Would You Launch This Development Before The Show Home Opens?

The brick elevations are signed off. The show home is still weeks away, and the sales agent wants to start taking enquiries. I’d look at what the team can tell a buyer today. With one approved exterior and a named contact, you might be ready for a first look. A plot release asks more of the plans, the specification and the people answering questions.

View along the shared court from the first semis to two detached homes

Check what sells before completion in your market

In 2025, Hamptons recorded 29% of new semi-detached homes and 21% of new detached houses in England and Wales selling before completion. If you’re launching a small scheme of houses, ask your agent for recent local examples of similar homes that sold before and after they were built. A national figure gives you context for that conversation.

Bar chart of 2025 off-plan new home sales by property type in England and Wales

Across all new homes sold, the off-plan share was 33% in 2025, down from 36% in 2024 in the same Hamptons release. That measures sales before construction was complete. To decide whether to bring your campaign forward, ask what local buyers were able to see when they enquired and what information helped them choose a plot.

Line graph of new homes sold off-plan in England and Wales in selected years

Start with a first look

Imagine a fictional six-home scheme on a village edge. There are four brick semis around a shared court and two detached homes at the back. The exterior CGI shows the entrance and the first pair of semis. The kitchen finishes are still being agreed.

Front elevation of two brick semis with recessed sage doors

Recessed sage front door with a brick surround and stone threshold

I’d put the approved CGI on a short project page, identify it as a proposed view and invite buyers to register for release updates. Give them one contact and tell them what they’ll hear about next. If an image includes landscaping or finishes that are still undecided, ask for a corrected view or leave that image out of the release.

Hedged village lane curving past a cottage and flint wall

Side parking beside the brick gable at the court entrance

Open enquiries on the plots you can explain

Once the first two plots are cleared for release, give each its own page. Put the site plan and floor plan next to a view of the home, then check the picture against the latest plot specification. Two semis can share a house type and still differ in garden orientation, parking or how the plan is handed.

Site illustration with six homes around a gravel court

Plot 1 garden with sage doors opening to the ash kitchen

Mirrored ground floor plans for the first pair of semis

Here, Plot 1 has side parking and Plot 2 has a space across the court. Show that difference where the buyer compares the homes. In the kitchen views below, the plain grey laminate is standard and the veined quartz is an optional upgrade. Put that distinction beside the image on the plot page.

Plot 2 parking bay across the gravel court from the front door

Ash kitchen with a plain grey laminate island worktop

Optional veined quartz worktop on the same ash kitchen island

Have the sales lead check what buyers need to see at this stage, including the price, tenure, relevant charges and expected completion timing. Give the agent the same dated pack as the website and ask them to answer a test enquiry for each plot. Use enquire about Plot 1 or enquire about Plot 2 once someone can respond with those details. Check the code that applies to your scheme before taking reservations.

Printed semi detached elevation and material samples on a sales table

Hold back the views that would create the wrong expectation

On this scheme, the boundary treatment behind the detached homes is still being agreed. I’d leave those garden views out and mark the two homes as a later release. If the uncertainty affects the only image you can show, or nobody is ready to handle the enquiries, wait for the missing information or handover.

Two detached brick houses at the far end of the court

Sage window and pale stone sill set into red brick

Make the release decision

Before you brief the agent, record four things.

The action buyers can take. Register for scheme updates or enquire about a named plot.
The material that supports it. List the current views, plans and specifications, including their revision dates and which plots they apply to.
What still needs agreement. Name the view, finish or plot you’re holding and who can clear it.
Who owns the handover. Name the person who approves the page and the person who answers enquiries. Test the form and check that the agent has the same pack.

Person walking from the sage front door into the shared court

For this scheme, I’d share the first look now and open plot enquiries for the first pair once their packs match. The show-home opening gives the sales team a second occasion to get back in touch, this time with somewhere to invite buyers.