House and land deal stages from EOI to handover, and what to chase.

The stages.

Every builder and estate runs a little differently, but most deals pass through these stages in this order.

1. Enquiry and first call. Find out what the buyer wants and whether they can buy.
2. EOI and holding deposit. The buyer picks a lot and pays a holding deposit to take it off the market.
3. Contracts signed. Usually a land contract and a build contract. A cooling off period applies, and the length depends on your state.
4. Finance approved. The buyer moves from pre-approval to formal approval before the finance date in the contract.
5. Land registered. In a new estate the titles may not be registered yet, and that can take months.
6. Land settles. Once titles register, the buyer pays the balance and owns the land.
7. Build starts. Plans, approvals and site works, then the builder starts on site.
8. Base or slab.
9. Frame.
10. Lock-up.
11. Fixing.
12. Practical completion and handover. The final inspection, the last payment and the keys.

What to chase at each stage.

• Holding deposit to contracts: chase signed contracts within days, while the buyer is keen.
• Finance: know the finance date and check in with the broker well before it. A missed finance date can put the whole deal at risk.
• Land registration: get title updates from the developer and pass them on, even when there's no news.
• Land settlement: confirm the date with the buyer's solicitor or conveyancer and the lender.
• Build stages: with a construction loan, the lender pays the builder as each stage is done, so the buyer and their broker need to know each stage date.
• Handover: give the buyer the date as early as the builder will commit to it.

Where deals slip.

• A finance date passes and nobody noticed.
• Titles take longer than expected, the buyer's pre-approval runs out, and the buyer goes cold.
• The build runs late and nobody tells the buyer why.
• A builder or solicitor email with a new date sits in someone's inbox.

None of these happen in one day. That's why a regular look at every deal, with the next date in front of you, catches most of them.

Keep it on one screen.

Whatever you use, a spreadsheet or a CRM, give every deal the same columns: buyer, lot, stage, next date, what happens on that date, who is chasing it and when the buyer last heard from you. Sort by the next date, and start each morning at the top.

For keeping buyers warm while titles register, see what to text a buyer who's gone quiet.

If you want this done for you.

Our deal tracker shows every deal from EOI to handover on one screen, with the deals that need you at the top and the dates coming up this week. It stays current from your inbox: builder, broker and solicitor emails suggest updates to the right deal, and you approve each one. See the deal tracker.