Building a real estate website is more than uploading listings and choosing a clean design. The theme you pick decides how fast your site runs, how well you can customize it, and how easily you connect with MLS or IDX data.
That’s why three names repeatedly come up when agents and agencies discuss WordPress: WPResidence, RealHomes, and Houzez.
Each one is popular for good reasons, but serves very different audiences. Some are tailored for professionals needing advanced MLS feeds, while others simplify things for beginners. To help you decide, will walk through what sets each theme apart, where they shine, and where they fall short.
A Quick Verdict Before We Begin
If you’re pressed for time, here’s the bottom line: WPResidence, a powerhouse among the three, offers the kind of MLS integration and customization tools agencies and brokerages can confidently rely on.
RealHomes is the easiest for newcomers, offering a clean design and straightforward tools without overwhelming you. Houzez sits between them, and it is popular with many users because it balances features with accessibility.
Ultimately, the best choice for you will depend on your specific goals, technical comfort level, and the nature of your business. Let’s examine each theme more closely to help you make an informed decision.
WPResidence: Built for Professionals
WPResidence isn’t a theme that just looks good, it’s a toolkit for serious real estate businesses. At $79 for a single-site license, it sits at the higher end of theme pricing, but you get depth in return. The theme ships with more than forty demos that can be installed in a single click, giving you a strong foundation no matter your market.
The real standout is its customization. With over 350 options inside the theme settings, agencies can adjust nearly everything, from property card layouts to advanced search behavior. That search builder is one of its hidden strengths: it allows unlimited customization so visitors can filter listings in ways that fit your business model.
Where WPResidence truly separates itself is in MLS and IDX integration. It connects to over 800 RESO-compliant feeds across the United States and Canada, imports listings directly into the WordPress database, and synchronizes them hourly.
Because those listings live as real content, search engines can index them properly, giving your site stronger SEO performance than iframe-based IDX solutions. Agencies that rely heavily on MLS feeds benefit from fresher data and the ability to style their listings without the restrictions of third-party tools.
Beyond listings, WPResidence includes a built-in CRM to track leads without additional plugins. WooCommerce support turns property submissions into a revenue stream, and multi-language compatibility through WPML makes it suitable for international markets.
The development team is active: major updates rolled out three times in 2025 alone, each adding new demos, category tools, or API improvements.
For single agents, brokerages, larger agencies, or professionals who want their website to feel as advanced as a property portal, WPResidence provides the foundation. .
RealHomes: Friendly and Simple, Making You Feel at Ease
RealHomes has earned its reputation by being approachable. Priced at $59, it’s one of the more affordable premium themes, yet it doesn’t feel stripped down. The theme is clean and easy to navigate, which makes it especially appealing to agents who may be setting up their first WordPress site.
One of the main reasons it’s so user-friendly is its deep integration with Elementor. More than seventy pre-built widgets and blocks are included, letting you piece together pages without touching code. Property searches are powerful, supporting four levels of location filtering, which is often more than enough for local or regional agents.
While it doesn’t handle MLS feeds as robustly as WPResidence, RealHomes does work with popular IDX plugins like MLSImport, dsIDXpress and iHomefinder. These are good starting points but offer less control over styling and don’t carry the same SEO advantages. Still, that trade-off is worth the simplicity for many solo agents or small teams.
There are extra touches around the package, like a built-in mortgage calculator, Google Maps and OpenStreetMap integration, and options for front-end property submission with payments. Performance is another highlight. RealHomes consistently scores well on speed tests, which means faster load times and better visitor retention.
This theme is best for agents who want something professional without learning a complicated system. The tool lets you focus on selling properties instead of fighting with settings.
Houzez: The Popular Middle Ground
Houzez is one of the most widely used real estate WordPress themes, and its numbers prove it. With over 30,000 sales, it’s a favorite for many developers and agents. The price usually falls between $69 and $79, keeping it competitive with WPResidence while being slightly more than RealHomes.
Like RealHomes, it works well with Elementor but also supports WPBakery for those who prefer it. You’ll find over twenty demos to get started, and the theme offers a full range of property management tools. It includes a built-in CRM for handling leads, an advanced property search that can tap into geolocation data, and multimedia features like 360° virtual tours and video listings.
