Google Ads for real estate agents: Reaching owners and winning listings

Google Ads is a strong channel for real estate agents to reach owners who want to sell. But the market is demanding: many searches sound relevant without automatically producing good inquiries. Separating owners who want to sell from buyers looking for a property is especially critical.

We analyzed the German search market for this: 1,143 keywords with around 264,000 average monthly searches. The seller-focused core market, covering searches such as Haus verkaufen (sell house), Wohnung verkaufen (sell apartment), Immobilie verkaufen (sell property), Maklerkosten (agent fees), ohne Makler verkaufen (sell without an agent) and Ablauf Immobilienverkauf (property sale process), accounts for about 160,810 monthly searches. We show where the valuable owner inquiries lie and how to align your campaigns, ads and landing pages with them.

The seller market is large but highly mixed

Many relevant search terms such as „Haus verkaufen“, „Wohnung verkaufen“, „Immobilie verkaufen“, „Hausverkauf“ (house sale), „Maklerkosten Hausverkauf“ (agent fees for a house sale) or „Wohnung verkaufen ohne Makler“ (sell apartment without an agent) show a clear intent to sell or to make a decision.

However, a considerable share of total search volume comes from buyer and property searches such as “house for sale”, “properties for sale” or “apartment for sale”. These queries are relevant to you if you specifically want to win buyer contacts. For acquiring sales mandates, they are mostly wasted reach.

High CPCs pay off when a listing follows

The weighted top-of-page CPC in the seller-focused core market is roughly €1.18 to €6.65. Particularly valuable segments such as „Wohnung verkaufen“, „Haus verkaufen“, „Grundstück verkaufen“ (sell land) or „mit Makler verkaufen“ (sell with an agent) reach €8 to over €12 at the upper end.

So for agents, Google Ads isn't a source of cheap traffic. But CPCs have to be weighed against the potential value of a listing. A single listing won can be worth a great deal. What matters is the quality of owner contacts, not the lowest CPC.

Google Ads reaches owners while they're thinking about selling

Selling a property is a decision with major financial weight. Owners usually search for „Haus verkaufen“ or „Immobilie verkaufen“ for a concrete reason: a move, an inheritance, a divorce, changing needs later in life, a need for capital, selling a rented apartment, or wanting to capitalize on current market value.

High CPCs aren't automatically a problem in real estate. A single listing won can have a very high customer value. So what matters isn't the cheapest CPC but the cost per qualified owner contact and, ultimately, per listing won. That requires clean tracking all the way to lead quality: Which keywords lead to genuine sellers? Which inquiries turn into valuation appointments?

Alex Sperber, Partner at UnitedAds

Your ads appear at the moment an owner is actively thinking about selling. You reach them through real demand, not advertising they didn't ask for. For this to produce high-quality inquiries, though, the campaign has to be clearly focused on sellers.

We consistently separate buyer and seller searches

Many agents start with very generic keywords such as immobilien (real estate), haus zu verkaufen, wohnung zu verkaufen, immobilien zum verkauf, haus kaufen (buy house), wohnung kaufen (buy apartment) or immobilienmakler (real estate agent). For winning listings, these terms are often too vague or aimed at the wrong audience. Someone searching „Haus zu verkaufen“ often wants to buy a house. Someone searching „Wohnung zu verkaufen“ is looking for a property, not an agent.

For winning owners, seller-focused keywords are far more valuable:

• haus verkaufen, hausverkauf, haus verkaufen makler
• wohnung verkaufen, eigentumswohnung verkaufen, wohnung verkaufen mit makler
• immobilie verkaufen, immobilienverkauf
• vermietete wohnung verkaufen
• maklerkosten hausverkauf
• immobilie ohne makler verkaufen

Search terms like these show that the user is actively considering selling their own property.

The best opportunities lie in clear seller segments

Not every keyword cluster deserves the same priority. Some deliver lots of volume, others less reach but a much shorter path to a listing.

What matters is the combination of search intent, property value, likelihood to close and future commission potential. „Makler beauftragen Hausverkauf“ (hire an agent for a house sale) has far less search volume than „Haus verkaufen“, but is often worth more because the user is already open to an agent. Conversely, „Immobilien zum Verkauf“ brings plenty of volume but is largely unsuitable for seller inquiries.

„Ohne Makler verkaufen“ (sell without an agent) is a valuable keyword for you

At first glance, these searches look unsuitable because the user apparently doesn't want an agent. But someone searching for „Haus verkaufen ohne Makler“ (sell house without an agent) or „Wohnung verkaufen ohne Makler“ is often already in the selling process. They are weighing effort, costs, risks and alternatives, and want to know whether they can handle the sale themselves.

