Real estate agencies in Brazil: who answers WhatsApp after hours?
An assistant on the agency's own WhatsApp number answers a client when nobody on the team does: outside office hours, and during them when no agent has replied within 4 minutes. It asks whether they want to buy or rent, the neighborhood and the budget, offers a viewing time with an agent and sends the agent a note with what the client is looking for.
It never states that a property exists, is available or has a price: that, negotiation, documents and the contract stay with the agent. When an agent answers the client from the app, the assistant stops answering that client for 12 hours. The number, the Meta account and the conversations stay the agency's.
How it works here
It starts in after-hours mode
Outside office hours the assistant answers at once. During them it waits 4 minutes and answers only if no agent has. When the agency asks, it answers every client.
On the number already in the ads
Through Meta's official Cloud API, on the agency's number: the one behind the WhatsApp button in its Instagram and Facebook ads, on the portals and on its website. We first check the number can be connected without interrupting today's service.
Three questions, the same for everyone
Buy or rent, neighborhood and budget. The agent gets the client with those already answered.
The viewing stays with the agent
The assistant offers a time within each agent's viewing hours; the agent confirms with the client.
The note goes where it is needed
Each client who books a viewing, asks for a person or says what they want becomes a note by email to the agency and the agent, and the contact goes to the CRM when the CRM accepts it.
What we measured here
Our own desk count, without contacting anyone: the websites of 40 agencies in the Recife area, read on 30 September 2026, and the active ads of agencies in the same area in Meta's Ad Library, read on 4 October 2026. No agency is named, and a website cannot show who really answers its WhatsApp.
- 21 of 40 offer WhatsApp with no assistant in sight
- Counting every agency on Kenlo as covered. Kenlo was the most common system (14 of 40 sites), but only 4 of those sites showed its assistant.
- 52 agencies with an active ad
- We read 202 active ads in the area by hand and found 52 real estate advertisers. On an ad with the WhatsApp button, a click lands straight in WhatsApp; if nobody answers at night, that enquiry waits until the next day.
What it costs to run here
Meta charges per delivered message, and since July 2026 businesses in Brazil can be billed in reais. Messages prospects send are free. The model that writes the replies is billed separately by its provider.
| Item | List price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reply inside the 24-hour window (service message), prospect in Brazil | US$0.0068 per delivered message from 1 Oct 2026, after the first 1,000 a month on each WhatsApp number, which are free | Meta for Developers, WhatsApp rate card in USD effective 1 Oct 2026 (Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform)Read on Oct 1, 2026 |
| Viewing confirmation or reminder (utility message), prospect in Brazil | US$0.0068 per delivered message | Meta for Developers, WhatsApp rate card in USD effective 1 Oct 2026 (Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform)Read on Oct 1, 2026 |
| Marketing message, prospect in Brazil | US$0.0625 per delivered message | Meta for Developers, WhatsApp rate card in USD effective 1 Oct 2026 (Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform)Read on Oct 1, 2026 |
| Messages within 72 hours of a click-to-WhatsApp ad | Free (the free entry point window) | Meta for Developers, Upcoming pricing updates for Meta Business Agent, service and utility messagesRead on Sep 28, 2026 |
Third-party list prices, read on the date shown. They are not Betterlane prices.
When it is not worth it
- If your agents already answer every enquiry within minutes, including nights and weekends, the gain is small.
- If the agency runs Kenlo's LYA and it already answers after hours, you may not need another assistant. Compare first: Betterlane vs Kenlo's LYA.
Questions
Does the assistant say whether a property is available or what it costs?
No. It does not confirm a property, its availability or its price. It asks what the client wants and passes them to the agent, who answers with the right information.
What if the agency uses Kenlo?
If LYA is switched on and answering, compare before adding another assistant. If not, the assistant works on the agency's WhatsApp alongside Kenlo, and each client's note arrives by email.
Can it use the number already in the ads?
In most cases yes, through Meta's Cloud API. We first check the number can be connected without interrupting today's service.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
It is live within a week of receiving access to the agency's WhatsApp Business. The price is given on the call and agreed in writing before we start.
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