A Guide to Selling New-Build Property Internationally in 2026

In brief: how to sell new-build property to overseas buyers without opening offices

Short answer: in 2026, an estate agency can sell new-build developments to overseas buyers without physical offices by combining four elements: a centralised catalogue with live availability, digital lead generation in the buyer’s language, a CRM connected via an XML feed that automates follow-up, and a network of partner agencies that shares commission between the buyer’s home country and the destination country.

International new-build property sales no longer require opening a branch in Amsterdam or Warsaw. They require buyers to find reliable property listings, receive a response in their own language and have someone they trust at every stage, from the first video call to signing.

This guide explains how to build that system step by step, using the latest market data and the tools that make it possible for estate agencies.

Why 2026 demands better selling, not just more sales

Overseas buyers are still there, but they are buying less often and paying more: in the first half of 2026, transactions fell by 13% while the average price rose by 9.4%. The agency that reaches them first, with more properties and better service, wins.

Three takeaways for a new-build estate agency:

• Non-residents are more selective. They pay an average of €1,391/m² more than foreign residents and seek higher-value properties — precisely where new builds come into their own.
• Demand is changing nationality. In 2025, Dutch buyers were, for the first time, the non-residents who bought the most homes (6,289), with the Costa Blanca their favourite destination. Agencies that work exclusively with British buyers are left with a shrinking share of the market.
• Buyers compare countries. An investor weighing up Alicante, the Algarve and Batumi chooses the agency that offers all three. Without a catalogue covering other markets, that sale is lost.

International property marketing without offices: what changes

The centre of the operation shifts from the office to the network: a shared catalogue, agencies in the buyer’s country and agents in the property’s country, all connected on the same platform.

There are two roles in this model. The agency in the buyer’s home country is based where the buyer lives and attracts them. The destination agency knows the development’s area, conducts the viewing and handles the reservation. The same estate agency can play both roles: welcoming overseas buyers to its own coastal area and referring its own clients to developments in another country.

Step 1: centralise the development catalogue

Without a single, live catalogue, everything else fails: a buyer 2,000 km away will not forgive being offered a home that was sold last week.

A catalogue ready for selling new-build property to overseas buyers meets six requirements:

• Availability synchronised with the developer, unit by unit.
• Prices and commission visible before showing the property.
• Watermark-free materials: photos, floor plans and specifications ready for portals, websites and social media.
• Filters by area, price and handover date, so you can respond to a client’s requirements within minutes.
• Agency-branded property details, with notifications when the client opens them.
• Several markets on the same screen, to retain buyers comparing countries.

One example of this approach is Habihub, an international new-build MLS. According to its website data in November 2026, it brings together 23,849 homes across 1,382 active developments from 549 developers in Spain, Portugal and Georgia, with the Dominican Republic and Dubai in preparation. Every sale made by the developer is reflected in the catalogue, and materials can be downloaded without watermarks.

Before investing in advertising, it is worth checking that every advertised development has up-to-date floor plans, unit prices and handover dates. An overseas lead landing on an incomplete listing is wasted budget.

Step 2: attracting overseas buyers and international property marketing

Attracting overseas buyers works when you segment by nationality, communicate in the buyer’s language and respond the same day. A single English-language advert for the whole of Europe struggles to compete.

The data helps you choose languages. In the first half of 2026, the largest groups of non-resident buyers were Dutch (12.6%), German (11.8%), British (10.4%) and Polish (8.1%). With those four languages, a coastal agency covers a substantial share of investor buyers.

Of all these channels, partner agencies tend to be the most cost-effective in the medium term: buyers arrive with trust already established by their regular agent, and the destination agency does not pay to acquire them.

Step 3: integrate the catalogue and CRM with an XML feed and automation

Integrating the catalogue and CRM makes it possible to serve buyers from five countries with the same team: inventory flows automatically onto the website, and follow-up for each lead is triggered automatically.

An XML feed is a file generated by the catalogue platform and read periodically by the agency’s website, CRM or property portals. In Habihub, for example, each agency receives its own feed URL, updated every 24 hours, so prices and availability flow automatically to all its channels.

Once the inventory is connected, these are the automations that save the most time:

No programming is needed: no-code tools such as Make or Zapier connect forms, CRM and messaging, and the most widely used CRMs in the sector import XML feeds natively.

Step 4: close at the destination with a network of partner agencies

The sale is closed by someone on the ground: the agency in the buyer’s home country attracts and refers the buyer, a local agent handles the viewing, reservation and signing, and the commission is shared between the two.

This is how Habihub’s Sales Service works, for example: the agency referring the buyer receives up to 45% of the commission, and the local agent closing the sale receives 45%, with no buyer acquisition cost. Agencies can refer buyers from the first day of their subscription; receiving buyers requires 12 months’ membership of the platform.

For agencies that want to go further, Habihub Network lets them build their own network of partner agencies in other countries. The lead agency recruits them, Habihub trains and activates them, and every referral is recorded with the commission split visible to both parties.

Tools for estate agencies selling new-build property internationally

Selling without offices requires seven types of tools, and the catalogue platform is the one that shapes all the others: it feeds the website, CRM and portals.

