Property Paid Ads Update: What’s Working (and What’s Not) | Feb 2026

Each month, we analyse performance across property campaigns running nationally. Here’s a short update on what’s working, what’s changing, and where the best leads are coming from right now.

One of the most important things to understand in property marketing: very few leads convert in the first week.

Why? Because every buyer is on their own timeline.

•  Your project is competing with many others at different stages
•  Buyers are researching, comparing, and weighing up their options
•  Some are ready now — others may be 3, 6, or 12+ months away
• Timing, finance, project stage, and personal circumstances all play a role

Not all leads are created equal.

Typically, leads fall into three broad groups:

• Ready now— actively looking and capable of purchasing
• Warming up — serious, but still comparing options
• Research phase — early stage, learning the market

All three are valuable.

The role of marketing vs sales

Our role is to generate consistent, high-quality demand and fill the pipeline.

The sales team’s role is to identify intent, build relationships, and nurture buyers toward conversion.

The projects that perform best over time are those with:

• Strong, consistent lead flow
• Fast, structured follow-up
• Clear nurture journeys through CRM
• Ongoing engagement with buyers

In property, the winner is rarely the project with the first lead — it’s the project that nurtures buyers best over time.

1. Meta remains the strongest driver of new demand

Meta (Facebook & Instagram) continues to be the most effective platform for generating net-new buyer and investor enquiries.

Why it works:

• Captures demand before people reach the portals
• Highly effective at reaching investors and passive buyers
• Strong performance when paired with quality creative and clear positioning

2. Portal traffic converts best when demand is warmed first

REA, Domain and other portals perform significantly better when supported by Meta and Google.

What we consistently see:

• Meta creates demand
• Google captures intent
• Portals convert ready buyers

When Meta is removed, overall lead volume drops across all platforms — not just Meta.

3. Google Search remains critical for high-intent buyers

Search campaigns targeting project, location, and property-specific keywords continue to deliver high-quality, high-intent leads.

These users are actively looking — making them some of the most valuable enquiries.

1. Portals alone are no longer enough

Portals capture existing demand — but they don’t create it.

Projects relying solely on portals typically see:

• Lower overall enquiry volume
• Higher cost per lead
• Less consistent demand flow

Portals work best as part of a broader ecosystem, not the only channel.

2. Creative quality is now the biggest performance driver

Campaign performance differences are increasingly driven by creative strength — not platform setup.

Strong performers typically include:

• Clear price or positioning
• Strong first visual (exterior, hero render, or lifestyle)
• Simple, benefit-led messaging

We are seeing significant CPL reductions when the ad creative is refreshed regularly. We advise on updating the campaign; monthly lite/quick/small updates and quarterly major updates

Based on current performance trends, the strongest strategy is:

• Meta to create demand
• Google to capture intent
• Portals to convert ready buyers
• Ongoing creative refreshes to maintain performance

This full-funnel approach consistently delivers the strongest results.

When Meta was paused on a recent project while all other platforms remained active, total lead volume dropped by over 80%.

This reinforces Meta’s role as a primary demand generator — not just a supporting channel.