Indian brokers usually rely on a mix: paid listings on property portals such as 99acres, MagicBricks, Housing.com and NoBroker; Meta (Facebook and Instagram) lead ads and click-to-WhatsApp ads; Google search ads with lead forms; their own website and Google Business Profile; and referrals from past clients. Builders add channel partners, launch events and outdoor media.
Each source behaves differently. Portal enquiries are often shared with several brokers at once, so speed matters most. Ad leads are cheaper but include more people who are only browsing. Referrals are few but convert well. Measuring cost per lead and, more importantly, cost per site visit and per booking for each source tells you where to spend next month.
Example
Comparing two sources (illustrative numbers)
A Hyderabad broker spends ₹40,000 a month on a portal package and gets 200 enquiries, and ₹40,000 on Meta lead ads that bring 500 (illustrative). Meta looks cheaper per lead — ₹80 against ₹200. But if the portal leads produce 30 site visits and the Meta leads 25, the cost per visit is about ₹1,333 against ₹1,600, and the portal is the better buy for visits.
Figures are illustrative, not market rates.
Questions about Lead generation
What are the main lead sources for real estate in India?
Property portals, Meta and Google ads, your own website, WhatsApp click-to-chat links, referrals, walk-ins, channel partners for new projects, and offline media such as hoardings and newspaper inserts. The right mix depends on whether you sell resale, rentals or new projects and on your city.
Is buying lead databases a good idea?
Usually not. Bought lists have no enquiry from the person, so TRAI’s enquiry-based exemption does not apply to calls or SMS, and the DPDP Act requires a lawful basis for using personal data. Expect complaints and blocked numbers rather than buyers.
Sources
See also
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