App builder

One real estate client portal
for every step from first tour to keys.

Clients sign in from a phone browser, with nothing to install, to see where their purchase or sale stands, open the files you’ve shared and react to homes you’ve sent. Netiva builds it from a chat.

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Starter prompt

Build a signed-in client portal for a two-agent real estate team. Each buyer or seller signs in and sees only their own file: a timeline of milestones with status, target dates and a next-step box; documents we share, each with an optional review-by date; and a feed of updates from their agent. Use a buying template (pre-approval, offer accepted, earnest money, inspection, appraisal, loan approval, final walkthrough, closing) and a selling template. Buyers also get saved homes their agent adds, each marked Love it, Maybe or Pass with a note. Agents see all clients on a team board by side and stage.

Build it in Netiva Paste the prompt into a new workspace and adjust it to your business.
Overview

Who this real estate client portal is for

Buying or selling a home is a long run of unfamiliar steps, and most clients follow it through a pile of texts and email threads. They ask what happens after the inspection, dig for the disclosure you sent two weeks ago and lose the links to homes you suggested. A real estate client app built with Netiva gives each buyer and seller their own sign-in: a plain-language timeline of their deal, the documents you’ve shared, a shortlist of homes to react to and every update you’ve posted, all in one place they can check whenever they like.

Key features

What your real estate client portal can do

  • A timeline clients can follow

    Each client gets a step-by-step view of their purchase or sale in plain language — what’s done, what’s happening now and what comes next — so they stop guessing where things stand.

    • Separate milestone templates for buying and selling
    • Done, in progress and upcoming steps with target dates
    • A next-step box listing anything the client still owes you
    • A plain-language explanation on each step, written once in the template

  • Documents in one folder

    Share disclosures, inspection reports and signed agreements with the client who needs them. Files with a review-by date rise to the top, so nothing waits in a buried email thread.

    • Folders for listing, contract, inspection and closing files
    • A review-by date on anything the client needs to read or sign
    • Client uploads, such as a pre-approval letter, in the same place
    • Who shared each file and when, newest first

  • Saved homes with reactions

    Add homes that fit a buyer’s search as photo cards. The buyer marks each one Love it, Maybe or Pass with a note, and you see every reaction before planning the next round of tours.

    • Photo, price, beds, baths and a link to the listing for each home
    • Love it, Maybe or Pass, plus a note for their agent
    • A saved view of each client’s Love it homes
    • Passed homes kept, so you can spot what a buyer keeps skipping

  • Agent updates by email

    Post a short update after a lender call or a busy weekend of showings. It lands in the client’s feed, and an email tells them there’s something new to read.

    • Posts with a note and a file attached
    • An email for each new post or finished milestone
    • A scheduled Friday recap for sellers with the week’s activity
    • Client questions saved as replies under the post
Data model

The collections behind it

Netiva keeps your records in built-in collections. Here’s a starting structure — the agent adapts it to your prompt, and you can change it any time.

Clients

One record per buyer or seller you’re working with, linked to their portal account.

  • Name (required) Text
  • Email (required) Links the record to the client’s account; update emails go here Text
  • Co-client email A second sign-in for a spouse or co-owner; both land on the same file Text
  • Side (required) Buying or Selling Text
  • Stage (required) Searching, Preparing to list, Listed, Under contract, Closed Text
  • Property address The home being sold, or the one under contract Text
  • Agent (required) The team member who handles this client Text
  • Target closing date Date

Milestones

Steps on each client’s timeline, copied from two template clients — one with Side set to Buying, one set to Selling.

  • Client (required) Relation to Clients
  • Step (required) Inspection, Appraisal, Final walkthrough… Text
  • Position (required) Order on the timeline Number
  • Status (required) Upcoming, In progress or Done Text
  • Target date Date
  • Completed on Date
  • What it means A plain-language explanation shown under the step Paragraph
  • Client to-do Shown in the next-step box until the step is done Paragraph

Posts

Updates, client replies and shared files in each client’s feed; posts with a file also appear under Documents.

  • Client (required) Relation to Clients
  • Message (required) The update, or the client’s question or answer Paragraph
  • In reply to Set on a client reply so it shows under the agent’s post; blank for a new update Relation to Posts
  • File A disclosure, report or signed agreement as a PDF File
  • Folder Listing, Contract, Inspection or Closing Text
  • Review by Set when the client needs to read or sign something Date
  • Posted at (required) Date & time
  • Posted by (required) Agent name or the client, filled in from the sign-in Text

Saved homes

Homes an agent adds to a buyer’s shortlist, with the buyer’s reaction and note.

  • Client (required) Relation to Clients
  • Address (required) Text
  • List price (required) Number
  • Beds and baths For example 3 bd / 2 ba Text
  • Photo Image
  • Listing link The public listing page for the home Text
  • Reaction Love it, Maybe or Pass; blank until the buyer reacts Text
  • Buyer note Paragraph

Required field. Types are Netiva collection field types.

Screens

Pages and screens to start with

A typical first version. Ask the agent for more, or annotate the preview to change any of them.

  • My timeline

    The signed-in client’s milestones in order, with finished steps checked, target dates and a next-step box listing what they still need to do.

    Signed-in users

  • Documents

    Every file shared with this client, grouped by folder and newest first, with anything due for review pinned to the top.

    Signed-in users

  • Saved homes

    Photo cards for the homes the agent added, where the buyer taps Love it, Maybe or Pass and leaves a note.

    Signed-in users

  • Updates

    The client’s feed of agent posts, newest first, with each client question shown under the post it answers and files opened in place.

    Signed-in users

  • Client board

    All active clients by side and stage, with the next target date, new home reactions and files waiting for review.

    Your team

  • Client file

    One client’s timeline, documents, saved homes and posts, where an agent marks milestones done and writes the next update.

