Most property enquiries in India now start as a WhatsApp message, from an ad, a portal listing or a hoarding. The leads are easy to get and easy to lose, because they land on whichever agent's phone the ad pointed to, and a reply that waits until evening may come too late. This guide covers what agents, brokerages and developers use the WhatsApp Business API for, what it costs at Meta's rates, the RERA and consent rules, and how to set it up.
The short answer
- Choose a tool on Meta's official API that replies to ad leads instantly. It should answer every enquiry in seconds, ask budget, location, BHK and timeline, and hand serious buyers to the right agent on one shared number. A broadcast list on a personal number can't.
- Talking to ad leads is cheap. Chats that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, answered within 24 hours, open a free window of up to 7 days. Marketing messages are what cost money: ₹0.8631 each in India, before GST.
- Put the RERA number in project marketing. The RERA Act requires a promoter's ads to show the project's registration number and the authority's website, and several states enforce this on social media too.
- Message only people who opted in. Meta requires it, and a bought lead list doesn't qualify.
What real estate businesses use WhatsApp for
1. Click-to-WhatsApp ads for projects
An ad for a new tower or plotted layout opens a WhatsApp chat instead of a form. Reply within 24 hours and every message in the free entry point window that follows (up to 7 days) is free.
2. An instant first reply that qualifies the lead
An automation replies the moment the lead messages and asks budget, preferred location, BHK and when they plan to buy. The answers are saved to the contact, so the agent sees "2BHK, Wakad, ₹80–90 lakh, within 3 months" before saying hello.
3. Hot leads to the right agent, from one number
With a shared inbox, the whole team answers from one WhatsApp number. Route each lead by project or area and assign it to one agent, so no buyer gets two replies or none. When a buyer calls on WhatsApp, the call rings an available agent in the browser.
4. Brochures, floor plans and videos
Send the brochure PDF, floor plans, a walkthrough video and a Google Maps link in the chat, where the buyer can forward them to family.
5. Site-visit booking and reminders
Confirm the visit when it's booked and remind the buyer the day before, with the time, address and agent's name. A Reschedule button routes the buyer back to the agent.
6. Launches, price updates and old leads
A pre-launch, new phase or price revision goes out as a tracked campaign to leads who agreed to hear from you. Scheduled follow-ups reach leads who went quiet, and last year's enquiries can hear about a new project nearby.
7. Leads into your Google Sheet or CRM
Every new lead and its answers can be copied to a Google Sheet or sent by webhook to your CRM. Mywa can also tell Meta, through the Conversions API, which ad leads turned out to be real, so your ads learn to find more serious buyers.
Why personal WhatsApp and broadcast lists stop working
A personal number works for one agent. It breaks once there's a team (see WhatsApp Business app vs API):
- Leads leave with the agent. Chats live on the agent's phone, so when they leave, the buyer history goes with them.
- Nobody can see who replied, what price was quoted or which leads were never answered.
- Broadcast lists only reach people who saved your number, and every reply lands on that one phone.
- Unofficial bulk-sender tools break WhatsApp's terms and put the number, and every conversation on it, at risk of a ban.
What does WhatsApp cost for a real estate business in India?
Meta charges per delivered message, by type. Its rates for Indian (+91) numbers, effective 1 October 2026:
| Message | Real estate example | Meta's rate (before GST) | With 18% GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Launch, price update, follow-up to an old lead | ₹0.8631 | ₹1.018 |
| Utility | Site-visit confirmation and reminder | ₹0.115 | ₹0.136 |
| Service | Replies within 24 hours of a buyer's message | First 1,000 a month free, then ₹0.115 | ₹0.136 |
| Ad-started chats | Everything in the free entry point window | Free | Free |
Messages buyers send you are always free.
