Can real estate agencies really thrive without property portals?

It’s a question that has divided the industry for years:Can a real estate agency truly succeed without relying on major portals like Homegate or ImmoScout24?

In Switzerland, most professionals still say “no.”

And yet, the early signs of a shift are already here.

A Costly Dependence

Real estate portals gather what we call active clients – people actively looking to buy or rent a property right now.

To stay competitive, agencies invest heavily in these platforms.

But this dependence comes at a cost.

Not only financially, but strategically: your data doesn’t belong to you.

Your contacts, performance analytics, and buyer behavior are all locked inside the portal’s ecosystem.

You’re renting visibility. You’re not building a marketing asset.

Real estate’s “Booking.com moment”

The hospitality industry has already lived through this.

For years, hotels relied almost entirely on OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia.

Until some realized that the real challenge wasn’t to cut OTAs off completely,

but to regain control of their digital marketing.

They invested in better websites.

Worked on SEO.

Built their own customer databases.

And gradually reduced their dependence on intermediaries.

Real estate is now at the same turning point.

The portals won’t disappear, but your marketing autonomy is now essential for long-term growth.

Your Website: more than a showcase, a true growth engine

In most cases, an agency’s website is just a catalog.

Listings, photos, a contact form… and nothing more.

Yet a well-built website can become your most powerful acquisition channel over time.

It can attract visitors through local SEO, generate leads via Meta or Google Ads, and, above all, centralize your client data.

That’s where the mindset shifts:

You’re no longer dependent on an external platform.

You’re growing your own audience.

You’re building a long-term digital asset.

Start with the right channel mix

Let’s be realistic: you can’t stop using portals overnight.

But you can gradually adjust your investment ratio.

At first, it’s normal for most of your budget to go toward portals.

They bring volume quickly.

But over time, as your website gains organic traffic,

your community grows on social media,

and your database expands,

you can rebalance your marketing mix.

Less on portals, more on direct marketing.

Less rented visibility, more owned audience.

That’s exactly what our most successful clients have done.

Case Study: 10 Sales, CHF 2.5 Million in revenue

Here’s a concrete example.

A Valais-based real estate agency we work with decided to test a more direct approach.

By combining a precise Meta Ads strategy with a redesigned website focused on conversion, the results were outstanding:

“Thanks to the strategy we implemented, our Meta campaigns generated 10 box sales in Valais (total revenue around CHF 2.5M). An exceptional performance, with a return on investment of roughly 60x. Birdy delivers tangible results.”

This success wasn’t a coincidence.

It’s the result of a clear method: taking back control of acquisition channels.

Owning Your Data

That’s the real battleground.

By building your own database, you create a direct relationship with buyers, investors, and tenants.

Newsletters, remarketing campaigns, lookalike audiences, automations –everything becomes possible when you own your data.

Conversely, every franc you spend on a portal leaves no lasting trace.

It’s rented attention, not brand building.

Toward a smarter, hybrid model

The goal isn’t to oppose portals and digital marketing.

It’s to find the right balance.

Keep using portals to reach active clients.

But develop your own channels to reach future ones —those who aren’t searching yet but will soon.

This smart combination of short-term performance and long-term strategy is what separates agencies that endure from those that merely survive.

In summary

• Property portals remain useful, but they shouldn’t be your only channel.

• Your website should become a true acquisition engine, not just a digital brochure.

• Owning your data is the foundation of your marketing independence.

• A well-executed strategy can multiply your results — our 60x ROI campaigns are proof.

Where do you stand in your digital independence?

At Birdy Consulting, we help real estate agencies across Switzerland transition to a sustainable digital strategy — combining website redesign, Meta and Google Ads campaigns, local SEO, and lead generation systems.

Now is the time to take back control.

Portals aren’t destiny.They’re just one tool among many.

It’s your turn to own your growth.