# Property Launch Budget: plan a development's marketing from pre-launch to sell-out

> Free launch budget planner for property developers in Cyprus and abroad. Enter units, average price, sell-out months and buyer mix, and get the marketing budget phased from pre-launch to sell-out, split by channel, with a monthly spend chart. Department of Lands and Surveys figures checked October 2026.

Publisher: Clickhouse Media, Nicosia, CY.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-20. Figures marked "Confirm" are being checked.
Canonical URL: https://propertylaunchbudget.com/

## Short answer

Plan a development’s marketing as a share of its gross development value (GDV). No published study fixes that share, so treat our 1.5% default as an estimate and test it. Our planner’s split puts about a quarter before launch into brand, website, CGI and film, 30% into the first three months and the rest into sales and sell-out. Match channels to buyers. In September 2026 foreign buyers registered contracts on 705 properties, against 1,681 contracts in all, about 42%, a rough share because the DLS tables count different units. Most schemes need international portals and agents as well as local search.

## Cyprus property launch figures: Department of Lands and Surveys sales data, buyer origin, residency and advertising rules, October 2026

- **Contracts of sale in Cyprus, 2025**: 18,114 contracts of sale registered, up 15% from 15,797 in 2024. (Sourced)
- **Contracts of sale, January to September 2026**: 14,969, which is 1,796 or about 14% more than the same nine months of 2025. (Sourced)
- **Contracts of sale, September 2026**: 1,681, up 13% on 1,484 in September 2025. (Sourced)
- **Contracts of sale by district, January to September 2026**: Limassol 4,860; Larnaca 3,291; Nicosia 3,163; Paphos 2,999; Famagusta 656. The district is where the property is, not where the buyer lives. (Sourced)
- **Foreign buyers, September 2026**: Foreign buyers registered contracts on 705 properties (210 by EU buyers, 495 by non-EU buyers), against 1,681 contracts in all: about 42%, approximate because the DLS tables count different units. The same contracts name 235 EU and 665 non-EU buyers. (Sourced)
- **Foreign buyers, January to September 2026**: Foreign buyers registered contracts on 6,267 properties (2,094 by EU buyers, 4,173 by non-EU buyers), against 14,969 contracts in all: about 42%, approximate because the DLS tables count different units. The same contracts name 2,301 EU and 5,443 non-EU buyers. (Sourced)
- **Foreign buyers by district, January to September 2026**: Properties on which foreign buyers registered contracts, against all contracts in the district: Paphos 70.6%, Larnaca 46.9%, Famagusta 45.7%, Limassol 37.3%, Nicosia 15.6%. Approximate, because the DLS tables count different units. (Sourced)
- **What the DLS buyer groups mean**: Buyers “within EU” and “outside EU”, both excluding Cypriots. DLS publishes no nationality, and advises against comparing its foreign-buyer data from 2018 onwards with earlier years. (Sourced)
- **Permanent residency through a home purchase**: Under Regulation 6(2), a house or apartment bought from a development company as a first sale, worth at least €300,000 plus VAT, with at least €300,000 paid when applying, whatever the delivery date. Migration Department criteria, 4th revision, May 2023. (Sourced)
- **Income needed for that permit**: A secure annual income from abroad of at least €50,000, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for each dependent minor child. (Sourced)
- **Proposed limits on non-EU buyers**: Bills submitted to the House would, among other changes, limit third-country nationals to one house or apartment and ban foreign purchases of agricultural and forest land. No vote had been reported by 2 September 2026. (Sourced)
- **Energy class in property adverts**: Buildings and units offered for sale or rent must have an energy performance certificate, and its indicator and class must be “stated in online and offline advertisements, including in property search portal websites”. Directive (EU) 2024/1275, Article 20(4), due in national law by 29 May 2026; it repealed Directive 2010/31/EU from 30 May 2026. In July 2026 the Commission opened proceedings against all 27 member states for incomplete transposition. We found no adopted Cyprus transposing law yet (checked 20 October 2026). (Sourced)
- **Depositing the contract of sale**: Within six months of signing, at the Land Registry. After that, deposit needs a court order and the contract ranks behind charges registered earlier. Sale of Land (Specific Performance) Law 81(I)/2011. (Sourced)
- **Search certificate at signing**: For contracts signed from 12 December 2023, the vendor must provide a search certificate dated no more than five days before signing, or face a fine of up to €10,000. Law 132(I)/2023. (Sourced)
- **Developer marketing budget as a share of GDV**: We found no published benchmark traced to measured data, only guides that quote ranges without a method. The planner’s 1.5% default is a Clickhouse estimate. (Confirm)
- **Reduced VAT on a first home**: Law firms report that, under Law 42(I)/2023, 5% VAT applies to the first 130 m² of a new main residence, only where the home is no larger than 190 m², its value is within €350,000 and the total price within €475,000. The transitional regime for schemes with planning applications by 31 October 2023 ends on 31 December 2026, as extended in 2026. We have not yet checked the current terms with the Tax Department. (Confirm)

## How to plan a property launch budget in four steps

1. **Brief and numbers.** Fix units, price bands, buyer mix and the budget share, then run the planner and agree the phase budgets with the sales team.
2. **Build the assets.** Brand, website with enquiry tracking, CGI and film, agent pack, and the show flat or sales suite, in that order of lead time.
3. **Ready the sale.** Sign off prices and payment plan, confirm the energy class to state in adverts, review the contract steps, and brief agents before any paid reach starts.
4. **Sell, measure, re-plan.** Launch campaigns, events and portals together, report enquiries and reservations by source each week, and move money monthly to what sells.