This is where a good strategy comes in. The ad and landing page take the owner's decision seriously instead of applying pressure:

• What are the advantages of a private sale?
• What are the risks?
• What tasks does an agent take on?
• When does professional support pay off?
• Which mistakes are especially costly in a sale?
• How can you realistically estimate the sale price?

A page titled “Selling a house without an agent: is it worth it?” often works better for these users than a conventional sales page. The key is to offer guidance without lecturing.

Agent fee keywords reach owners mid-decision

The agent fees / commission segment accounts for about 11,940 monthly searches in the dataset. CPCs are moderate compared with direct selling keywords, which is exactly what makes the segment strategically interesting.

Searches such as „maklerkosten hausverkauf“, „maklerprovision hausverkauf“ (agent commission, house sale), „maklergebühr hausverkauf“ (agent fee, house sale), „wer zahlt makler beim hausverkauf“ (who pays the agent in a house sale) or „maklerprovision wohnungsverkauf“ (agent commission, apartment sale) show that the user is considering a sale and weighing the cost of an agent. This isn't purely informational; it's often a concrete decision stage.

The opportunity is to show the financial value an agent brings and explain the fees. A strong landing page answers: How are agent fees calculated? Who pays the commission? When is an agent worth it despite the commission? Which private-sale mistakes get expensive? How does an agent achieve a better sale price? What's included in the service?

These pages need clear conversion elements, such as a property valuation, an initial consultation or a sale readiness check. Otherwise, they remain guides that generate no inquiries.

Negative keywords determine the quality of your inquiries

The search terms you exclude matter just as much as the right keywords. Typical negative keywords for seller acquisition campaigns include:

• kaufen, mieten, wohnung mieten, haus kaufen, immobilien kaufen
• zu verkaufen, zum verkauf
• immobilienscout, immowelt, kleinanzeigen
• jobs, stellenangebot, ausbildung, gehalt, makler werden
• kostenlos, muster, vorlage, pdf
• rechner (calculator), if you don't offer a calculator

The final list depends on your strategy. An agent who also wants buyer inquiries or search mandates will exclude different terms than one focused only on winning owners.

The principle stays the same: every click should be as close as possible to a realistic listing. Especially with broad keywords such as „Immobilienmakler“, „Immobilie verkaufen“ or „Haus verkaufen“, search term analysis determines whether the campaign generates profitable owner contacts.

Your ads speak to owners in their specific situation

“Your local real estate agent” on its own isn't enough. The ad should make clear which problem it solves and who the offer is for. Suitable messages include:

• Sell your house with professional support
• Have your property valued
• Sell your condominium successfully
• Sell your rented apartment
• Stress-free house sale
• Initial assessment for owners
• Get a realistic sale price estimate
• Agent services, explained transparently

Add clear benefits: local market knowledge, realistic valuation, professional marketing, vetted buyers, negotiation, legally sound transactions, discreet marketing and support through to the notary appointment. The ad should already pre-qualify. Anyone looking to rent, buy a property or find a job as an agent shouldn't feel it's meant for them.

Assets expand the ad. Sitelinks lead to selling a house, selling an apartment, property valuation, agent fees or sales advice. Callouts highlight benefits such as “Initial assessment for owners”, “Local market knowledge”, “Professional marketing” or “Personal point of contact”.

Ad and landing page deliver the same message

If the ad says “Sell your house with an agent”, the landing page shouldn't talk generically about every agent service.

Visitors find exactly what they were looking for. And a tighter match between search intent, ad and landing page makes the campaign more efficient.

Your landing page gives owners peace of mind

Many agents send their ads to the homepage, which is too general and not built for owner inquiries. A good landing page answers right away: Which owners is the offer for? What kinds of properties does the agent sell? Which region do they cover? Why can they be trusted? How does the sale process work? How is the price determined? What's the next step?

Owners are making a major financial decision. So the page has to provide reassurance: clear service descriptions, visible contact options, references, past sales, testimonials, valuation methodology, professional images, a clearly explained process and real people to talk to.

Three page types for different owners

The valuation page suits owners who aren't yet sure whether they want to sell. The entry point is a property valuation or initial assessment: a clear headline, a form with few required fields (property type, location, contact details), trust signals above the fold, a reference to local market knowledge and a transparent explanation of what happens after the inquiry. Important: the valuation shouldn't feel like an anonymous calculator if the real goal is a consultation. Owners want a realistic assessment and confidence in the person behind it.

