It's one thing to become successful property developers in Melbourne, and it’s another thing entirely to be able to sell your properties off the plan.
If done right, you’ll see your profit sooner than a normal sale which would require a campaign and auction. Yet we see many people rush this step, or do it half-baked, or otherwise not invest enough time, effort and money into their marketing.
Those that do it well have a proven set of strategies, which we'll detail in this useful article. So, read on to discover seven hot tips to market your residential property development off the plan.
Get a Professional Render Done
The first tip is to hire a crack-hot 3D render firm to develop a full render representation of your properties. Renders aren't cheap if they're done well. But the critical thing to know is that they help sell properties off the plan.
Buyers need to be able to visualise themselves in the property. Your render is your inspection. A great render set is the visual for your entire campaign. It will go in the brochure (more on that in a minute), on your website, on the real estate websites, and even our onsite on the hoarding.
Picture Perfect Brochures
Next, you want to take that gorgeous render and have a professional brochure designed. Engage a great graphic designer for this. You can find them on freelance pages or via design firms. Even ask your network, you never know who is or who knows a graphic designer.
Once you have your brochure design, get it printed on decent stock paper. Again, use a professional printing company for this. Avoid regular chain office stores as their quality is not up to scratch. As the saying goes, "you need to spend money to make money." A quality brochure is a non-negotiable.
If you think your real estate sales agent can develop a brochure for you, or if they offer, think again. Not to knock sales agents, they're great at what they do. But real estate agencies aren't graphic design firms or project marketers. Get a brilliant brochure developed. Remember, this will help buyers picture themselves in the property, and this is key for selling off the plan.
Inclusions Documentation
The next step in how to market side by side dual occupancy designs in Melbourne is about having comprehensive inclusions documentation. This is for your sales agent to use as a carrot when selling your properties. A great tip is to engage a professional interior designer to choose all the fixtures, fittings, and finishes for you. This should go without saying but having quality inclusions will give your buyers a sense of confidence in your project. Use well-known, high-grade brands.
Mood Boards and Trays
It's a good idea to appeal to your buyers' senses. Let them use their touch and feel by creating mood boards or mood trays. These are add-on marketing collateral for your sales agent to utilise to sell those properties off the plan like hotcakes. Remember, at every stage of this process, you want to position yourself as a professional developer operating at your peak.
Mood trays can include samples of your fixtures and fittings. This is so your buyers can hold them, feel them, and become attached to them - a classic sales tactic.
Take it to the Next Stage
One thing that not all residential property developers do, but which can elevate your efforts into the atmosphere is a live blog page. It's only for those with the ability to commit and decent resources and time allowances. Still, the ROI is enormous if you get it right.
A live blog becomes a central hub for your development. Agents can direct buyers to follow along with the progress of the project. You can add regular images and construction updates from the site as it grows. Put anything else you can think of to add value and give those buyers the utmost confidence in your approach.
Huge Banners on the Site
Another marketing tactic is to have huge, bold banners for all your development sites. Put it in the most visible location possible and then design a custom banner. That killer render you paid for can go on these banners.
Google Ads
The final tip is to consider a Google Adwords campaign. You can bid on some standard key terms that you think your buyers might be searching for. You can also bid on competitors' keywords if you know the players in your area.
A hot tip, though - have a dedicated landing page with a clear call to action like a number to call or a form to leave your target's contact details. Never just link to your websites home page.
Concluding
Here are seven hot tips to help you successfully sell your properties off the plan. Follow these carefully, and you'll be well on your way to success.
Author bio: To put it mildly, Peter Kelly is enthusiastic about real estate with 10+ years experience as a residential property developer in Melbourne, Australia. When he’s not looking at properties, or visiting potential sites, Peter can be found online searching realestate.com. For him, it’s more than a job – it’s an obsession. Peter is a co-founder at Little Fish, where he currently heads up the project management side of the business.
