Should I use portals like 99acres and MagicBricks or run my own ads?

What property portals offer

• Active buyers: people browsing portals are already looking for property.
• Visibility: your project appears alongside others in the area.
• Credibility: buyers expect to find established projects on major portals.

The drawbacks: leads may also enquire with several competing projects, packages can be expensive, and you have limited control over targeting and presentation.

What your own ads offer

• Exclusive leads: enquiries come only to you.
• Targeting control: location, interests, audiences and retargeting.
• Your own data: audiences and conversion history you keep.
• Flexibility: change creatives, offers and budgets daily.

A practical approach

1. Keep a portal presence for visibility, especially for ready-to-move and resale-competitive projects.
2. Run Google Search and Meta campaigns with dedicated landing pages.
3. Track every lead’s source in one CRM.
4. After two to three months, compare cost per site visit and cost per booking by source.
5. Shift budget toward the sources that produce bookings.

Handling portal leads well

Because portal buyers often contact several builders, speed matters even more. Call within minutes, send project details on WhatsApp, and invite them for a visit before competitors do.

The long-term view

Builders who invest in their own channels build an audience, brand searches and data that keep paying back across future projects. Portals remain useful, but they should not be your only source of buyers.

Check contracts

Review portal package terms carefully, including lead volumes, exclusivity and renewal conditions, before committing for a year.

Revisit the mix every quarter as your own channels mature.

Shared leads reward the builder who responds first and best.