## Free tools on this page

- **Launch budget planner**: Sets a marketing budget as a share of gross development value from units and average price, phases it across pre-launch, launch, sales and sell-out, splits each phase across eight channels weighted by the local, EU and non-EU buyer mix, and charts the spend month by month.
- **Cost per unit sold check**: Divides a marketing budget by the units a campaign is expected to sell to give the marketing cost per unit sold and its share of the average price, then works out the enquiries needed and the most the budget can pay per enquiry at a given enquiry-to-sale rate.
- **Launch phase checklist**: For a chosen launch phase (pre-launch, launch, sales or sell-out), lists what must be ready, such as permits shown, the price list, the show flat, the energy class in adverts and the contract steps, and reports how many items are in place and which must-have items are missing.

## Questions and answers

### How much should a developer spend on marketing a new development?

Plan it as a share of gross development value, then check it against a floor for the assets every launch needs. We start at 1.5% of GDV as a working estimate, because no published study we could trace sets a benchmark. A 48-unit scheme at €320,000 a unit has a GDV of €15.36m, so 1.5% is €230,400, or €4,800 a unit.

### What is a typical marketing budget as a percentage of GDV?

Guides online quote ranges, but we found none that shows where its figure comes from. Treat any single number as an estimate. Small schemes usually need a higher share, because brand, website, renders and film cost much the same whether you sell 14 units or 60.

### How should a launch budget be split between pre-launch and launch?

Our planner puts 25% before launch, mostly on brand, website, CGI and film, and 30% in the first three months on sale, when the launch event, press and campaigns all run at once. The remaining 45% covers the sales months and the sell-out months, with a lighter monthly spend at the end.

### Which marketing channels sell off-plan property in Cyprus?

It depends on who buys. Local buyers are reached through search, social and portals, and the show flat closes the sale. Buyers from abroad come through international portals, agents’ networks and events in their own markets. Most Cyprus schemes need both: in September 2026 foreign buyers registered contracts on 705 properties, against 1,681 contracts in all, about 42%, a rough share because the DLS tables count different units.

### How many property sale contracts were registered in Cyprus in 2025?

18,114 contracts of sale were registered with the Department of Lands and Surveys in 2025, up 15% from 15,797 in 2024. From January to September 2026 there were 14,969, about 14% more than in the same months of 2025. These count contracts, not properties: one contract can cover more than one property, and completed transfers are a separate count.

### What share of property buyers in Cyprus are foreign?

In September 2026, foreign buyers registered contracts on 705 properties, 210 by EU buyers and 495 by non-EU buyers, against 1,681 contracts in all: about 42%, approximate because the DLS tables count different units. Counted as people, the same contracts name 235 EU and 665 non-EU buyers. The share is highest in Paphos. DLS does not publish nationality, only EU and non-EU.

### How much do I need to spend on property to get permanent residency in Cyprus?

Under Regulation 6(2), a non-EU buyer can apply on the basis of a house or apartment bought from a development company as a first sale, worth at least €300,000 plus VAT, with at least €300,000 paid at application. They also need a secure income from abroad of at least €50,000 a year, more with family. Check the current criteria with the Migration Department or a lawyer.

### When should marketing start before a property launch?

About six months before the first unit goes on sale. Renders, film and the website take the longest, and the price list, payment plan and contract template need to be signed off before any paid reach starts. Our launch calendar sets out what happens in each of those months.

### Do I need a show flat to sell off-plan?

You need somewhere buyers can judge the finish: a show flat, a sales suite with samples, or a full virtual tour for buyers abroad. Our checklist treats one of the three as a must-have for launch. Which one depends on your buyer mix and the size of the scheme.

### What must be ready before a development goes on sale in Cyprus?

Permit numbers to show, a signed-off price list and payment plan, the energy certificate and class to state in adverts, a sale contract reviewed by a lawyer, a website that can take an enquiry, and a show flat or tour. From December 2023 the vendor must also provide a search certificate dated within five days before signing.

### Does a property advert have to show the energy class?

The rule comes from Directive (EU) 2024/1275, Article 20(4), which replaced the old buildings directive from 30 May 2026: a building or unit offered for sale or rent must have an energy performance certificate, and its indicator and class must be stated in online and offline adverts, including property portals. In Cyprus it applies through Cyprus’s own transposing law, which member states had to adopt by 29 May 2026, and we found no adopted Cyprus transposing law when we checked on 20 October 2026. Build the energy class into listings, brochures and paid ads from the start anyway.

### How do I work out marketing cost per unit sold?

Divide the marketing budget by the number of units the campaign sells, leaving out units sold to your own contacts, then divide by the average price. €230,400 spent to sell 36 of 48 units at €320,000 is €6,400 a unit, or 2% of the price.

### Should I spend on overseas roadshows?

Only if a real share of your buyers will come from those markets, and only once agents there have a pack to sell from. Non-EU buyers are a large part of the Cyprus market, but bills before the House in 2026 propose new limits on what they can buy. Check their status before you book stands abroad.

### When is more marketing budget not the answer?

When the price is out of line with the market, the paperwork is not ready, the product does not suit the buyers you are reaching, or construction has stalled. More reach makes each of those problems visible to more people. Fix them first, then spend.

## Contact

Clickhouse Media, https://clickhouse.media