Live on the App Store June 14, 2026
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Manifesto2026-05-20· 4 min read

Why we charge zero brokerage — and what that changes

Brokerage is the original tax on home-buying in India. Here's why PropertyBox refuses to charge it, and what that does to the buying experience.

R

Ravi Sankar

PropertyBox

Why we charge zero brokerage — and what that changes

Brokerage is the original tax on home-buying in India. Pay 1–2% of the property value to a person who, in many cases, only forwarded a WhatsApp message. We think that's broken.

The hidden cost of "free" listing sites

The big real-estate portals are "free" only on the surface. They sell your lead three times over, charge the agent for visibility, and the agent passes that cost back to you — at signing, in cash, off the books.

What zero brokerage actually means

  • You browse, chat, shortlist, and visit — at zero cost
  • The agent pays nothing for leads
  • We make money from premium tools for builders and analytics for agents

What it changes for buyers

You stop being a product. You start being a customer. The agent you talk to is the actual lister, not a five-times-removed re-seller. The price you negotiate is the price you pay.

That, in three words, is the whole point of PropertyBox.