A worked example. A small brokerage gets 600 leads a month from click-to-WhatsApp ads, and qualifies them, sends brochures and books visits inside the free window. It also confirms and reminds 120 site visits, sends 400 follow-ups to leads whose window has closed, runs one launch campaign to 3,000 opted-in past leads, and sends 2,500 replies outside ad chats:
| What | Messages | Cost before GST |
|---|---|---|
| Ad-lead chats (free entry point window) | 600 leads | ₹0 |
| Site-visit confirmations and reminders (utility) | 240 | ₹27.60 |
| Follow-ups and launch campaign (marketing) | 3,400 | ₹2,934.54 |
| Replies (1,000 free, 1,500 charged) | 2,500 | ₹172.50 |
| Paid to Meta | ₹3,134.64 | |
| Mywa subscription | ₹999 | |
| Total | ₹4,133.64, or ₹4,877.70 with GST |
That's about ₹8 per ad lead, launch campaign included. Marketing is 94% of the Meta bill, so the cheapest conversation is one inside the ad's free window. Try your own numbers in the WhatsApp API pricing calculator for India.
What rules apply to property marketing on WhatsApp?
This isn't legal advice, but every agent and developer should know these rules.
Meta's opt-in rule. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy lets you contact people only if they gave you their number and agreed to receive your messages, and you must respect requests to stop, on or off WhatsApp. Ask for consent in the ad's first reply or on your enquiry form.
Don't buy lead lists. People on a purchased list never gave you their number or agreed to hear from you. Messaging them breaks Meta's rule, and blocks and reports can lead WhatsApp to limit how many messages your number can send.
RERA. Section 11(2) of the RERA Act says a promoter's advertisement or prospectus must prominently mention the RERA authority's website and include the project's registration number. Its definition of an advertisement covers publicity in any form and medium, so treat a WhatsApp project campaign as an ad. Section 3 bars advertising a project that must be registered but isn't, and section 9 requires agents to register before selling in registered projects. States add their own rules: AP RERA requires the registration details in all advertisements, and MahaRERA requires the number and a QR code on project ads, social media included, with its April 2025 directions covering agents too. Check your state authority's orders.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. A buyer's number, budget and preferences are personal data. The DPDP Rules were notified in November 2025, and most obligations (clear notices, provable consent, security safeguards and breach reporting) apply 18 months later, from May 2027. The government has consulted on bringing that forward, so collect proper consent now.
How to set it up with Mywa
- Connect your number through Meta's Embedded Signup; a WhatsApp Business app number can stay on the app with coexistence. See how to connect a number.
- Create templates: visit confirmations and reminders as utility; launches, price updates and follow-ups as marketing, with the RERA number. Submit them to Meta from Mywa; the template checker helps with the category.
- Start from the ad-lead preset in automation, add your qualifying questions and route leads by project or area.
- Set up the team inbox with up to 5 team members, business hours and quiet hours.
- Connect Google Sheets or a webhook, and turn on the Meta Conversions API.
Where Mywa fits
Mywa fits individual agents, brokerages and small developer sales teams: instant ad-lead replies and qualification, one number for up to 5 people, campaigns, calling, Google Sheets, webhooks and the Conversions API. It's ₹999 a month (₹9,999 a year) plus GST, with every feature included. Meta bills messages directly to your own WhatsApp Business Account at its official rates, with no markup from Mywa. See Mywa pricing.
It isn't a real estate CRM. Mywa doesn't manage unit inventory, bookings, payment schedules or channel partners; it's the WhatsApp layer, and sends leads to your CRM by webhook. A developer with more than 5 people on one number should compare other providers on our comparison page.
The bottom line
Use WhatsApp as a fast, shared front desk for property leads: reply in seconds, qualify, give each lead to one agent and book the visit inside the ad's free window. Spend marketing messages carefully, message only people who opted in, and keep the RERA number on every project campaign.
Sources: Meta: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform · WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · AP RERA: advertisement guidelines · MahaRERA QR code and registration number directions (The Realty Today) · DPDP Act and Rules (Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas). Rates checked 20 October 2026.