How to Design E-Catalogs for Real Estate

As a real estate professional, you know that an informed buyer is a motivated buyer. Successful real estate marketing comes down to how you present information, and a print or digital catalog is a crucial part of informing interested parties. In today’s digital-first market, having strong visual assets can make all the difference in attracting the right attention.

Advantages of Digital Catalogs for Real Estate Marketing

Successful real estate marketing relies on clear communication to give buyers an overview of what they can expect as they learn more about each listing and plan toward their ultimate purchase. While print can be compelling, digital catalogs allow people to sit with the information longer and provide calls to action through interactive links. The files can be accessed from anywhere, allowing readers to do more research and compare each listing. 

It shouldn’t just be the buyers who become more informed. One of the biggest advantages of offering digital catalogs is how much you can learn about your readers. With built-in analytics, you can discover who views your content, gain insights about how to market to potential buyers, and identify where to share your content more often. Issuu helps track data on every digital catalog you publish, so you know who consumes your content and how it performs.

Key Elements of a Catalog

When you want to create an online catalog for real estate, there are many ways to go about it, but a few things are essential. Start with a well-designed front cover that shares key information. Some catalogs start with a table of contents, while others just dive into the listings directly. Set a clear introduction and relevant content pages, and plan around visuals like well-lit photos or virtual walkthrough videos. Here’s a quick review of the elements that go into an effective catalog: Headline, Layout, Typography, and Visual Elements.

Let’s take a closer look at each essential element for real estate catalogs.

1. Headline

Relevant content should always be the foundation of your catalog design. Your buyer needs to get the key pieces of information immediately so they know if the listing is worth their time. Effective real estate marketing prioritizes a “show don’t tell” approach, so having easily-skimmable content makes all the difference. For a single property, consider a headline that has the address, a quick summary of the home, or a catchy title. The headline Clever Craftsman will garner more attention than your standard Four Bedroom Home, for example. If the catalog includes several listings in one, choose a headline that makes it clear this is a more extensive collection of listings. 

2. Layout

Your layout is the most important part of the catalog design after the information provided. Smart design choices turn an online listing into an immersive virtual experience customized to meet your marketing goals. Consider the shape and size of your catalog (more on that later), and then plan the layout accordingly. Catalog layouts are often designed in portrait dimensions, but landscape designs are also popular for more photo-heavy booklets. 

Here’s an excellent example of a traditional home listing from Sam Patel and Associates. It features all the foundational details of a listing, like the number of rooms, square footage, and year built - as well as a short description of the property and its current condition. From there, readers can flip through and see detailed photos of the home to get an idea of what to expect.

The traditional layout can help bring your online listing to life and offer your readers a more immersive experience while exploring the current listings on your site. It’s easily downloadable and makes an excellent supplement to your website listings. It could also be a replacement for printed listings at an open house. 

Another effective option for your catalog design layout is to build around multiple listings. Here is an example of an agency that catalogs groups of listings together within the same digital booklet. The book acts as a marketing tool by showcasing properties the firm has recently sold in the area. The layout begins with a few pages about the firm, its commitment to the area, and contact information. From there, readers can see a small selection of recently sold properties followed by similar listings that are still available.

Rather than sharing every property detail, they provide a QR code readers can simply scan to jump to a dedicated webpage and learn more about any home that catches their eye. This is an efficient way to share an entire catalog without dedicating several pages to each listing. It also makes it possible to tie all the web content together with the catalog and ultimately saves everyone time and resources.

3. Fonts and Typography

Fonts and typography help to strengthen your online catalog’s message. Clearly-written text can significantly affect how your work is perceived and how likely it is to be shared. Bear in mind that typography is an essential part of your branding. So, even if you’re an independent broker, the branding should align with your firm’s larger mission. 

Here’s a beautiful example of a single listing from Realista. Their catalogs are stylized like magazines to provide a page-turning experience for readers to learn more about each villa for sale. The headline is prominent and well-placed, designed to showcase the property on the page while being specific about the villa’s name. 

4. Images, GIFs, and Embedded Videos

Visual assets should always be a top priority for real estate content. The more photos, the better! No doubt you already know how to prioritize images for each listing, but remember the photos for a catalog have quality requirements, so make sure you always take high-resolution photos. Today’s buyer wants to see as many visuals as possible, as they may not be physically present at the location before making their purchase, so while photos are non-negotiable, video is becoming increasingly essential as well. 

With a digital catalog, you can easily include video content as a direct embed or as a link to your YouTube or Vimeo channel. Even an embedded GIF would be a good way to grab attention and help share a quick reel of the home’s features. If you don’t have videography skills or an in-house creative team, hire a local professional. Any cost for these services will pay off because buyers will be much more motivated to move quickly on homes with impressive video tours. Designing your catalog around its visuals will help potential buyers get a clearer picture of the property and allow you to create multiple uses for your real estate videos, saving you time on content creation.

Template Options for Your Catalog Design

If you don’t have a design background or an in-house creative team, choosing a layout can seem challenging, but plenty of options are available. Design sites like Canva offer plenty of templates that could be easily adapted to suit your needs and create a beautiful real estate marketing catalog design. From there, the designs can be uploaded and shared directly to Issuu. With our Canva integration, all you need to do is create and upload in order to transform and publish your catalog as a digital flipbook. Learn more here. 

Selecting Online Catalog Sizes

Finally, remember that even if you’re not planning to print, the catalog size should prioritize the best dimensions for printing. (Some readers still go this route!) When in doubt, A4 is the most commonly used dimension for marketing catalog layouts. Designing your digital catalog with printing best practices ensures the digital version will be just as easy to view.

Ready to share your design catalog for real estate? Learn more about how Issuu can help you present your online catalog beautifully and share your real estate listings across every channel.