The seller page targets owners with a concrete intent to sell and searches such as „Haus verkaufen“, „Wohnung verkaufen“, „Immobilie verkaufen“ or „Eigentumswohnung verkaufen“ (sell condominium). It shows why the agent is the right partner: clear messaging, regional positioning, the sales process in simple steps, examples of marketing activities, references and a clear call to action for an initial consultation. Instead of “We'll sell your property”, concrete arguments win owners over: a realistic asking price, better marketing, qualified buyers, confident negotiation and professional handling.

The comparison page “Sell with or without an agent?” speaks to users who aren't yet convinced they need an agent. It structures the decision: When does a private sale make sense? Which tasks does the owner take on? What legal and organizational risks are there? How do pricing mistakes happen? How do you filter out serious buyers? What exactly does an agent do, and when is the commission worth it? The page stays factual and never condescending. It ends with a clear offer, such as a sale assessment, a consultation or a private-sale check.

For agents, trust is the biggest lever

Selling a property involves a lot of money, and the personal side carries more weight than in many other industries. Owners want to know: Can I trust this person with my house? Do they know the market? Are they good negotiators? Will they present my property professionally? Will I get realistic advice?

The landing page has to answer these questions before the user fills out the form. Strong trust signals include genuine customer reviews, local sales track record and reference properties, professional photos of the agent or team, a transparent process with a clear scope of services, a clear valuation methodology, awards or certifications, named contacts, information on how buyers are vetted and credit-checked, and a plain-language explanation of the commission.

Your budget follows the season and the quality of inquiries

Demand varies considerably over the year. Across the full dataset, May 2026 was the strongest month with about 361,200 searches and February 2026 the weakest with about 204,190 searches.

In the seller-focused core market, too, May 2026 was the strongest month with about 204,900 searches, while the low point was February 2026 with about 123,260 searches. Between June 2025 and May 2026, the seller-focused core market grew by around 39%.

That calls for flexible budget management. But rising demand doesn't automatically mean better inquiries: competition, CPCs and wasted spend often rise along with search volume. So allocate budget by inquiry quality, likelihood to close and cost per qualified owner contact, not just by search volume.

We judge your campaigns by cost per listing

Clicks are expensive in many real estate markets. That only becomes a problem when expensive clicks land on irrelevant searches or weak landing pages. A CPC of €8, €10 or €12 can pay off if it leads to a listing. A €1 click is expensive if it comes from a buyer, a job seeker or someone just looking for information.

Key metrics include:

• Cost per qualified owner inquiry
• Share of genuine seller inquiries vs. buyer or rental inquiries
• Appointment and valuation booking rate
• Closing rate from Google Ads inquiries
• average property value and expected commission
• Landing page conversion rate
• Cost per listing won

We track every inquiry through to the signed listing

You can only manage Google Ads effectively if you measure which clicks lead to valuable inquiries. Track every way an owner can get in touch: form submissions, valuation requests, phone number clicks, appointment bookings, email clicks, callback requests, completed valuation forms and seller checklist downloads.

Quality matters even more. For a seller acquisition campaign, a buyer inquiry is worth something very different from an owner who wants to sell their house. So include qualified inquiries, valuation appointments, initial consultations and listings won in your analysis, and feed them back into Google Ads. You'll see which keywords, ads and landing pages deliver strong owner contacts, and bidding will follow. Our guide to conversion tracking explains how.

We build your campaigns around the owner's situation

Instead of one large Search campaign, we recommend structuring by search intent and owner situation:

This lets you allocate budgets more precisely, match ads more closely to each search, make landing pages more specific and see which segments actually bring in listings. Read more about building the site itself in our article on websites for real estate agents.

Conclusion: we focus your campaigns squarely on property owners

Google Ads for real estate agents is an attractive market, but not a pure volume game. The best opportunities lie in clearly separated campaigns for selling houses, selling apartments, selling property in general, agent fees, selling without an agent, rented properties and hiring an agent.

The main task is to consistently separate seller searches from buyer, rental, job and property-listing searches. That takes negative keywords, regional targeting, dedicated landing pages and a clear offer.

Google Ads can be a highly effective acquisition channel for real estate agents, but only if campaigns are focused squarely on owners and selling intent. The biggest lever isn't buying as many clicks as possible; it's reaching the right searches: people who want to sell their house, apartment or property.

Alex Sperber, Partner at UnitedAds

When keywords, negative keywords, ads, landing pages and measurement work together, expensive clicks turn into high-quality owner contacts. That's the real lever: better inquiries from people who are seriously considering selling their property.