist almost 25 million users in their property journey every month.

RentCafe

This platform, formerly known as SecureCafe, is more niche, focusing on online leasing for apartment communities. RentCafe offers digital lease signing, application processing, and resident screening services, allowing users to finish the process from the comfort of their current home. 

Features:

• Primarily focused on rental listings
• Secure application processes
• Rent budget calculator
• Property & storage unit finders

Pros: 

• Secure platform
• Streamlined application processes

Cons: 

• More of a niche property focus
• Not particularly agent-friendly

Why We Chose It: 

RentCafe is unique for prioritizing security for over 20 million visitors a month in the often-chaotic rental application process.

VRBO

Specializing in vacation rentals, VRBO connects property owners directly with travelers seeking homes or condos for short-term stays. It’s become massively popular for its diverse range of vacation properties across the globe.

Features: 

• Vacation rental listings globally
• Direct homeowner bookings

Pros: 

• Wide range of vacation homes
• User reviews and ratings of properties, owners, and renters

Cons: 

• Not suitable for standard home buying/selling
• Not particularly useful for agents

Why We Chose It: 

VRBO caters to a concentrated but huge niche of over 19 million monthly vacation seekers, providing diverse property choices for various occasions.

AppFolio

A property management software platform, AppFolio offers solutions for real estate professionals searching to manage their portfolios—from building online rent collections to making maintenance requests. It’s geared towards professionals seeking a centralized online management tool.

Features: 

• Rental listings
• Online application software 
• Payment systems

Pros: 

• Streamlined services for both property managers and renters

Cons: 

• More business-oriented
• Not particularly user-driven

Why We Chose It: 

AppFolio revolutionizes property management for a massive number of professionals, with over 18 million monthly users choosing it to make their processes more efficient and accessible.

By understanding the distinct features, advantages, and drawbacks of these top real estate websites, agents, potential sellers, buyers, or renters can feel more confident navigating the property landscape in a way that works for them. Whether searching for a new home, rental property, or vacation getaway or looking to facilitate deals for these people, these platforms provide a lot of the tools and insights needed for a successful real estate experience.

Which Real Estate Website is Most Popular?

In a digital ecosystem brimming with an array of real estate platforms, a question often arises among professionals and individuals looking to enter the market: Which of these websites truly stands out from the crowd? 

After reviewing and considering several metrics, ranging from user feedback, innovative features, and the overall reach that a site provides, our editor’s pick for the most popular real estate website is Zillow.

Why Zillow Stands Atop the Podium

User Engagement: Zillow’s interface is impeccably user-friendly, no matter one’s experience level. Its design is intuitive, allowing novices, professionals, and seasoned property hunters to navigate with ease.

Extensive Property Database: One of Zillow’s undeniable strengths is the sheer volume of its listings, being the most comprehensive database of US properties. Whether you’re searching for a city apartment, a suburban home, or a countryside retreat, chances are, Zillow has it listed on their site.

Zestimate Tool: This unique feature offers users an instant home valuation, perfect for those looking to sell. While it’s not always pinpoint accurate, it provides a highly useful ballpark estimate that’s incredibly handy for potential sellers and curious homeowners alike.

Innovative Features: Virtual tours, integrated mortgage calculators, and a plethora of other innovative filters ensure users can narrow their search criteria when looking for their ideal property.

Agent Reviews: Zillow offers an easy-to-access avenue for buyers and sellers to find and review real estate agents, ensuring transparency throughout the process. This helps users make the most informed decisions about who to work with.

Wide Reach: With its expansive marketing efforts and longstanding reputation, Zillow enjoys immense website traffic that dwarfs its competitors. Its popularity ensures listings receive a significant number of views—a boon for sellers and agents alike.

Setting the Standard

While all platforms listed in this blog offer exceptional services and features, Zillow has carved out a reputation for itself in the real estate digital space as the gold standard of real estate websites. Its continual innovations and unwavering commitment to the user experience have solidified its position as the go-to website for many in the property world.

