Real Estate Project Website: What Buyers Check Before a Visit

Picture a software engineer in Dubai looking for a flat in his hometown for his parents. He's seen your project on 99acres, and an ad on Instagram. Before he asks his father to go for a site visit, he opens your project website on his phone during a lunch break.

He has maybe five minutes. In those five minutes, he's deciding whether your project is worth his father's Saturday.

That's what a real estate project website is for. Not to win design awards, but to get a serious buyer from "interested" to "let's go and see it". Here's what buyers, and NRI buyers in particular, look for before they get there.

The RERA registration number, everywhere it should be

Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, registered projects have to quote their RERA registration number in advertisements and promotional material. Each state has its own RERA authority and website, and buyers increasingly know to check.

So put the number where people expect it:

• On every project page, near the top, not hidden in the footer.
• In your Google and Meta ads, and on the landing pages those ads lead to.
• On the brochure PDF.
• With the name of the state RERA authority, so buyers know where to look it up.

Some buyers will actually go to the state RERA site and check the registration, the approved plans, the declared completion date and the quarterly updates. When what they find matches your website, trust goes up. When it doesn't, for example your website says possession in 2027 and the RERA page says 2029, you've lost them.

If a project or phase isn't registered yet, be careful about what you advertise. RERA rules on pre-launch marketing are strict, and the details vary by state, so check with your legal advisor before running ads.

Floor plans and carpet area, stated honestly

Buyers have been burned by "super built-up area" for years. RERA requires flats to be sold on carpet area, and buyers now ask for it first.

For every unit type, show:

• The carpet area clearly, in square feet (and square metres if you like). If you also mention other area figures, label them properly.
• A floor plan that's readable on a phone. Room dimensions matter more than a pretty 3D render.
• Which direction the flat faces, for buyers who care about vastu or just want morning sun.
• The floor plan of the typical floor, so they can see which units share a wall or a lift lobby.

Whether to show prices is your call. Some builders prefer "price on request" so the sales team gets the conversation. But "starting" figures that nobody can actually get damage trust more than no figure at all. If you show a number, make sure it's real and say clearly what it includes and excludes: parking, club membership, maintenance deposit, GST, stamp duty and registration.

Location, with distances people can trust

"Just 5 minutes from the airport" is the most mocked line in Indian real estate advertising. Buyers check it on Google Maps immediately, usually at peak traffic.

Be honest. List distances in kilometres to the places buyers care about: metro station, railway station, highway, the nearest good schools, hospitals, the main IT park or industrial area, malls. If you want to mention travel time, say "about 20 minutes outside peak hours" rather than the time it took at 6 a.m. on a Sunday.

Embed an actual Google Map pin of the site, not just a location illustration. An NRI buyer will drop into Street View to see what the approach road looks like. Let them.

Construction progress updates

For an under-construction project, this is probably the most valuable page you can have, and the one builders neglect most.

NRI buyers especially can't drive past the site every weekend. A monthly update with dated photos, a short video and a line on what's been done ("slab of the 9th floor complete in Tower B, plastering ongoing on floors 3 to 5") tells them the project is moving. It also cuts down the number of anxious calls to your sales team.

Keep the dates on the photos visible, keep the updates regular, and keep them consistent with the progress you report to RERA. If there's a delay, say so plainly. Buyers forgive delays far more easily than silence.

Brochure download and site visit booking

These are the two actions that turn a website visitor into a lead.

The brochure download is usually where you ask for a name and phone number. Fair enough, but keep the form short. Name, phone with country code (for NRIs), email, and maybe the unit type they're interested in. Every extra field loses people.

The site visit booking should let them pick a date and time slot, mention how many people are coming, and get a confirmation on WhatsApp with the location pin. For NRI buyers, add the option to book a video walkthrough instead, or to send a relative on their behalf.

A sticky "Book a Site Visit" button on mobile, and a WhatsApp button, will do more than any number of banner animations.

Answer leads quickly, or don't bother running ads

This is where a lot of builders lose money without realising it.

Leads from Google and Meta ads are expensive. Many of those buyers fill in forms on several projects in the same evening. The builder whose salesperson calls first, while the buyer still remembers the project, has a real head start. The one who calls two days later often gets "sorry, who is this?"

Some practical steps:

• Send every lead instantly to the sales team's WhatsApp or CRM, not to an inbox someone checks on Monday.
• Send the buyer an automatic WhatsApp message with the brochure and a contact name, so they're not left waiting.
• For NRI leads, note the time zone. Calling Toronto at 3 a.m. their time won't help.
• Track which ad, keyword or portal each lead came from, so you can stop paying for the ones that bring nothing.

A tool like SaralSend can handle the WhatsApp side of this, but whatever you use, the principle is the same: speed and follow-up.

The rest of the trust signals

Beyond the project itself, buyers want to know who's building it:

• The developer's past projects, with completion and possession dates.
• Which banks have approved the project for home loans. Buyers read this as a sign the paperwork is in order.
• The amenities that are actually planned, separated clearly from "proposed" ones.
• A proper contact page with the sales office address, a landline, and office hours.
• Recent Google reviews from people who've bought and moved in.

Listing portals like MagicBricks, 99acres and Housing.com bring you visibility, but your own website is where you control the story. Your portal listings and ads should send people there for the full picture.

A quick checklist for your project website

1. RERA number and authority on every project page, ad and brochure.
2. Carpet area and readable floor plans for every unit type.
3. Honest distances and a real Google Map pin.
4. Monthly, dated construction updates.
5. Short brochure download form with country code.
6. Site visit booking with WhatsApp confirmation, plus a video walkthrough option.
7. Leads reaching sales within minutes, with source tracking.
8. Developer track record, bank approvals and clear contact details.
9. Everything fast and easy to use on a phone.

We build websites for real estate builders with these pieces in mind, and you can read more about our work in real estate. If you have a project launching or a website that isn't bringing in site visits, tell us about it and we'll suggest what to change first.