5 property websites we keep coming back to and the specific details that make each one work.
Property sites have a lot to do. They need to sell a lifestyle, hold up a brand, and stay usable while doing it. We picked five we keep coming back to and talked through what each one gets right.
1. Vertus (thisisvertus.com)
- Applies its brand consistently, and the identity itself is distinct and easy to recognise
- Pulls together the fundamentals, UX, UI, use of space, into something that reads as editorial rather than corporate
- A personalised script balances that editorial feel nicely
- Great animation and motion, particularly the way elements appear and when the user hovers over the text
- Beautiful colours, and and top marks for accessable, inclusive design
2. Inigo (inigo.com)
- Split screen with solid background colours and a light box window effect on the imagery, unique for property
- Photography standard across the site is incredibly high and consistent. It’s beautiful and clear, giving a real sense of the homes and making listings feel bespoke rather than generic
- Footer design works as a proper secondary navigation, something a lot of sites forget entirely
- Filtering is clever and clear, with a search bar built straight into the navigation for immediate filtering by property type
3. Folk Co-living (folkcoliving.com)
- Colour stands out, unique and warm for a property space
- Tagline, "renting for folk who want more," and the name itself feel casual and personal, inviting you in straight away
- Custom illustrations throughout the site add a lot to the look and feel
- Clever sliders, including video testimonials under a "meet our folk" section
- Within three or four seconds, you know who they are, what they do, and what they want you to do
4. The Quarter House (quarterhousebristol.co.uk)
*Heads up, this one's ours, so we may be a little baised!
- Standout feature is an interactive map, linking parts of the property to small popups with descriptions you can scroll through visually
- Design brief (not created by us) called for a strongly editorial style, with images spaced unevenly on purpose, more like print than typical web layout
- That kind of interactivity is only possible through a properly collaborative process, working closely enough with a client to understand what they need so the design serves a purpose
5. Airbnb (airbnb.co.uk)
The outlier on this list, but definitely worth including, particularly for its UI.
- A masterclass in UI design, close to flawless given the scale of what it needs to achieve
- Everything you need is always there, it's fast, and it visually surfaces properties wherever you're looking both in a list and interactive map format.
- A useful example of the gap between designing for a small amount of information and designing for a platform that needs to communicate across as many cultures and user journeys as Airbnb does