MLS support is present but not groundbreaking. Houzez connects with MLSImport, IDX Broker and Realtyna WPL, which is enough for many agencies, but doesn’t reach the level of direct database imports you get with WPResidence. Where Houzez compensates is its broad appeal: multiple payment gateways, a solid documentation library, and an active user community that shares tutorials and troubleshooting tips.
For small to mid-sized businesses, Houzez strikes a balance. It has more features out of the box than RealHomes, but it’s less specialized than WPResidence. Many users consider it a safe, well-supported choice when they want something flexible but not overwhelming.
Comparing Features Head to Head
Let’s compare these themes head-to-head to make an informed decision. Here’s a direct comparison of key features to help you understand the differences: To see how they line up, here’s a direct comparison of key features:
| Feature | WPResidence | RealHomes | Houzez |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 one-time (lifetime updates) | $69 regular license | $79 regular license |
| Latest Version | 5.3.0 (Sept 2025) | 4.4.3 (2025) | 4.1.5 (Aug 2025) |
| Pre-built Demos | 48+ one-click demos | 50+ demos, Elementor-based | 40+ demos with Houzez Studio |
| Page Builders | Elementor + WPBakery | Elementor only (50+ widgets) | Elementor + WPBakery, 85+ widgets |
| Customization Options | 350+ settings, custom fields builder, property card/grid builders, white-label,Drag-and-drop templates, header/footer builder, layout manager | Elementor widgets, property meta fields, design variations | Drag-and-drop templates, header/footer builder, layout manager |
| Build Your Own Property Page | Yes (full template builder + ACF integration) | Partial (configurable layouts, section control) | Yes (property detail templates + Studio layouts) |
| Build Your Own Agent Page | Yes (template assignment + Elementor widgets) | Yes (dedicated agent templates) | Yes (front-end agent profiles + Elementor templates) |
| Build Your Own Agency/Developer Page | Yes (custom agency/developer templates, new in 2025 updates) | No (not documented) | Yes (agency/developer dashboard + templates) |
| Build Your Own Category Page | Yes (taxonomy template builder + 16 Elementor widgets added in v5.3.0) | No (not documented) | No (not documented) |
| MLS/IDX Integration | MLSimport,dsIDXpress, iHomefinder support,Realtyna | MLSimport, MLS Router API, dsIDXpress, iHomefinder support, plugin-based | MLSimport,IDX Broker and Realtyna WPL connectors, Organic IDX integration, |
| SEO for Listings | Strong support; you can use schema markup, custom fields and unique listing content; good URL structure | Good on-page SEO features (unique property pages, fast load), but less clarity on IDX-embedded content and schema. | Rich listing detail/media and customization, but uncertain how IDX listings are handled in terms of indexing and structured data. |
| Advanced Search | Elementor form builder, Custom search form builder, sticky/floating, unlimited filters | Advanced filters, location hierarchy, Elementor search widgets | Elementor form builder, Search builder with geolocation, live AJAX results |
| Saved Searches / Alerts | Built-in, email alerts (daily/weekly) | Saved searches with email notifications | Saved search alerts, built-in templates |
| Favorites | With or without login | User dashboard favorites | Front-end dashboard favorites |
| Compare Properties | Compare up to 4 | Compare module | Compare templates |
| CRM | Built-in CRM + HubSpot integration | Basic lead capture/forms | Built-in CRM with lead tracking |
| Front-end Submission | Free, pay-per-listing, or membership | Front-end submission wizard | Full front-end dashboard for agents |
| Membership / Packages | Memberships with recurring cycles, limits, pay-per-listing | Membership addon, WooCommerce payments | Built-in membership system, package control |
| Payments | WooCommerce, Stripe, PayPal, bank/wire | WooCommerce, Stripe, PayPal | WooCommerce, Stripe, PayPal, bank/wire |
| Maps | Google Maps + OpenStreetMap | Google Maps + OpenStreetMap | Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox |
| Multi-currency | Yes, front-end currency switcher | Currency switcher plugin support | Currency switcher built-in |
| Multilingual / RTL | WPML, RTL supported | WPML, RTL supported | WPML, RTL supported |
| Virtual Tours / Media | Video, galleries, 360° embeds,VR support,Meta reels, Tiktok | Video lightbox, VR support | 360° tours, video, floor plans |
| Extra Tools | GDPR compliance, social login, white-label, ACF integration | Mortgage calculator, booking system | Mortgage calculator, property matches, email alerts |
| Performance | Cache API built-in, optimized for MLS imports | Strongest speed optimization | Good performance, responsive |
| Updates & Development | Frequent major releases (3 in 2025) | Regular updates, slower pace | Regular updates, active changelog |
| Best For | Agencies, brokerages, MLS-heavy websites | Beginners, solo agents, small agencies | Agencies, brokerages, MLS-heavy websites |
Speed and Performance
Speed can make or break a website, no matter how polished a theme looks. Visitors rarely wait more than a few seconds, and search engines factor performance into rankings.
