An enquiry asks about the two bedroom units, the service charge, whether there is a management company, what the rental demand is locally and whether a discount applies on three.
The sales adviser replies with the show home opening times and an invitation to visit at the weekend.
Step 1: identify the enquiry type early
One question at the start about whether the purchase is to live in or to let. It changes everything about what information is useful.
Step 2: publish the commercial information
Service charges, ground rent where applicable, management arrangements, tenure, EPC ratings and what is included. Investors evaluate on these and owner-occupiers barely look at them.
Step 3: be careful with rental figures
Publishing achievable rents, or projected yields, is a claim about future performance. Pointing to what comparable local properties let for, from published sources, is safer and more credible than a projection.
Step 4: never give investment advice
Whether a purchase is a good investment, what returns to expect and how it compares to alternatives are matters for the investor and their own advisers.
Step 5: decide your position on bulk sales
Whether you sell multiple units to one buyer, at what discount and at what stage. Many developers do, quietly, and having a stated internal position prevents an improvised negotiation.
Step 6: consider the effect on owner-occupiers
A development perceived as mostly rented can affect owner-occupier demand and lender appetite. Managing the mix is a commercial decision that should be made deliberately.
Step 7: explain the tenancy position
Whether units can be let, whether any lease restriction applies, whether short-term letting is permitted and what the management company requires. Investors discover restrictions after exchange otherwise.
Step 8: publish the completion timeline honestly
Investors are arranging finance against a date, and a completion that slips by two months can expire a mortgage offer and unwind the purchase entirely.
Step 9: explain the lending position
Some lenders limit exposure within a single development or restrict certain unit types. Being upfront about anything known prevents a collapsed sale late in the process.
Step 10: capture the right details
Number of units, purchase timeframe, whether cash or financed, whether they have bought new build before and whether they need a management arrangement.
Step 10b: expect them to ask about the rest of the site
Investors want to know how many units are sold, how many remain and what proportion are already investor owned, because it affects both lender appetite and what the block will be like to let. Deciding what you will disclose, and answering consistently, is better than each adviser improvising a different figure.
Step 11: offer the management introduction
Investors buying remotely need letting and management. An introduction to a local agent is a service that helps the sale and costs nothing.
Step 12: schemes and incentives differ for investors
Many purchase schemes exclude them, as covered in help to buy and scheme questions on development sites, and specification questions still arrive constantly, as in new-build sales teams and repetitive spec questions.
Getting started
Publish service charges, tenure, management arrangements and letting restrictions, then identify and route investor enquiries at any hour. SpideyChat for property businesses answers from your published pages and never advises on investment, which is part of building trust with new shoppers through instant support. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.