maison.work vs. Homegate: A comparison of the two real estate platforms

In the real estate market, there are numerous platforms that serve various niches. Homegate has particularly established itself in the residential real estate market. However, there is a clear gap in specialized platforms for commercial and office spaces. This is where maison.work comes in: as a specialized platform, it meets the unique needs of the office rental market and thus fills this gap.

maison.work vs Homegate: Key Differences

Market Focus:

Homegate: As an established name in the real estate sector, Homegate offers a wide range of listings, including residential properties like apartments and houses, as well as commercial properties like offices, warehouses, and parking spaces. Its extensive reach has made it a go-to for a wide array of real estate needs.

maison.work: In contrast, maison.work has focused exclusively on the office market. It addresses the urgent need for a specialized platform for renting commercial spaces and provides property managers and owners with a tailored platform to effectively and cost-efficiently market their available spaces.

Pricing Structure:

Homegate: Homegate’s pricing structure is geared towards short-term rental listings or high sales margins and offers medium- to long-term contracts for marketers using the portal.

maison.work: In line with the unique vacancy cycles of commercial spaces, maison.work has adapted its pricing structure to office marketing cycles. It offers flexible terms, monthly cancellation periods, and various pricing plans tailored to the specific needs of this market segment.

Customer Support:

Homegate: Known for its robust customer service teams and support hotlines, Homegate ensures users receive assistance when needed.

maison.work: With a more personalized approach, maison.work emphasizes comprehensive support, allowing users to reach out 24/7 with questions or concerns to ensure a seamless user experience.

Platform Features:

Homegate: As a dominant player in the residential real estate market, Homegate offers a wide range of property listings for a broad audience.

maison.work: maison.work goes beyond mere listings and offers features like chat functionality, management of viewing requests, simplified statistics, and unlimited online listing durations. It also provides tools for evaluation and analysis to optimize the process for property managers and potential tenants, enhancing the overall user experience.

Marketing and Specialization:

Homegate: As a generalist in real estate marketing, Homegate caters to a wide range of real estate needs.

maison.work: With a 100% focus on office rentals, maison.work stands out as a specialized platform in this niche. Its unique approach digitizes the entire office search journey, from initial search to on-site or 3D tour viewings and finally to contract signing.

Price Comparison Table

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Table as text:

Initial costs:

At maison.work, there are no initial costs. At Homegate, the initial costs for the Classic Plan are CHF 800, while there are no initial costs for the Easy and Top Plans.

Monthly Base Fee:

maison.work does not charge a monthly base fee. At Homegate, the monthly base fee is CHF 348 for the Classic Plan, CHF 324 for the Easy Plan, and CHF 300 for the Top Plan.

Monthly Subscription Costs:

At maison.work, the monthly subscription costs start at CHF 135 for 10 listings, with an additional CHF 13.5 for each extra listing. Alternatively, a usage-based tier is offered with no fixed monthly fee, starting at CHF 0.6 per active listing day, with one listing always being free. At Homegate, the monthly subscription fee consists of the monthly base fee and the daily rate per listing, as well as additional services. In the Top Plan, the monthly base fee is CHF 300, and the daily rate is CHF 2.99 per day per office for 30 days.

Daily Rate per Listing:

At maison.work, the daily rate is CHF 0.60 excl. VAT for offices with two or more listings, with one listing being free. At Homegate, the daily rate is CHF 0.26 for the Classic Plan, CHF 1.58 for the Easy Plan, and CHF 2.99 for the Top Plan.

Images, Documents, Videos, Links:

At maison.work, these elements are included in the price. At Homegate, each of these elements costs CHF 0.96 per day in the Classic and Easy Plans, while they are included in the Top Plan.

Setup Costs:

At maison.work, there are no setup costs. At Homegate, the setup costs are CHF 300.00 for the Classic and Easy Plans, while there are no setup costs for the Top Plan.

