A property developer in Houston sells homes before they exist. Buyers looking at a new townhome project in the Heights, a build-to-order community out toward Katy or Cypress, or condos near the Medical Center have to trust the developer for months between contract and closing. Many of them are relocating from Chicago, California or overseas and have never driven past your sales office. Their trust starts online: the community name, the builder's track record, reviews, completed projects. So when an agency asks you to commit to twelve months of visibility work, you are committing more than a budget. You are handing over the first impression behind every sale.
Here are the questions to ask before you sign, and how to read the answers.
Why a 12-month contract deserves scrutiny
A one-year commitment is standard for visibility work: results build gradually and then accelerate. We explain why in why visibility work runs on a 12-month commitment. But a long commitment is only acceptable with clear guarantees, measurement you control and regular decision points. For a developer whose projects run on their own sales calendar, those safeguards matter twice as much.
Questions about results
What exactly do you guarantee?
Reassuring: the agency commits to what it controls, meaning what goes live and by when, with a specific remedy if it misses that schedule. Worrying: a promise of the top spot on Google, a set number of buyers or a fixed timeline. Nobody controls what Google or an AI assistant decides, and anyone who claims otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver.
How will I know what was done and what it produced?
Reassuring: a dated report at regular intervals, plus results you follow in your own tools, including a Search Console account in your company's name. Worrying: a proprietary dashboard you can only see through the agency, or monthly reports full of activity and short on dates.
What happens at three months if the trajectory is wrong?
Reassuring: a measured review written into the contract, with an honest read of what is moving and what is stuck. Worrying: a vague “these things take time” with no checkpoint in between.
Questions about your market and your competitors
How many developers do you work with in Houston?
This is the question most owners forget. For any given search, such as new construction homes in a particular suburb, only a few positions really count. An agency working for every builder in the metro cannot honestly fight for the same positions on behalf of all of them. Reassuring: a written cap on clients per sector and per area, or even an exclusivity option. Worrying: a vague answer, or a client list that reads like your competitor roster.
How will you speak to out-of-state and international buyers?
Relocating families and investors decide at a distance. They want proof: delivered communities, construction updates, warranty terms, clear answers about HOA and amenities. Reassuring: the agency understands that journey and talks about it in specifics. Worrying: the conversation never moves beyond impressions and follower counts.
Questions about the contract itself
- What is the all-in cost for twelve months, setup included? You should get one figure, in writing. If the total only becomes clear as add-ons appear, be cautious.
- What happens if you miss a delivery date? A specific written remedy is worth more than an apology.
- Who owns the website and the content at the end? Get the answer before you sign, not on the day you want to switch providers.
- Who is my contact and how fast do they respond? During a launch or a pre-sale phase, a reply that takes several days is not good enough.
For a broader checklist that applies to any small business, see questions to ask before signing a 12-month visibility contract.
How Traffic Engine answers these questions
Traffic Engine makes your development company visible when buyers search for new homes or upcoming communities in the Houston area, on Google and in the answers of AI assistants. Here are our answers, plainly.
Everything your plan includes goes live on schedule, or the following month is free. You get a dated report every week and follow results in your own Search Console, with a measured review at three months. Kolonell guarantees delivery and measurement, not what Google or an AI assistant decides. Each sector is capped at 3 standard seats per area, and the Momentum Exclusive and Flood Exclusive plans lock property development in your area for the full commitment, provided no standard seat has been signed yet.
Pricing is all on the page. The Visibility Audit is $750, deducted from the $1,650 setup if you start within 30 days. Monthly plans run from $1,200 to $6,450 depending on pace and exclusivity. On Momentum, year one comes to $26,850 including setup. You get a reply within 24 business hours. See the full offer and seat availability for property developers in Houston.
How to prepare for the meeting
Print these questions and ask every agency you meet the same ones, in the same order. Write the answers down word for word and compare them a day later with a cool head. A good partner will have no trouble putting every answer in writing. To widen the comparison, our guide on how to choose a visibility partner gives you a full decision grid. And if you want to know where you stand first, the free website score sits at the top of the Traffic Engine page.