Habihub combines the catalogue, XML feed and Sales Service for closing at the destination in a single subscription, with no additional charge for the latter. That is why it often sits at the centre of the technology stack, with the other tools connected around it.

Six common mistakes when selling developments to overseas buyers

Most international sales are lost not because of price, but because of avoidable process failures.

• Advertising without confirmed availability. Advertising a home that has already sold destroys the trust of a buyer who cannot drop into the office to check.
• Translating the website but providing service in only one language. If the advert is in Dutch, the first response must be too.
• Responding late because of the time difference. A lead who waits two days has already spoken to another agency.
• Not explaining the buying process. Overseas buyers need to know what an NIE is, how to open an account in Spain, which taxes they pay, and that advance payments on new-build properties must be protected by a guarantee or insurance.
• Working together without a written agreement. The commission split between the agency in the buyer’s home country and the destination agency must be recorded before the first viewing.
• Measuring leads rather than reservations. A cheap channel that generates neither viewings nor reservations works out expensive.

A 90-day plan to start selling to overseas buyers

In three months, a new-build estate agency can go from having no international channel to tracking its first reservations by country.

• Days 1 to 30: the foundations
• Choose two or three destination markets and three or four priority languages.
• Connect to a centralised catalogue and review the listings you plan to advertise.
• Link the XML feed to the website and CRM.
• Draft a standard commission agreement for partner agencies.
• Days 31 to 60: lead generation
• Launch campaigns by country and language featuring one or two attention-grabbing developments.
• Activate automations for lead creation, assignment and follow-up.
• Propose partnerships to agencies in the selected buyer countries.
• Publish website content by area and language.
• Days 61 to 90: optimisation
• Measure cost per viewing and per reservation for each channel and country.
• Shift budget towards what generates reservations, not clicks.
• Document the remote closing process: video call, reservation and signing.
• Add another market if the first two are already working.

Conclusion: the network replaces the office

In 2026, selling new-build property to overseas buyers depends on the system, not office locations: a reliable catalogue, lead generation by language, an automated CRM and a network that closes at the destination. International buyers buy less often, but pay more and compare countries, so the sale goes to the agency that offers several markets and a trusted point of contact at every stage.

For agencies that want to build this system without starting from scratch, Habihub brings together a catalogue of new-build property in Spain, Portugal and Georgia, an XML feed for websites and CRMs, and the Sales Service for referring or receiving buyers with shared commission, all on one platform. The guided demo lasts 30 minutes and can be requested at habihub.com.

Sources

• Home purchases by foreign buyers fall 13% year on year in the first half, Brainsre, 15 October 2026 (data from the General Council of Notaries).
• Where Dutch buyers are looking for homes in Spain: the new leaders among non-resident foreign buyers, idealista/news, 26 June 2026 (data from the General Council of Notaries).
• Habihub: website, catalogue and market pages, accessed on 3 November 2026 (includes data from Eurostat and Global Property Guide).

Related reading

• Tools for selling new-build property internationally
• The risks of managing new-build property without a platform

Frequently asked questions

Can you sell property developments without offices in the buyer’s country?

Yes. Selling property developments without offices relies on three elements: partner agencies in the buyer’s country, an online catalogue with live availability, and a local agent at the destination who conducts the viewing and handles the reservation. The commission is shared between the two agencies under a prior agreement.

How many homes do foreign buyers purchase in Spain?

According to the notaries, foreign buyers purchased more than 138,250 homes in Spain in 2025, representing 18.8% of the total. In the first half of 2026, they completed 62,327 purchases, 13% fewer than a year earlier, although they paid an average of €2,644/m², up 9.4%.

How is commission split on an international new-build property sale?

It depends on the agreement between agencies. With Habihub’s Sales Service, the agency referring the buyer receives up to 45% of the commission, and the local agent conducting the viewing and closing the sale receives another 45%. The essential point is to agree the split in writing before the first viewing.

What tools does an estate agency need to sell new-build property to overseas buyers?

At a minimum, a centralised new-build catalogue with live availability, a CRM with automations, an XML feed for the website and portals, advertising segmented by country and language, messaging and video calls, and electronic signatures for reservations.

What is a property XML feed?

It is a file containing development data (prices, availability, photos and floor plans) that updates automatically and is read periodically by the agency’s website, CRM or property portals. It avoids having to upload and correct each property manually.

Can an overseas buyer purchase a new-build home in Spain without travelling?

Almost the entire process can be handled remotely: choosing a property by video call, reserving it with an electronic signature and signing the deed through a representative with a notarised power of attorney. An NIE is required and, usually, a bank account in Spain. Even so, many buyers travel once to get to know the area.

Which new-build markets attract international buyers most in 2026?

In Spain, the Valencian Community accounted for 40.3% of non-resident purchases in the first half of 2026, followed by Andalusia with 25.3%. Outside Spain, Portugal stands out for price appreciation (+18.9% in one year) and Georgia for rental yields (an average gross yield of 7.5% in Tbilisi).