What does a real estate website cost? Agent, developer and project, priced separately

“Real estate website” means three different things. An agent's website should win owners and show properties. A developer's website presents the company and its projects. A project website sells the apartments of a single new build. Each has its own cost drivers. If you mix them in one quote, you can't compare anything.

We don't name prices. They depend on your scope and would be guesses without it. Here you can see what determines the effort for each type.

Three types compared

Agent website

Most agents work with agent software such as onOffice, Propstack or FLOWFACT. Properties should reach the website from there automatically. How that works determines a large part of the effort.

• Property data: Many programs export in the OpenImmo format or offer their own interface. A ready-made integration is quicker. Custom property pages with filters and a map view cost more but look like your brand.
• Winning owners: Valuation forms, guide pages and pages for your areas bring sellers. Each of these pages needs copy with real local knowledge.
• Locations: Several offices with their own team and their own area increase the number of pages.
• Enquiries: If they land as a contact in the agent software, retyping is no longer needed. That requires clean field mapping.

It gets cheaper if you use your software provider's integration to display properties. It gets more expensive with a custom search, shortlist and saved searches. More on this at Websites for agents.

Developer website

A developer's website addresses several groups: buyers, landowners, municipalities, banks and partners. It shows current and completed projects. The cost drivers:

• Project portfolio: Each project gets a page with images, data and status. A well-built template turns new projects into pure upkeep.
• Imagery: Renderings, construction-site photos and photos of finished buildings. If they're missing, a photographer or visualizer comes on top.
• Land acquisition: A page for landowners with a form brings sites. It needs clear criteria for what you are looking for.
• Link to project websites: If projects have their own websites, the company site must lead there cleanly.

More at Websites for developers.

Project website

A project website has one goal: to sell or rent the units. It lives until sell-out and often has its own name and its own domain. The cost drivers:

• Project brand: Name, logo and imagery for the project. If they already exist, the effort drops.
• Unit list: A table with area, rooms, price and status that is easy to maintain. The more units, the more important filters become.
• Visualizations: Renderings, camera flights or tours often cost more than the website itself. They are usually produced by a separate visualizer.
• Apartment finder: A 2D or 3D finder is the biggest optional item. What drives it is covered in What does an apartment finder cost.
• Campaigns: Landing pages for ads and measurement with consent.

Which content a project website needs is shown in the checklist for new-build project websites. Read more about the offering at Project websites.

What all three have in common

• Copy: Who writes the location description, amenities and services? New copy is its own item.
• Legal: Impressum (legal notice), privacy policy and cookie consent. More in the GDPR checklist.
• Languages: International buyers need a second language. That also affects brochures and forms.
• Upkeep: Who changes status and prices? The easier that is, the more current the site stays.

What is often forgotten

• Domain and email: A separate project domain needs registration, renewal and often its own addresses for sales.
• Image rights: Renderings may not automatically appear in ads and on portals. Clarify this with the visualizer.
• Brochures: PDF brochures per unit can be generated from the same data as the website. That saves duplicate upkeep.
• Redirects: If the new website replaces an old one, every old address needs a destination.

One template for many projects

If you plan several projects, a shared template pays off. The first project website carries the effort of setup and design. Each further project gets its own colors, images and data on the same technology. That reduces the effort per project and simplifies upkeep. The template can also be linked to the developer website so that new projects appear there automatically.

How to get a reliable quote

1. Which type of website: agent, developer, project or a combination.
2. For agents: the name of the agent software and the desired property display.
3. For developers: the number of current and completed projects.
4. For projects: the number of units, existing plans, renderings and the start of sales.
5. Who supplies copy and images.
6. Languages and markets, such as Germany and Switzerland.
7. Who maintains the site after launch.

Ask for a quote that lists the three types separately. That way you see what you are paying for and can extend individual parts later.

Frequently asked questions