The plot list with three versions
The developer sends a price list. Your branch keeps a spreadsheet of plots, prices, incentives and status. The site sales office has its own copy. A negotiator reserves plot 23 on a Saturday. On Monday the developer's sales manager says plot 23 was held for a part-exchange buyer and the price changed last week. Now you have a buyer who has paid a reservation fee on a plot that was not available at that price.
Every developer update means someone retyping the list, and every mistake means an awkward phone call.
Why new homes sales get tangled
New homes work differently from resale. There are many plots at once, released in phases. Prices change and incentives vary by plot. Reservations have deadlines for the buyer to instruct a solicitor and exchange. The developer, their site team and your branch all need the same picture, but each keeps its own.
A shared spreadsheet looks like the answer and quickly becomes the problem, because nobody knows which edit is the latest or who made it.
| New homes detail | What goes wrong in a spreadsheet |
|---|---|
| Plot status | Two people reserve the same plot |
| Price and incentives | Out-of-date figures quoted to buyers |
| Reservation deadlines | Missed, because nobody tracks them |
| Buyer paperwork | Scattered across emails |
| Developer reporting | Built by hand each week |
What the mess costs
Double reservations and wrong prices damage your relationship with the developer, who may have other agents to choose from next phase. Buyers who were quoted the wrong incentive feel misled, even if it was an honest mistake. Missed reservation deadlines leave plots tied up with buyers who are not progressing, which costs the developer sales and costs you fees.
There is a buyer experience cost as well. New homes buyers are often first-time buyers or people with a part exchange in play, and they need clear, consistent information about what they are reserving. When the price, the incentive and the deadlines they were told do not match what the developer's paperwork says, the trust built at the show home disappears quickly.
The weekly report to the developer also takes a person half a day to assemble, and it still does not match the developer's own numbers.
The plot system we build
- Plot register: every plot on each development with its house type, current price, incentive rules and status, updated from the developer's price list by import rather than retyping.
- Holds and reservations: a plot can only be held or reserved by one buyer at a time. Holds expire automatically, and reserving checks that the price and incentives shown are current.
- Reservation form: the buyer completes a digital reservation form with the details your developer requires, and your process collects any fee through the payment method you choose, such as a link from Stripe.
- Deadline tracking: each reservation has the developer's deadlines for solicitor instruction, mortgage and exchange. Upcoming and missed deadlines are flagged.
- Developer reporting: the developer receives a regular report of availability, reservations and progress, generated from the same data, or a read-only view if they prefer.
- CRM link: reserved buyers are linked to applicant records, and exchanges trigger your normal fee process.
After the switch
One version of the plot list, updated once. Negotiators can see what is available and at what price with confidence. The developer's sales manager gets reports that match theirs. Reservations that are stalling are flagged early, so the plot can be released if the developer decides to.
When a new phase is released, the price list is imported and every plot is live in one step.
Signs this is your new homes desk
- Plot availability lives in a shared spreadsheet.
- You have had two buyers reserve the same plot, or a wrong price quoted.
- Reservation deadlines are tracked by memory.
- Weekly developer reports are assembled by hand.