    Your team
How it works

From prompt to a live real estate client portal

  1. Map both sides of the deal

    Tell Netiva which milestones your buyers and sellers go through and what you share at each one. Netiva’s agent drafts collections for clients, milestones, posts and saved homes and binds them to the portal pages.

  2. Set up a pilot client

    Add one active buyer in the collection grid. Ask the collection assistant to copy the buying template’s milestone rows onto that buyer for review, then attach a couple of sample documents.

  3. Review it as a client would

    Sign in as the test buyer in the live preview. Annotate anything unclear — a step name, a missing explanation, a cramped card on a phone — and Netiva updates it while you watch.

  4. Publish and send invites

    Publish in one click, connect your team’s domain on the Starter plan or higher and email each client their sign-in link. Every change is checkpointed, so an edit can be rolled back without losing work.

Why Netiva

Netiva vs a traditional build

Building a real estate client portal with Netiva compared with a traditional build
Criterion With Netiva Traditional build
Status questions A timeline each client checks on their own, with an email when a milestone is marked done Clients text at night asking what’s next, and you type the same answer again
Homes you send buyers One shortlist per buyer with Love it, Maybe or Pass and a note on every home Listing links spread across texts and emails, with reactions lost in the thread
Getting started Describe what you need in chat and watch it take shape in a live preview Hire developers, or stitch together templates, plugins and a hosting plan
Content and data Built-in collections with nine field types, bound straight to your pages Set up and connect a separate database or CMS
Making changes Ask the agent; every change is checkpointed and reversible File a ticket, wait for a sprint, redeploy
Hosting and domain Global hosting and automatic SSL; connect a custom domain from the Starter plan Buy hosting, then install and renew SSL certificates yourself
Code ownership Clean production code you own and can export Locked into a template, plugin or agency setup
Examples

Ways teams use it

  • A solo buyer’s agent working with first-time buyers

    First-time buyers ask the same questions at every step. Each milestone carries a short explanation and a to-do, so a buyer who hears “appraisal” for the first time can read what it means before picking up the phone.

  • A listing team in a busy spring market

    Sellers see prep steps like photos, repairs and the date the listing goes live, then a Friday recap of showings and agent notes. Offers are still reviewed by phone, with a summary posted afterward for the seller’s records.

  • An agent helping out-of-town relocation buyers

    Buyers moving from another city react to homes on their phones between work calls. The agent previews homes locally, adds the promising ones and plans a single weekend of in-person tours around the Love it list.

Good to know

Before you build

  • Wiring instructions never go through the portal

    Scammers send spoofed emails posing as the agent or the settlement agent, with changed wiring instructions. Post a standing note that you’ll never send wiring instructions here, and tell clients to confirm any by calling the title or escrow company at a number they already trust.

  • It doesn’t replace your transaction file

    The portal shows clients what you choose to share. Your brokerage’s transaction management system, e-signature tool and state record-keeping rules still apply; signed forms are created there and uploaded here as PDFs.

  • Listing details come from you

    Netiva doesn’t supply MLS data. Saved homes are cards you fill in with a link to the public listing; pulling details automatically needs your own licensed IDX feed and that MLS’s rules. Listing photos usually belong to the broker or photographer, so use your own shot or the link.

  • Keep financial paperwork with the lender

    Bank statements, tax returns and ID copies belong in the lender’s or title company’s own secure upload. Ask clients to share only what you need here, such as a pre-approval letter.

FAQ

Questions about building a real estate client portal

Does each buyer or seller see only their own transaction?

Yes. Clients sign in and see only their own timeline, documents, saved homes and updates. A file can carry two addresses, so a buyer and a co-buyer each get a sign-in and both land on the same deal rather than two half-filled ones. Team screens are a separate part of the app; ask Netiva’s agent to limit them to your team’s sign-ins, and test with two sample clients in the live preview before you invite anyone.

Which milestones belong on a home buyer’s timeline?

A common purchase timeline runs from pre-approval and offer accepted through earnest money, inspection, appraisal, loan approval, final walkthrough and closing. For most mortgage loans, add a step for the Closing Disclosure, which the buyer must receive at least three business days before closing. Order and deadlines depend on your state and the contract, so treat the template as a starting point and adjust dates per client.

Can I keep a signed buyer agreement in the portal?

Yes, as a file. Since August 17, 2024, participants in NAR-affiliated MLSs who work with a buyer have had to enter into a written agreement before touring a home with them, in person or by live virtual tour. Sign it in your usual e-signature tool, then upload the PDF to the client’s documents so the buyer can open their copy any time. The portal stores and shows the file; it doesn’t draft or sign it.

What happens to a client’s portal after closing?

Set their stage to Closed and the file drops off the active board. The sign-in keeps working, so they can still open the disclosures, the inspection report and the closing paperwork you shared, but no new milestones appear and the update emails stop. Ask Netiva’s agent to hide saved homes on a closed file and to post one last message listing the documents they should keep.

Can saved homes fill in listing details automatically?

The simplest setup has you add each home by hand with a photo, price and a link to the public listing. Netiva apps can call REST APIs with keys stored securely, so if your brokerage has a licensed IDX or RESO Web API feed, you can ask Netiva to build a lookup by MLS number. Netiva doesn’t supply MLS data, and your MLS’s display rules still apply.

Which Netiva plan do I need to run a client portal on my team’s domain?

You can build and test the portal on the free plan with no credit card and try it in the live preview. Connecting your own domain needs the Starter plan or higher, and paid plans add capacity and features, so check the pricing page for current plans. On any plan, the portal is clean production code you own and can export whenever you want.

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Drafted with AI assistance from Netiva’s product pages and reviewed by the Netiva team. Example data models, screens and prompts are illustrative starting points, not customer projects.

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