Realtor websites in Vancouver: own one or rent one?

In July 2026 we sat down and checked the websites of 20 working agents across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey and Coquitlam. What we found explains a lot about realtor marketing budgets.

The short answer: most realtor websites are rented. In our sample of 20 Lower Mainland agents, only 10 percent had a custom personal site, 80 percent rented vendor templates at $19 to $89 or more a month, and about 40 percent of those sites looked dated, fragmented, or still carried a previous brokerage’s branding. Renting at $69 a month is roughly $2,500 every three years, forever. Owning a site costs once.

What we found in the sample

Twenty agents, pulled from city directories and brokerage rosters across five cities. Two had polished custom sites. Two had no site at all beyond their brokerage profile, including established agents with strong Instagram followings. The other sixteen rented templated sites from the usual local vendors, and nearly half of those were visibly dated, split across old domains, or still branded to a brokerage the agent had left. The rented site is not just a monthly bill. It is very often a stale one, because a site you rent never quite feels worth investing in.

What renting actually costs

Realtor website cost comparison: owning versus renting
Avelio, owned Local template vendors Premium US platforms
What you pay $499 – $999one time $19 – $89+ a month Reported at US$250 – $550+ a month
Three year cost $499 – $999 About $700 – $3,200 Five figures, on contract
Who owns it Youdomain, site, photos The vendor. Leaving means starting over The platform, usually on a 12 month contract
Looks like Youbuilt around your brand Every other agent on the same template Polished, and priced like it

Vendor numbers are from their published pricing at the time of writing; the premium platforms mostly quote privately, so treat those as reported ranges.

The MLS feed question, answered honestly

Here is the part most website pitches to realtors skip: the live listing feed is the thing that forces the monthly fee. A real time MLS or IDX feed needs a platform that maintains board connections, and platforms charge monthly, forever. That is not a scam, it is what feeds cost to run. The question is whether you need one, and for a personal agent site the honest answer is usually no. Buyers hunt listings on Realtor.ca and the big portals. What they check you for is credibility: 97 percent of buyers use the internet during their search, and your site is where “who is this agent” gets answered. Bio, sold portfolio, reviews, booking link, and links out to your current listings. If you ever grow into wanting a feed, a platform can be added then, with clear eyes about its fee.

What a realtor site needs

  1. You, clearly. Who you are, the cities and neighbourhoods you actually work, in your own words.
  2. A sold portfolio. Real addresses you closed, with real photos. This is your proof of work.
  3. Client reviews. Pulled from Google onto the page, where a nervous first time buyer reads them.
  4. A booking link. One tap from “this agent seems right” to a time in your calendar.
  5. Links to your listings. Out to Realtor.ca or your brokerage page, always current, no feed required.

One more thing that is not optional: your brokerage has advertising rules, and BC regulates how agents present themselves. Whoever builds your site should ask for your brokerage’s checklist and build to it. We do.

What it costs to own one

The same bundles as every business we work with: $499 one time for the website, $699 with a photoshoot, headshots, you at work, your neighbourhoods, and $999 with video, which is the format listings and reels want anyway. No monthly fees, live in about a week, and the domain, site and media are yours, which in Canada is worth checking, not assuming. Websites anywhere in Canada; shoots across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, Langley and Abbotsford. Full numbers in the price guide.

Common questions from realtors

Do most realtors own their websites?

No. In our 20 agent sample, 80 percent rented templates at $19 to $89 or more a month, and only 10 percent had a custom site of their own.

What does renting cost over time?

At $69 a month, about $2,500 every three years, with nothing owned at the end. Premium platforms run far higher, on contracts.

Do I need MLS listings on my site?

Usually not. The feed is what forces the monthly platform. Buyers search the portals for listings; your site’s job is you. Link out to your listings instead.

What goes on a personal agent site?

Your bio and areas, a sold portfolio, reviews, a booking link, and links to current listings. Built to your brokerage’s advertising rules.

What does owning one cost?

$499 one time, $699 with a photoshoot, $999 with photo and video. No monthly fees, and it is yours.

Sources

Keep reading: what a website costs in Vancouver · do you own your website? · what business photos cost

Renting a template that looks like everyone else’s?

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