A developer does not sell a steady stream of listings but one development: dozens or hundreds of units that have to sell at the pace of construction. The buyer spends several hundred thousand zloty, compares a few developments over weeks or months and comes back to the website many times before calling at all. That is why marketing a development is not one campaign at the sales launch but a plan spread over the whole period - from the first sign-ups to the last units in a finished building. The rules described below are Polish.
In this article we go through that plan in order: what to do at each stage of sales, which channels work and what to watch for, how to handle an enquiry so the advertising money is not wasted, and what to measure.
Short answer: marketing a property development is a plan matched to the stages of sales. Before launch you build a list of interested buyers; at launch you combine portals, advertising and a development website with current prices; during construction you show progress; and at the end you sell finished flats through viewings. In Poland, prices on the website have been mandatory since July 2025, so the advantage is no longer hiding them but presenting a clear, reliable offer. Measure the cost of winning a contract, not the number of clicks.
Kluczowe wnioski
- Marketing a development is a plan for the whole sales period, not one launch campaign.
- Every channel leads to the development's website - in Poland, with mandatory public prices since July 2025.
- Handling enquiries is part of marketing: every enquiry was paid for with advertising money.
- Measure the cost of winning a contract and the pace of sales, not clicks.
Marketing at each stage of sales
Each stage has a different job, a different buyer and a different message. The most common mistake is one campaign "for everything" that spends the budget at launch and leaves nothing to work with for the last units, when sales slow down.
Pre-sales
A list of interested buyers
A sign-up page, a board on the plot, local advertising. Sign-ups collected with consent to contact.
Sales launch
The full campaign
A site with prices and a unit picker, portals, search and social ads, a sales office.
Construction
Proof of progress
Dated construction photos, open days, clear information about the schedule.
Last units
A finished building
A show flat, viewings in the finished building, working with agencies on unusual units.
The first buyers are usually the most sensitive to price and location, so pre-sales is a good moment for launch prices for those on the list. The last buyers more often want a flat they can move into now - for them the argument is a finished building they can see, not a render.
Who you are talking to: three different groups of buyers
The same development attracts people who buy for completely different reasons, and one message "for everyone" convinces nobody. It is usually worth separating three groups:
- Buyers for their own use, usually with a mortgage. They count the monthly instalment, not just the price. What convinces them: floor plans with dimensions, additional costs stated upfront (parking space, storage unit), the handover date and a payment schedule that fits the mortgage tranches.
- Investors buying to let. They count the return. What convinces them: location relative to universities, offices and transport, smaller units, a standard that is easy to let, and honest information about the completion date. Do not promise them a specific rental yield - that is their calculation, not your statement.
- Families with children. They count everyday life. What convinces them: schools, nurseries and green space nearby, the layout, storage space and a calm neighbourhood.
In practice this means separate campaigns and separate sections on the development website for each group, not one ad with a render of the facade.
The foundation: a development website with public prices
Every channel leads to one place: the development's website. That is where buyers check prices, floor plans and availability, and it decides how many enquiries each zloty of advertising produces.
Since 11 July 2025 the Polish act on transparency of housing prices has required developers to publish current prices of units and other items the buyer pays for on their website, and to report the data daily to dane.gov.pl. The consumer protection office (UOKiK) takes it seriously: it has received over 1,500 reports of irregularities, its president has sent 39 formal requests to developers, and the fine can reach 10% of annual turnover. Prices cannot be bait either - a price at which no unit can actually be bought, or omitted additional costs, is a straight road to a charge of misleading consumers. What exactly must be shown and how to report the data is covered in housing price transparency.
For marketing this means one shift in thinking: since competitors must show prices too, the advantage lies in how clearly you present the whole offer - the unit price, the price per square metre, parking spaces and storage units - and how easily units can be compared. What exactly such a site needs and what it costs is covered in A website for a property developer.
Channels: what works and what to watch for
| Channel | When it works best | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Portals with new-build listings | from launch to the end | prices and availability must match the website |
| Search advertising | throughout, on phrases with the development's name and location | instead of a broad "flats", buy phrases with the city and district |
| Social media advertising | pre-sales and launch, reaching the neighbourhood | consent to contact and a privacy notice in the forms |
| Boards and banners on site | from the start of construction | a readable website address and phone number, not just a logo |
| Sales office and show flat | launch and the last units | online booking, so nobody waits for a call back |
| Working with real estate agencies | when sales slow down or units are unusual | clear commission rules and one current price list |
Do not forget real estate agencies. Some buyers reach a development through an agent, for example when they first have to sell their current flat. Agents want the same things you do: current prices, good materials and a fast reply. How they approach marketing listings is covered in real estate marketing.
