Apartments.com.au Acquisition Reshapes Property Listings

Urban.com.au has acquired the domain Apartments.com.au in a strategic move to increase brand recognition and challenge Australia's leading property listing platforms

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Pick & Scroll News
July 06, 2025

Urban.com.au has acquired the domain Apartments.com.au in a strategic move to increase brand recognition and challenge Australia's leading property listing platforms. This high-stakes investment aims to bring greater visibility to their offerings, but its success will depend on whether buyers seeking off-the-plan properties follow. As one of Australia’s top 10 domain transactions, the deal signals a fresh wave of competition in a real estate tech market now worth $31 billion.


Urban.com.au, run by Third Door Ventures, focuses solely on listing new developments and apartments. While still niche with about 2.5 million visits per year, the company is aiming for rapid growth by banking on a simpler, more memorable domain name. The founders, who previously established a marketing agency, have spent the past two years acquiring real estate tech platforms such as Homeshelf and iBuildNew.


The acquisition serves both as a growth tactic and a branding shortcut. Market leaders like REA Group attract more than 12 million monthly visits, and Urban.com.au has struggled with brand recall. Encouraging buyers to remember "Urban.com.au" required consistent marketing investment, something the more intuitive "Apartments.com.au" may reduce. Although the purchase price remains undisclosed, it is considered on par with domains like Bitcoin.com.au, which sold for $3 million.


The wider industry is also undergoing change. US-based CoStar is preparing to complete a $22.8 million acquisition of homes.com.au and owns the American Apartments.com domain. CoStar’s pending bid for Domain and other investments may lead to stronger competition with REA. Urban.com.au, however, has no plans to resell Apartments.com.au and is said to have targeted the domain well before CoStar’s interest in the Australian market emerged.


While major platforms are responding to pressure by cutting expenses, reducing staff and outsourcing roles, industry newcomers like Urban.com.au see a narrow opening. Even though this domain-led strategy is still in its early stages, moves like this may shift the balance in Australia's expansive real estate sector.