Value Added Tax (VAT):

VAT is not included at both maison.work and Homegate.

Notice Period:

At maison.work, the notice period is one month. At Homegate, the notice period is three months for the Classic Plan and annually for the Easy and Top Plans.

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Examples:

maison.work:

• Up to 10 Listings: CHF 149 per month

• Up to 30 Listings: CHF 299 per month

• Up to 150 Listings: CHF 599 per month

Homegate (Top Plan):

• 10 Listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 2.99 * 10 * 30) = CHF 1,197 per month

• 30 Listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 2.99 * 30 * 30) = CHF 2,991 per month

• 150 Listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 2.99 * 150 * 30) = CHF 13,755 per month

Homegate (Easy Plan):

• 10 Listings: CHF 324 + (CHF 1.58 * 10 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 10) = CHF 1,374 per month

• 30 Listings: CHF 324 + (CHF 1.58 * 30 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 30) = CHF 3,474 per month

• 150 Listings: CHF 324 + (CHF 1.58 * 150 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 150) = CHF 16,074 per month

Homegate (Classic Plan):

• 10 Listings: CHF 348 + (CHF 0.26 * 10 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 10) = CHF 1,002 per month

• 30 Listings: CHF 348 + (CHF 0.26 * 30 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 30) = CHF 2,310 per month

• 150 Listings: CHF 348 + (CHF 0.26 * 150 * 30) + (CHF 0.96 * 2 * 30 * 150) = CHF 10,158 per month

Disclosure: In the cost calculation for the Easy and Classic Plans from Homegate, it was assumed that all listings include documents and videos. This is not necessarily the case, but it was considered since maison.work includes this by default. The actual costs on Homegate may be slightly lower if no documents and videos are added to the listings.

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Savings Percentage:

Top Plan:

• 10 listings: Savings = ((CHF 1,197 - CHF 149) / CHF 1,197) * 100 ≈ 87.55% (8.03x more expensive)

• 30 listings: Savings = ((CHF 2,991 - CHF 299) / CHF 2,991) * 100 ≈ 90.00% (10x more expensive)

• 150 listings: Savings = ((CHF 13,755 - CHF 599) / CHF 13,755) * 100 ≈ 95.65% (22.96x more expensive)

Easy Plan:

• 10 listings: Savings = ((CHF 1,374 - CHF 149) / CHF 1,374) * 100 ≈ 89.16% (9.22x more expensive)

• 30 listings: Savings = ((CHF 3,474 - CHF 299) / CHF 3,474) * 100 ≈ 91.39% (11.62x more expensive)

• 150 listings: Savings = ((CHF 16,074 - CHF 599) / CHF 16,074) * 100 ≈ 96.27% (26.83x more expensive)

Classic Plan:

• 10 listings: Savings = ((CHF 1,002 - CHF 149) / CHF 1,002) * 100 ≈ 85.13% (6.72x more expensive)

• 30 listings: Savings = ((CHF 2,310 - CHF 299) / CHF 2,310) * 100 ≈ 87.06% (7.73x more expensive)

• 150 listings: Savings = ((CHF 10,158 - CHF 599) / CHF 10,158) * 100 ≈ 94.10% (16.96x more expensive)

Update: Price Increase Homegate/Immoscout24:

As of April 1, 2024, the Swiss Marketplace Group has drastically increased prices. Unfortunately, the prices are not published, but we know from conversations with various marketers where the average lies. The daily price is now around CHF 6.90, a doubling of the price. However, the price increase was not the same for everyone, with some being less and some more. This resulting lack of transparency is a significant problem for all market participants. Below is the new pricing based on the mentioned CHF 6.90 per day per listing.

