CRM & ERP
Odoo CRM for Real Estate in India: Setup Playbook for Brokers & Builders
Real-estate teams have unique CRM needs: site visits, channel partners, post-booking follow-ups. Here’s how to configure Odoo CRM for an Indian real-estate business in 4 weeks.
Indian real estate is the worst-fit industry for a generic CRM and the best-fit for Odoo done right. Site visits, channel partners, token amounts, post-booking follow-ups, RERA compliance, broker commissions - none of this maps cleanly to a standard sales pipeline. We’ve set up Odoo CRM for 4 real-estate businesses in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Here’s the playbook.
Why real estate needs a customised CRM
A typical software CRM treats a "deal" as a single linear pipeline: Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Won. Real estate has at least 11 meaningful stages, multi-stakeholder buyers, and a 6-18 month conversion cycle. Add Indian-specific layers - channel partners, token bookings, parking allocations, agreement-to-sale vs registration, and post-possession services - and a generic CRM falls apart in Month 2.
Odoo modules to enable
| Module | Why |
|---|---|
| CRM | Lead capture, site-visit scheduling, pipeline tracking |
| Sales | Token bookings, agreement-to-sale, payment schedules |
| Invoicing / Accounting | Milestone invoicing, GST e-invoicing, broker commissions |
| Project | Build vs handover tracking per unit |
| Document | RERA docs, ID proofs, agreements (Enterprise only - OCA alternative on Community) |
| Marketing Automation (Enterprise) | Drip campaigns post-site-visit, festival broadcasts |
| WhatsApp integration (custom) | Critical for Indian real estate; pairs with WhatsApp Business API |
Pipeline stages that actually work
- New Inquiry (source: 99acres, MagicBricks, Facebook, walk-in, channel partner, referral)
- Discovery Call - budget + timeline qualified
- Site Visit Scheduled
- Site Visit Done
- Negotiation - price + payment plan in discussion
- Token Booked
- Agreement-to-Sale Signed
- Registration Pending
- Registered & Handover Scheduled
- Possession Given
- Post-Possession Service
Each stage has a default duration. Leads stuck in any stage > 2x default auto-flag as "at risk" and create a task for the assigned RM.
Channel partner / broker workflow
Most Indian real-estate sales involve channel partners earning 1-2% commission. Configure Odoo’s Partner module with custom fields:
- Channel Partner type (independent broker, brokerage firm, online portal)
- Commission % (per project, can override per deal)
- RERA registration number (required for legal commission)
- GST number + PAN (for invoice generation)
- Commission status (pending, invoiced, paid)
Add an automation: when a deal moves to "Token Booked," generate a draft commission invoice. Pay only after registration to protect against deal cancellations.
RERA & basic Indian compliance
- RERA number on every brochure / proposal: store as a project-level field in Odoo and template every PDF with it
- Buyer KYC documents: Aadhaar masked, PAN, address proof - store in Documents (Enterprise) or a self-hosted module on Community
- Allotment letter, AS & final agreement: use Odoo Sign (Enterprise) or DocuSign integration
- GST invoicing: use l10n_in modules for e-invoice generation (mandatory above ₹5 cr turnover)
- Section 194-IA TDS: automate the 1% deduction calculation for transactions > ₹50L
4-week rollout plan we use
- Week 1: Discovery + map your existing process. Document every channel, every stage, every form field.
- Week 2: Configure CRM pipeline, partner types, channel partner module, document templates.
- Week 3: Migrate existing leads from Google Sheets / Tally / Excel. Train RMs & sales heads.
- Week 4: Parallel run with old system for 1 week, then full cutover. WhatsApp / call recording integration.
We’ve shipped this exact rollout for clients selling 10-200 units per project. Want the implementation checklist? Ping us - we’ll send the Notion template free. Related: main Odoo implementation guide, cost breakdown.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
- Yes - with a small customisation. The standard Partners module supports commission percentages and statuses, but you’ll want to add fields for RERA number, commission triggers (token vs registration), and TDS deductions. Most implementations take 4-7 days of custom work.
Further reading
Keep going deeper
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