In this guide 6 sections
A plotted venture usually loses money in five places. They are double-held plots, instalments chased from memory, overlapping broker claims, unbudgeted layout works and buyer files that stall registration. Each leak shows once plots, bookings, payments and contractor bills sit on one record per venture. GullySystem’s real estate CRM holds the plot and booking side.
Plots held for two buyers
Most ventures track plot status on a printed layout sheet or in one person’s spreadsheet. When two salespeople work the same weekend, both can promise the same corner plot. The second buyer is then offered a different plot, often at a different rate.
The cost is not only the lost sale. Discounts given to settle the mix-up are rarely written down. Ask how many plots changed hands between hold and booking in the last phase. If nobody can answer, the status sheet is the first leak.
- Plot number, size, facing and rate on one list
- Status read as available, held or booked
- An expiry date on every hold
- The salesperson and date behind each hold
Instalments followed from memory
Plot buyers often pay a token, then the balance in two or three parts before the sale deed is registered. When dues are kept in a diary, follow-up depends on who remembers. Overdue buyers surface only when registration is near.
A simple test helps. List every booking with its next due date and the amount pending. Sort it by days overdue. The length of that list, and the hours it took to make, show the size of this leak.
Broker claims that overlap
Brokers bring many of the weekend visitors to a layout. When two brokers claim the same buyer, the office settles it by phone and sometimes pays both or splits the commission. Without a time-stamped registration, there is nothing to point to.
Record each broker registration with the buyer’s phone number and the time it was entered. Note who came along on the site visit. The commission rule stays yours. The record simply shows who came first.
Layout works with no budget beside them
Roads, storm water drains, water lines, electrical poles and the compound wall usually go to contractors on work orders. Their bills reach accounts, while plot receipts stay with sales. The two meet only when the venture closes.
Give each layout work a budget and a stage. Record running bills against the stage as they arrive. Then read plot receipts and layout spend side by side every month, phase by phase.
- A work order per contractor and stage
- Running bills against measured work
- Spend to date against the budget
- Receipts and spend read together by phase
Buyer files that stall registration
Registration needs the sale agreement, ID copies, payment proofs and, where a loan is involved, the bank’s papers. When these sit in different folders, one missing page moves the date. A late registration delays the final payment too.
Keep a checklist of papers on each booking and tick what has arrived. Approval references and survey numbers belong on the venture record. Whether a document meets a legal requirement is a question for your lawyer.
Venture leak check sheet
A single page with five rows: plot holds, instalments, broker claims, layout spend and buyer papers. For each row, note where the record lives today and who updates it. Rows with no clear owner are the leaks to fix first.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Is a spreadsheet enough for a small layout?
Often, yes. A single venture with a few dozen plots and one salesperson can run on a shared sheet. The leaks grow with more phases, more brokers and more people placing holds.
Can software tell us whether our layout approval is valid?
No. Software records the approval reference and the documents you enter. Checking approvals and land titles stays with your surveyor and your lawyer.
What should be set up first?
The plot list for the phase on sale, with status, rate and holds. Bookings and payment schedules come next. Brokers and layout works follow.