Off-plan sales are a large part of the market in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A launch can bring dozens of enquiries in a weekend, and the details agreed at reservation — payment plan, completion date, unit — are what buyers will hold you to until handover. Spreadsheets struggle with both the speed and the detail.
What to record on every off-plan unit
| Field | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | As on the sales agreement | Buyers search by developer |
| Project and community | Tower name, master community | The two things buyers ask first |
| Payment plan | 60/40, 50/50, post-handover | Decides affordability |
| Completion date | Q4 2027 | Stored as a date so it can be filtered |
| % paid so far | 20% | Essential for off-plan resales |
| Asking price | AED 2,100,000 | Read “2.1M” and “AED 2,100,000” the same way |
| Advertising permit | Permit number | Needed before you advertise (details) |
Launch days
- Import the developer’s availability sheet as company inventory rather than retyping it (how).
- Import enquiries from the launch event as one file, with the event recorded as the lead source.
- Allocate leads before the weekend ends, and give every agent a follow-up list for Monday.
- Change unit status to Reserved the moment a booking is taken, so nobody offers it again.
From interest to a closed deal
Track each buyer’s interest in a specific unit as a deal: viewing, offer, won or lost. One buyer can have several deals — for example two units in the same tower — and each has its own offer amount. When a deal is won, record the agreed price and date. Keep the reason for every lost deal; over a few launches the reasons tell you more than any report.
Commission, before and after VAT
Record commission on each won deal, or let the agency’s default percentage apply. If your agency charges VAT on commission, reports should show the amount before and after VAT so sales managers and accounts are reading the same figure. Sale values and annual rents should always be reported separately.
Keeping buyers informed
Send each interested buyer a sales sheet with the payment plan and completion date taken from the listing record, so the brochure cannot drift from what was agreed. Follow up on a schedule — our lead management guide has a routine.
DocMak CRM records all of the above for off-plan, ready and rental listings and is free for up to 10 agents. Abu Dhabi teams should also read running an Abu Dhabi brokerage on a CRM.