Welcome to the primary submit of our “WordPress as…” collection. The aim with this collection is to take a number of the superb assets obtainable on Popularwp Market and use them to create a particular sort of WordPress web site. We’ll present you the instruments you want and supply an in-depth overview of the best way to rise up and working rapidly. Right now, we’ll present you the best way to create a Actual Property Itemizing web site.
Selecting Your Theme
We’re going to begin easy and use the Realty WordPress Theme by ThemeTrail.
After looking out the Marketplace for real estate themes and looking free real estate WordPress themes, I used to be drawn to Realty. It has been superbly designed and has the right set of options for what we want right now:
- Constructed utilizing Bootstrap three.three.1.
- Absolutely Responsive Template.
- Able to be translated into the language of your alternative through WPML.
- Utilizing Advanced Custom Fields, you may simply add fields to your property listings.
- An AJAX property search – you may even search utilizing customized fields.
- Permit others to submit properties on the entrance finish of the location free of charge or take funds through PayPal.
- Assist for importing MLS/IDX listings through a plugin.
- Guests can evaluate properties and may even save their favorites.
Frankly, there are numerous extra options included with Realty that I couldn’t probably record right here. Suffice to say, it has the instruments that you must get off to a working begin along with your actual property web site. So, let’s check out what it could do for you.
Setting Up
Initially, I used to be thrilled to see that Realty affords a really detailed documentation area that guides you thru each step of the method. There’s a Best Practice part that lists really useful settings to your WordPress set up. It even reveals you the best way to create customized fields with Superior Customized Fields and setup contact kinds with Contact Form 7 (each of which the theme writer lists as really useful plugins).
That’s positively going the additional mile by way of documentation.
Additionally included is a child theme, which you internet execs can use to make CSS adjustments or create custom templates.
Putting in
To put in the theme, you’ll wish to login to your WordPress set up and go to Look > Themes.
There are two totally different zip information you’ll wish to add by clicking on the Add New button on the Themes web page, then clicking Add:
realty.zip (the primary, or father or mother, theme)
realty-child.zip (the youngster theme)
When you’ve uploaded each information, discover them in your record of put in themes and activate the Realty Baby theme. This fashion, when Realty has updates, you gained’t lose any of the customizations you make.
Demo Knowledge
Realty additionally contains an XML file filled with demo posts and property listings, which I’m going to add in Instruments > Import (you could want to put in the WordPress Importer plugin if you happen to haven’t already performed so). This might be an enormous assist in seeing how the theme works. When you’re performed exploring, you may all the time delete the info.
Since we now have the entire demo content material we’ll want, I’ve gone into Settings > Studying and set House – Property Map as the location’s static residence web page. This can show a map with properties listed on our web site. You possibly can additionally select the extra generalized Intro web page or House – Slideshow choices.
Map Configuration
When modifying the House – Property Map web page, you’ll discover a Property Maps Settings panel. I’m going to set this up in order that it solely reveals properties listed on the market in London (the place many demo listings are set), categorized as homes.
That setup shows like so on the house web page:
Theme Choices
In Look > Theme Choices, you’ll see a listing of highly effective options that may assist you make this web site your individual.
After all you may select from the usual fare resembling your web site’s brand, typography, social media hyperlinks and colours. Past that, you’ll get to the actual enjoyable, together with:
Properties
You’ll be capable of add any customized fields or meta data you’ve created, change the property itemizing’s structure model and look, permit unregistered customers to quickly save their favourite listings, use totally different picture sizes, toggle use of contact kinds and configure an analogous properties advice engine.
Top quality pictures are key to a profitable Actual Property web site. If you happen to’re searching for some ideas, you need to try the Guide to Getting Started in Real Estate Photography over on Tuts+.
Property Search
This can be a enjoyable characteristic that's going to be very important to the user-friendliness of your web site. This may occasionally even be essentially the most difficult to setup. Fortunately, there’s a handy guide for constructing a customized search type. On this case, I attempted to construct a type that had the very fundamentals of what residence patrons can be searching for.
Proven right here, organising a customized search area (left) and the ensuing type as displayed on the location (proper).
Property Submit
If you happen to’re going to permit others exterior of your group to record properties, you may set that up right here. That is additionally the place you'll setup your PayPal data if you happen to plan on charging customers for submitting their listings.
The eCommerce characteristic contains the power to make use of subscription funds, which might be nice for charging month-to-month or yearly charges. If desired, you may additionally cost a charge on a per-property itemizing foundation.
Actual Property Brokers
In case your web site goes to have a number of Actual Property Brokers, including them to the combo is as simple as going to Customers > Add New Consumer inside WordPress. A brand new user role referred to as Agent is added by the Realty theme, which you’ll wish to assign all new inner brokers you add to the location.
A pleasant characteristic for brokers (and web site directors) is that an agent can add and handle their properties utterly by way of the entrance finish of the location. Brokers may fill out their profile and speak to data.
Property Options
When creating or modifying a property, there are a great many choices obtainable. There are normal fields for value, sort of property, variety of bedrooms/bogs, sq. footage together with areas to set the situation and add a photograph gallery.
A couple of added bonuses embody the power to add a video from both YouTube or Vimeo and connect information to the itemizing (resembling a PDF brochure). If you happen to’re including/modifying by way of the WordPress admin, you may mark a property as “Featured”, which you need to use a shortcode or widget to show. You may also assign the property to a particular Agent registered on the location.
After all, that is additionally the place the power so as to add customized fields comes into play. If there are different objects you wish to show in your itemizing, you’ll give you the chance to take action. You may also edit present knowledge – just like the record of property options – for extra personalization.
Shortcodes
Displaying actual property listings wherever you need is straightforward, due to a group of built-in shortcodes. Codes can be found for itemizing featured properties, a single property, properties from any mixture of areas, record brokers, testimonials, a property search type or a Google map.
Accessing the shortcodes is so simple as using the button added to the WordPress editor’s toolbar.
Be aware that these features are additionally obtainable as widgets to make use of in any of the eight sidebars included with the theme.
General Impressions
Realty is a theme that was constructed to cater particularly to actual property companies. Whereas most wants might be met with a considerably default setup, the truth that you may certainly customise the theme so as to add these private touches makes it a winner in my guide.
There’s a fragile steadiness in terms of constructing out a theme. You wish to be sure that much less technical customers will be capable of make their means round with out an excessive amount of fuss. On the similar time, you wish to give skilled designers and builders a canvas they'll use to make customizations.
As an online skilled, I used to be impressed wanting on the varied theme templates. They’re in-built such a means you can make adjustments with out concern of breaking something. If a consumer needs one thing modified that requires hacking away on the CSS or template (utilizing the kid theme, in fact), it ought to trigger little or no ache. I can’t say that about many themes.
If you happen to’re wanting to make use of the facility of WordPress to run an actual property company web site, the Realty theme may be of nice profit. You may rise up and working with out ever leaving the WordPress admin. However beneath the hood is a theme that may deal with a great little bit of customization as effectively. General, a really strong theme.
Browse More WordPress Real Estate Themes on ThemeForest →
If you happen to’re a designer or developer that’s seeking to construct your individual actual property WordPress theme, Tuts+ have an in depth tutorial on Developing a Real Estate WordPress Theme and one other that discusses the Components of a Quality Real Estate Theme.