New Price (Top Plan):

• 10 listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 6.9 * 10 * 30) = CHF 2,370 per month

• 30 listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 6.9 * 30 * 30) = CHF 6,510 per month

• 150 listings: CHF 300 + (CHF 6.9 * 150 * 30) = CHF 31,350 per month
   

New Price in % Comparison:

• 10 listings: Savings = ((CHF 2,370 - CHF 149) / CHF 2,370) * 100 ≈ 93.71% (15.91x more expensive)

• 30 listings: Savings = ((CHF 6,510 - CHF 299) / CHF 6,510) * 100 ≈ 95.41% (21.77x more expensive)

• 150 listings: Savings = ((CHF 31,350 - CHF 599) / CHF 31,350) * 100 ≈ 98.09% (52.34x more expensive)

With maison.work, you can save between 90% and 98% of your monthly advertising costs compared to Homegate, as shown in the three examples. The costs are over 15 times higher than ours and in extreme cases even 50 times higher.

It is astonishing to see that even if you choose the cheaper tariff on Homegate, the costs quickly rise once you add videos and documents to the listings. This shows that despite a lower entry price, the additional fees for advanced features can significantly increase the total cost, quickly negating the initial savings.

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What Does This Pricing Mean for Real Estate Marketers?

The cost calculation illustrates that maison.work, despite its new positioning in the market and possibly lower traffic compared to Homegate, offers a much more cost-effective platform for real estate listings. Although maison.work currently may not generate the same number of viewing requests or leads as the market leader Homegate, we are confident that we will reach a comparable number of leads in the near future. The remarkable thing about maison.work is that it offers these services at a fraction of the cost, and there is a possibility that the leads are of higher quality, as the platform is specifically focused on the office market and includes advanced features such as videos and documents in the listings at no extra cost by default. The significant savings that maison.work offers compared to Homegate range from 84.95% to 91.76% depending on the chosen plan, making it an attractive alternative for real estate marketers of all sizes. Even when opting for the cheaper tariffs from Homegate, costs can quickly increase if you want to add advanced features such as videos and documents to the listings, significantly increasing the total cost. In contrast, maison.work offers these features by default, making the platform not only cost-efficient but also value-oriented.

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Development Stage

Homegate: As a well-established platform, Homegate enjoys a broad user base and extensive recognition in the real estate market.

maison.work: Although maison.work is still in the early stages of its journey, we are actively working on building our audience and establishing a strong position in the market.

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Conclusion

Why maison.work stands out from Homegate for commercial spaces and offices

The real estate market, especially the commercial sector, operates differently than the residential real estate market. Leads in the commercial real estate sector are generally fewer but have a higher value, making it essential for platforms to offer a more focused and tailored approach to meet this segment’s needs. This is where maison.work shines with its unwavering dedication to the office market, positioning itself as a specialized platform.

A very compelling advantage of maison.work over Homegate is the significant cost-saving aspect. With maison.work, advertisers can save around 90% of their monthly marketing/advertising costs compared to Homegate’s Top Plan across various examples, as previously illustrated. This massive saving is not just a number but reflects maison.work’s understanding of the unique needs of the commercial real estate market and its commitment to value creation.

maison.work’s pricing structure is designed with the longer vacancy cycles and higher value per lead in the commercial real estate sector in mind. In contrast to Homegate, which focuses on a wide range of real estate needs, maison.work’s clear focus on the B2B marketplace ensures that the platform is finely tuned to meet the requirements of commercial real estate advertisers. This focus not only leads to cost savings but also potentially higher-quality leads, as the platform attracts serious players in the office rental sector.

Furthermore, the B2B marketplace requires a different set of features, support, and user experience, which maison.work has carefully developed. Unlike Homegate, which is more of a consumer product, maison.work’s B2B-centered approach ensures that both property managers and potential tenants have a seamless, efficient, and productive experience.

Essentially, the competitive pricing, innovative features, customer-centric approach, and clear focus on the B2B marketplace make maison.work a formidable and smart choice for those in the office rental sector. If you are looking to advertise commercial spaces, it is time to consider the tailored solutions and significant cost benefits that maison.work offers over traditional platforms like Homegate.