By catering to the varied needs of homebuyers, sellers, and real estate professionals, Zillow has not only become the most popular real estate website but also set a benchmark for what a comprehensive property listing platform should be.

Important Features of a Real Estate Website

Even knowing that Zillow takes the crown as the top real estate website by traffic, finding the right one for your specific needs can still be daunting. Given the many options available today, you need to know what features to look for. However, certain features have the capacity to set platforms apart from the rest. 

We’ve developed a rundown of some of the most critical features to look for when deciding on a real estate website:

User-Friendly Interface

Simplicity: Websites should be straightforward to navigate, whatever your reason for visiting. Users should be able to find what they’re looking for without having to sift through complicated menus.

Responsive Design: With countless users accessing websites via mobile devices, a mobile-responsive design ensures usability across various screen sizes, wherever you might be.

Comprehensive Search Filters

Varied Criteria: From property types and price ranges to the number of bedrooms or proximity to local amenities, users should always have the capacity to customize their search to fit their needs.

Saved Searches: A feature that allows users to save and return to their search criteria enhances the user experience, streamlining repeat visits.

High-Quality Photos & Virtual Tours

HD Images: Clear, high-resolution photos make a significant difference in showcasing properties, giving users and agents a better idea of what they’re looking at.

Virtual Tours: In an increasingly digital age where people look for properties from all over, 360-degree virtual tours allow potential buyers to get a feel for a property without having to be there physically.

Detailed Property Descriptions

Comprehensive Details: Listings should always include exhaustive details about the property and, ideally, the surrounding area, such as square footage, amenities, local schools, and more.

Neighborhood Insights: Vital information about the local community, safety, and nearby amenities can be invaluable for potential buyers.

Agent Profiles and Reviews

Transparent Agent Profiles: Potential buyers and sellers should always have access to detailed agent profiles, including their experience, specialties, and past transactions, so they know who they might be working with.

Client Testimonials: Honest reviews from previous clients can provide a clearer picture of an agent’s capabilities and reliability.

Integrated Map View

Location Context: A map function can help users visualize a property’s location relative to landmarks, transport hubs, or other important places.

Mortgage & Financing Tools

Mortgage Calculators: This tool is essential for potential buyers who are trying to determine their budget and monthly payments.

Financing Information: Educational resources about local financing options or tips for securing a mortgage can be highly beneficial for users who are just getting into the market.

Security & Privacy

Data Protection: Users should never feel worried that their personal and financial information is anything less than fully safe and secure.

Privacy Settings: Users should be able to control the amount of personal information they share and with whom. “No hidden contracts” is the name of the game. 

When weighing the options, professionals, homebuyers, and sellers should prioritize real estate websites that offer most, if not all, of these features. A platform that seamlessly combines usability with comprehensive information will make the process a lot smoother from search to transaction.

Conclusion

Navigating the real estate landscape can be challenging, especially with countless websites competing for your attention. This guide presented a curated list of the top 10 real estate websites, each with its unique strengths and offerings. From the comprehensive listings on Zillow to the diverse options on Craigslist and the dedicated property management solutions on AppFolio, it’s clear there’s a platform tailored to everyone’s needs.

Key takeaways:

Significance of Real Estate Websites: These platforms are the nexus between buyers, sellers, and agents, offering tools and resources that streamline property transactions.

Diverse Offerings: Our list highlights the diversity in websites, with some prioritizing listings, others rentals, and some catering to vacation properties.

Zillow’s Dominance: Zillow stands out for its immense volume of listings and its user-centric features, making it a go-to choice for many.

Vital Features: For a real estate website to stand out, it needs a user-friendly interface, detailed property descriptions, virtual tours, agent transparency, and robust security measures.

As you embark on your real estate journey, whether searching for the perfect home, working toward being a stronger agent, or scouting potential investment properties, the right platform can make all the difference. We encourage you to explore the websites mentioned in this post and select the one that resonates most with what you need. 

For more on the real estate industry, check out our blog today.