RealHomes comes out in this category, often showing the fastest load times because of its streamlined code and optimizations. WPResidence keeps things stable with its caching system, which is especially valuable for larger sites pulling data from MLS feeds. Houzez performs respectably but isn’t tuned explicitly for speed like WPResidence . This might not matter much for small businesses, but agencies running heavy traffic should weigh it carefully.
You can also watch this video where a WpResidence website is optimized to a 95+ page speed rank with WPRocket.
User Experience and Community Feedback
User reviews reveal as much as feature lists. On platforms like Reddit and WordPress forums, the themes have distinct reputations. WPResidence is frequently praised for its deep customization and professional-grade MLS integration. RealHomes wins loyalty for being intuitive and easy to set up, especially for beginners who don’t want to wrestle with dozens of options. Houzez earns points for its vast community and abundant tutorials, which assure users that answers are only a search away.
Updates and Long-Term Development
Active development signals how future-proof a theme is. WPResidence leads here again. Its developers rolled out three major updates in 2025 alone, introducing new demos, features, and technical improvements. RealHomes and Houzez receive regular updates, too, but the pace is more modest for professionals who want a theme that grows alongside their business; development speed matters.
Cost and Investment
Upfront costs don’t tell the whole story. You need to factor in setup, plugins, and possible custom development. On average, a first-year investment looks something like this:
Cost and Investment (Updated)
Getting started with a real estate WordPress theme involves more than just paying for the theme itself. In the first year, you’ll likely spend on hosting, IDX plugins, and possibly developer help in addition to the theme license.
Theme License
- WPResidence: $79
- RealHomes: $69
- Houzez: $79
Hosting and Domain
- Hosting typically runs between $10–50 per month depending on whether you use shared, VPS, or managed WordPress hosting.
- A domain usually costs $10–20 per year.
IDX Plugin Subscription
- IDX providers charge between $50–150 per month depending on the MLS region and plan.
- Some also require a one-time setup fee of a few hundred dollars.
Developer Setup and Customization
- A basic setup with light customization may cost $500–2,000.
- More advanced builds with custom layouts or multiple MLS integrations can reach $3,000–8,000 or more.
Other Extras
- SSL certificates, premium plugins, or marketing tools can add another $100–500 per year.
Example Scenarios
Solo Agent (DIY)
- Theme: $69–79
- Hosting + domain: ~$120/year
- Optional IDX plugin: $0–600/year
- DIY setup or minimal help: $0–500
Total First Year: $200–1,200
Small Agency (one MLS feed, some customization)
- Theme: $69–79
- Hosting + domain: ~$200/year
- IDX plugin: ~$900/year
- Developer help: ~$1,000
Total First Year: $2,000–3,000
High-End Agency (multiple agents, premium hosting, MLS feeds)
Developer and designer: $3,000–8,000
Total First Year: $5,000–10,000+
Theme: $69–79
Premium hosting + domain: ~$500/year
IDX plugin with multiple MLS feeds: $1,200–2,400/year
Choosing between WPResidence, RealHomes, and Houzez comes down to the kind of business you’re building.
If you’re a single agent, professional agency or brokerage needing advanced MLS integration and the ability to control every part of your site, WPResidence is the clear winner. The choice st is justified by the depth of its tools and the pace of its development.
If you’re new to real estate websites or want something that looks professional without requiring a lot of technical skill, RealHomes is the friendliest choice. It’s affordable, quick to set up, and optimized for speed.
If you want something popular, well-supported, and balanced between the two extremes, Houzez is the safe middle option. It doesn’t break records in any category, but thousands of users trust it for good reason.
In 2025/2026, WPResidence will set the standard for professionals, RealHomes will give beginners an easy path, and Houzez will fill the space between. The right pick depends on where you are in your business journey, but if MLS integration and professional-grade features are priorities, WPResidence still holds the crown.