Renders and materials: reliable, not just attractive
A render sells the idea of a flat before it exists, and that is exactly why it cannot promise what will not be there. Greenery that is not in the plans, a view the neighbouring building will block, or furniture shrunk so a room looks bigger will backfire at handover, in reviews and potentially as an unfair market practice. Good practice is to label renders as illustrative and stick to the floor plans in the prospectus.
The materials that sell best answer the buyer's questions: floor plans with dimensions, the view from a specific floor, dated construction photos and clear information on what is standard and what costs extra.
From enquiry to reservation agreement
Every enquiry was paid for with advertising money, so handling enquiries is part of marketing, not a separate department. A buyer who waits two days for a reply books a viewing at a competing development in the meantime.
- A reply the same working day, ideally with a proposed viewing slot.
- The enquiry's source recorded: portal, ad, referral, site board.
- Current availability and price of the unit the buyer asks about - matching the website.
- The information prospectus delivered before the reservation agreement, on a durable medium.
- A written reservation agreement, with a reservation fee of at most 1% of the price.
- Marketing contact only with consent collected beforehand.
Specific rules apply here too. The Polish developer act requires the buyer to receive the information prospectus with its attachments before the reservation agreement - free of charge and on a durable medium. The reservation agreement must be in writing, or it is void, and the reservation fee cannot exceed 1% of the price in the prospectus and counts towards the price. Marketing calls, texts and emails require the recipient's prior consent under Polish electronic communications law, so a pre-sales list is only valuable if it was collected with consent to contact.
Difficult moments: delays, schedule changes, price changes
Over a construction period of several years something almost always changes. How you announce it stays in buyers' memory longer than the change itself - and ends up in the reviews the next buyers read.
- Tell them first, and plainly. A buyer who learns about a delay from a forum or from a neighbour at the site loses trust in everything you say afterwards. A short message to everyone with a contract and everyone on the list, with the new date and the reason, works better than silence.
- Update the website and materials straight away. An old date on the website or in an ad is not just poor communication but also a risk of misleading buyers.
- Explain price changes instead of hiding them. The price transparency rules also require showing price history, so an increase will be visible anyway. It is better to explain it than to hope nobody notices.
- Remind buyers with contracts what protects them. The escrow account required by law and the terms of the developer agreement reassure more effectively than general promises.
What to measure
Clicks and likes say little about selling flats. Three numbers matter:
- Cost per enquiry in each channel - what one contact from a portal, search ads and social media costs.
- Cost per contract - what one signed reservation or developer agreement costs. Only this number shows which channel really sells.
- Pace of sales against the schedule - whether you sell as many units a month as the development's financing plan assumes.
An example shows why cost per enquiry can mislead. The numbers are illustrative:
| Channel | Monthly cost | Enquiries | Cost per enquiry | Contracts | Cost per contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social media | PLN 6,000 | 120 | PLN 50 | 2 | PLN 3,000 |
| New-build portal | PLN 4,000 | 40 | PLN 100 | 4 | PLN 1,000 |
By cost per enquiry, social media wins twice over. By cost per contract, the portal is three times better. Move budget by the second number - and check it every month, because channels behave differently at different stages of sales.
To count this, every enquiry needs its source recorded, and every contract the enquiry it started from. In practice, tagged links in campaigns and a "how did you hear about us" field saved with the contact are enough.
Frequently asked questions
When should marketing for a development start?
As early as possible, with a simple sign-up page for interested buyers, collected with consent to contact. Sign reservation agreements once you can deliver the information prospectus. A full campaign makes sense from the sales launch, when prices, floor plans and the schedule are known.
Do I have to show prices in ads?
The obligation under the price transparency act applies to the website. But if you quote a price in an ad, for example "from X zloty", it must match the real offer. A price at which no unit can be bought may be considered misleading.
How much should I spend on marketing a development?
There is no single right amount. Rather than a percentage of the development budget, it is more sensible to count the cost of winning one contract and compare it with the margin per unit. A channel that brings more expensive but reliable contracts can beat a cheap channel that brings only enquiries.
Is it worth working with real estate agencies?
Often yes, especially when sales slow down, units are unusual or buyers first have to sell their current flat. The condition: clear commission rules and one current price list, so the agent and your sales team never tell a buyer different things.
Are portals alone enough?
Rarely. Portals give reach, but buyers still check the development's website before calling, and with public prices they compare several developments side by side. The portal brings the buyer; the website and the handling of the enquiry convince them.
Summary
Marketing a property development is a plan for the whole sales period, not one campaign. Each stage has a different job, every channel leads to a website with public, clear prices, and the result depends on how quickly and reliably you handle each enquiry. Measure the cost per contract and the pace of sales - they show where extra budget is worth spending.
If you are planning a website for your development, write to us.