How much does a rendering cost, and how to see it as a sales investment

What an architectural rendering costs depends on the project: how many views, how complex it is, the surroundings, the furnishing, and whether you add video or a walkthrough. That's why there's no price list and it's quoted per project. But for someone selling property, the more useful question isn't how much it costs. It's how much it costs not to have it.

Why isn't there a fixed price per rendering?

Because "a rendering" isn't a unit of measure. A facade view of a house on an open street and a view of a living room with high-end finishes, a river view and full furniture are very different jobs, even though both end up as one image.

On top of that, people almost never order a single image. They order material to market a project: the facade, a few interiors, the amenities, maybe a launch video. The price makes sense when you look at that whole package, not image by image.

What drives the price?

These are the factors that move a quote the most:

1. Number of views. How many different images you need. It's the most direct factor.
2. Size and complexity of the project. A single-story house isn't the same as a building with amenities, and a simple facade isn't the same as a detailed one.
3. Surroundings. Showing the building on its real block, with the neighboring buildings, adds work, but it also adds credibility, because buyers recognize the place.
4. Interiors and furnishing. Every room furnished with the project's finishes is a job in itself. See interior renderings and virtual staging.
5. Number of unit types. In a building, what sets the cost of the interiors is how many floor plans there are, not how many units.
6. Format. Still images, video or an interactive walkthrough cover different ground. See architectural video.
7. How settled the project is. If the plans and finishes are locked, the work flows. If the project is still changing, you need to plan for rounds of revisions.
8. Deadline. A launch with a fixed date and little room may mean the work has to be prioritized.

How do you see it as an investment instead of an expense?

Here's the reasoning worth doing before you compare quotes. A project carries a cost for every month a unit stays unsold: money tied up, construction financing that isn't coming in from sales, HOA fees and upkeep if the building is finished, and pressure to cut the price to move inventory.

Against that, sales material is a one-time cost that works on every unit at once. Run the numbers with your own figures:

• What is one unit in your project worth? The cost of the material is usually a small fraction of that, spread over every unit in the project.
• What does one month of an unsold unit cost you? If the material shortens the decision of even one buyer, it's already working.
• What is one point of discount worth? When the buyer sees the product and understands why it's worth what it costs, your agent negotiates from a different position. Holding the price on a single unit can cover a good part of the investment. More on this in holding the price per square foot and raising the average ticket.

The material doesn't have to "sell by itself" to make sense. It's enough that it speeds up some decisions, prevents some discounts and filters out some pointless showings. See how to sell a pre-sale faster.

Do I have to pay for a rendering of every apartment in the building?

No. Units of the same type repeat on different floors, and one walkthrough or one set of interiors per unit type covers every floor where it repeats. A 40-unit building with 3 floor plans needs 3 walkthroughs, not 40.

That changes the math: the bigger the project, the lower the cost of the material per unit sold. And if you add a building view with an interactive unit selector, every available unit is one tap away from its walkthrough. You can see it in the Maconda XXIV demo, an unofficial working demo based on that building in Quilmes, near Buenos Aires.

Stills, video or a walkthrough: what's worth paying for?

It depends on where you're selling and to whom:

• Still images. The foundation of any project: listing sites, social media, the site sign, the brochure. If the budget is tight, start here.
• Video. Adds impact at launch and on social media, and lifts the brand's image.
• Interactive walkthrough. Pays off most when buyers decide from a distance, when there are a lot of units to organize, or when your sales team needs a closing tool. For houses, the Americana 35.64 house demo, based on a Viviendas Roca model, shows how it's explored by scrolling on a phone.

Plenty of projects start with images for the pre-sale and add the walkthrough once sales pick up. I compare the formats in photorealistic images or an interactive walkthrough.

How do you ask for an accurate quote?

The more information you send up front, the more accurate the quote and the fewer surprises later:

• The project plans, even if they're preliminary.
• The finishes, or at least the project's price segment.
• Which views you have in mind and where you'll use them.
• The number of unit types, if it's a building.
• The launch date or the start of the pre-sale.

I cover all of it in what to send to get started and what you get back.

What should you look at when comparing quotes?

Price per image is misleading. Compare what each proposal includes: how many rounds of revisions, which formats you get, whether the surroundings are generic or real, and whether the material can be reused on your website, social media and listing sites. Above all, look at past work. Material that doesn't look believable saves you nothing, because it doesn't sell. More in how to choose a rendering studio.

If you'd like a quote for your project, send me whatever you have on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com. I work remotely from Buenos Aires, answer in English or Spanish, and I'll send you a proposal built around your project.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an architectural rendering cost?

There's no fixed price. It depends on the number of views, the complexity, the surroundings, the furnishing and the format. It's quoted per project, based on the plans and what you need to communicate.

Is an interior rendering more expensive than an exterior?

It depends. A furnished interior with lots of finishes can take as much work as a facade with its surroundings. What matters most is how complex each view is, not whether it's inside or outside.

Do I have to pay for a walkthrough of every apartment?

No. You get one per unit type, and it works for every floor where that type repeats. A building with 3 floor plans needs 3 walkthroughs, even with 40 units.

Are revisions included in the price?

Usually a set number of revision rounds is agreed on in advance. Later changes to the project itself, like modifying a floor plan or a finish that was already approved, are quoted separately.