The real estate website standard.

Your website is the sales gallery for buyers who are not in the room. This guide sets out what a tier-one website in real estate & development must do in 2026, and how to tell whether yours does.

How your clients choose

The research is clear on direction: clients form their view of your firm online, often before they contact anyone. See why this now matters for every firm.

Eight essentials

1. A residence explorer with floor plans, views and live availability
2. Downloadable plans and specifications
3. Neighborhood and amenity storytelling with real detail
4. A short, discreet private viewing request
5. CRM integration so every inquiry reaches the sales team
6. Languages and currencies for international buyers
7. Imagery that loads quickly on phones
8. Clear next steps for agents and brokers

Five common mistakes

1. Beautiful renderings with no practical information beside them
2. Autoplay video that slows the first view on phones
3. Long registration forms before any information is shown
4. No guidance at all on pricing or availability
5. A single page for buyers, brokers and press alike

The scorecard targets we recommend

You can test the first and last of these yourself today with Google PageSpeed Insights and Security Headers. How the Sovren Scorecard works.

Before you commission a new website

Use our 11 questions to ask before you commission a website, and build your internal case with our business case guide.