You type the name of your neighbourhood plus "apartments for sale" into Google. The agency on the corner is first. The next three results are also them, on different pages. You are on page three, under the name of your own agency. This happens for one reason and it is not the quality of your website.
They have been on the same domain for years
A domain accumulates authority. Eight years with the same URL and consistent content weighs more than any launch. If you just migrated or changed names, you reset part of that history. Patience plus continuity closes the gap, not a redesign.
Each listing has its own page with real text
Their listings are not iframes from a portal. Each one has a URL, a paragraph of description written for that property, local photos, and context about the neighbourhood. 400 listings = 400 pages that rank for 400 specific searches. Yours is one page that links to a portal.
They have a verified Google Business profile
With their address, hours, 120 reviews, photos of closed deals and real estate news posted every two weeks. For local real estate search, that profile matters as much as the website. Yours is empty or has no reviews.
Other sites cite them
The local newspaper quoted them twice last year, two architecture blogs link to their listings, the chamber of commerce mentions them. Every link is a vote. You have no votes because nobody has mentioned you yet. That is earned, not bought.
What you can start today
Claim and complete your Google Business profile this week. Publish each new listing as its own page on your own domain with its own description. Ask every closed client for a Google review. In three to six months you move up — your more modern website on top of all of this will convert even better than theirs.