A developer launches a new block of 120 apartments. The marketing campaign goes live on a Thursday. By Saturday, over 600 enquiries have arrived: from local buyers, investors abroad and agents representing clients. Many arrive at night. The sales office opens on Monday to a backlog that takes a week to clear, by which time some of the most serious buyers have reserved elsewhere.
Off-plan sales enquiries arrive in waves, and the waves come when sales teams are least able to respond. Developers who answer quickly, at any hour, capture more of the early demand that drives a successful launch.
What off-plan buyers want to know
- Which units are available, and at what prices?
- What is the specification and finish?
- When is completion expected?
- What is the deposit and payment structure?
- Are there incentives for early reservations?
- What are the service charges and ground rent?
- Can overseas investors buy, and is there a letting service?
Why launches overwhelm sales teams
Launch marketing is designed to create demand quickly. It succeeds, and the enquiries arrive faster than any sales team can answer. Buyers who wait days for a reply cool off, especially investors comparing several developments.
Some of those buyers are also enquiring through portals and agents, so the source of the lead matters, as explored in why portal leads and website leads need different replies.
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Answering from published information
Most launch questions can be answered from your development pages, brochure and price list:
Visitor: What's the deposit for a two-bed, and when is completion? Assistant: Two-bed apartments require a 10% deposit on exchange, with the balance due on completion, which is currently estimated for the third quarter of next year. The price list and specification are on the development page. Would you like the sales team to contact you about available units?
SpideyChat for real estate answers from your published information at any hour and captures buyers for the sales team.
Care with dates and incentives
Completion dates move and incentives expire. Only publish what is current, update it promptly, and never let an assistant promise anything beyond what is published. Commitments belong with the sales team.
Qualifying buyers during the rush
With hundreds of enquiries, qualification helps sales teams focus. A few questions after answering the buyer's query: budget, whether they are buying to live in or invest, how they will fund the purchase, and their timeline. Handle budget questions gently, as covered in qualifying by budget without being pushy.
Repeat specification questions
Specification questions repeat endlessly on every development. The approach in new build sales teams and repetitive spec questions applies directly: publish the answers once, and let them be given instantly.
Different buyers need different answers
Owner-occupiers and investors ask different questions. Investors care about rental yield and letting services; owner-occupiers care about schools and finishes. Tailoring answers is a principle shared across industries, as seen in gift buyers need different answers than everyday shoppers.
Agents and introducers
Launches also attract enquiries from agents representing buyers and from introducers wanting commission terms. These are a different conversation and should go to whoever handles agent relationships. A simple sorting question early on, asking whether the person is buying for themselves or on behalf of clients, keeps them out of the buyer queue.
Before your next launch
Prepare a launch information pack with prices, specification, timelines and payment structure, and publish it on the development page before marketing goes live. Then test how an assistant answers launch questions, or read about lead capture.