BATTLE OF THE REAL ESTATE INTERNET PLATFORMS: 1H 2026

We reviewed where our RE inquiries came from over the past few years.

For a long time, the usual property platforms were the main battlefield: Lamudi, Dot Property, Carousell, plus other sources such as referrals, group chats, the RE/MAX Capital network, and tarpaulins.

But the picture has changed.

In 2025, we started spending more seriously on Meta Ads — mainly Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Marketplace.

By 1H2026, Meta had become our biggest source of inquiries by a wide margin.

In the first half of 2026 alone, Meta generated 311 inquiries. That is already close to the 362 inquiries generated for the whole of 2025.

But there is an important caveat: we also roughly doubled our Meta budget in 1H2026. So the increase may simply mean we spent more.

But volume is not the same as quality.

Based on experience, around 25% to 30% of Meta inquiries do not reply after the initial inquiry.

The more surprising part is what happened to Lamudi and Dot Property.

Dot Property and Lamudi merged in 2025. In theory, this should have created a stronger combined platform.

But based on our inquiry data so far, the merger does not seem to have worked.

In 2025, Lamudi and Dot Property together generated 199 inquiries.

In 1H2026, the combined total was only 68 inquiries.

Even if annualized, that points to roughly 136 inquiries for the full year — far below the 199 inquiries in 2025.

Meanwhile, Carousell has become more relevant. It was almost negligible before, but by 2025 and 1H2026, it started contributing more consistently.

The takeaway:

+ Meta is now the volume machine.

+ Carousell is becoming more relevant.

+ Lamudi + Dot Property have weakened despite the merger.

+ The data also appears to reflect the broader market slowdown.

Notes:

1. “Others” includes group chats, referrals, RE/MAX Capital network, and tarpaulins.

2. Meta includes Instagram, Facebook, and Facebook Marketplace ads.

3. Inquiries are counted only if the person gives at least two valid replies.

4. Suspected bot/fake accounts are excluded in the inquiry count.