Cost Per Lead for New Build Developers: What to Expect
Cost per lead is a figure developers ask about constantly, but on its own it tells you very little. A 20 EUR lead that never converts is worse value than an 80 EUR lead that turns into a reservation. This article explains what shapes lead pricing for new build property and how to judge a cost-per-lead figure properly.
Why cost per lead varies so much
Lead cost depends heavily on how much qualification work has gone into it before you receive it. A raw form submission from a general property portal costs little to generate but converts poorly, since many of the people filling in the form are not seriously in-market yet. A lead that has been checked for budget fit and genuine intent costs more to produce but converts at a meaningfully higher rate, which usually makes it cheaper per sale even though it looks more expensive per lead.
Buyer type also matters. Investor leads generally cost more than residential leads because qualifying investment intent, budget and timeline takes more effort than confirming someone wants a home to live in.
What a reasonable price range looks like
Pricing for qualified new build leads commonly sits in the tens of euros per lead rather than single digits, reflecting the qualification work involved. On Prompto's Marketplace, qualified residential leads are priced at 65 EUR and qualified investor leads at 75 EUR, charged only once a lead has met the qualification bar rather than for every raw enquiry.
If you see cost-per-lead figures well below this range from another provider, it is worth asking exactly what qualification, if any, has been applied, since unqualified enquiries are frequently sold at a lower headline price but convert poorly enough to cost more per actual sale.
Calculating cost per sale, not just cost per lead
The number that actually matters to your business is cost per sale, not cost per lead. To calculate it, divide your total lead spend by the number of reservations that resulted from those leads over a comparable period.
- Track every lead source separately so you can compare conversion rates
- Record conversion from lead to viewing and from viewing to reservation
- Calculate blended cost per sale across all channels, not just per lead
- Review the numbers monthly during an active sales campaign, since conversion rates shift as a project matures
Factors that affect your own conversion rate
Even with good leads, your own response time and follow-up process heavily influence conversion. Leads that are not contacted within a short window after enquiry convert at noticeably lower rates, regardless of how well-qualified they were to begin with. This is one of the strongest arguments for pairing lead generation with a CRM that routes new leads to sales staff immediately rather than leaving them in an inbox.
Project-specific factors matter too: price point, location, and how clearly the project is presented online all affect how many leads turn into viewings, independent of lead quality itself.
Negotiating and testing with a provider
Before committing a large budget to any lead provider, request a smaller test batch and track conversion carefully. A reputable provider should be comfortable with this, since it lets both sides confirm the leads are a good fit for your specific project before scaling spend up.
Why Prompto's model reduces wasted spend
Because Prompto only charges once a lead is qualified, and because leads can flow directly into Prompto's CRM for immediate follow-up, developers avoid paying for raw, unqualified enquiries and avoid the delay of manually transferring leads between systems. With no licence fee for the first three months, developers can test the model on a live project before committing to ongoing spend.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical cost per lead for new build property?
Qualified leads commonly cost in the tens of euros, reflecting the qualification work involved. Prompto's Marketplace charges 65 EUR per qualified residential lead and 75 EUR per qualified investor lead.
Why do investor leads cost more than residential leads?
Qualifying investor intent involves checking budget, investment timeline and rental or yield expectations, which takes more effort than confirming someone wants a home to live in.
Should I focus on cost per lead or cost per sale?
Cost per sale is the figure that matters to your business, since a cheaper lead that rarely converts can cost more per sale than a pricier, well-qualified one.
How quickly should leads be contacted to maximise conversion?
As soon as possible after the enquiry comes in. Response speed has a significant effect on conversion rates, which is why routing leads directly into a CRM for immediate follow-up matters.