Live unit availability: showing sold, reserved and available units

Live unit availability means buyers see, on each floor plate, which apartments are sold, which are reserved and which are still available, and that this matches what your sales team can actually offer. It sounds like an admin detail, but it changes how the project sells: buyers choose among units that really exist, agents stop explaining that "that one's gone," and the progress of the sale becomes something people can see.

What happens when availability is out of date?

Almost every developer and brokerage has been through it. A buyer sees a listing, falls for the sixth-floor unit facing the street, writes in, and hears that it's already reserved. "But we have a similar one on the second floor." The person deflates. What they chose no longer exists, and what they're offered feels like a consolation prize.

It gets worse when the information is scattered: a spreadsheet at the office, a color-coded PDF on the website that nobody has touched since launch, a listing on a property portal that still shows everything as available. Each channel says something different, and the buyer doesn't know which one to believe.

That has three real costs:

1. Inquiries about units you don't have. Agents spend time answering messages about sold units instead of talking to buyers they could close.
2. A frustrated buyer. Picking something and finding out it's gone makes a bad first impression of the whole project.
3. Lost trust. If the website says one thing and the agent says another, the buyer starts doubting everything else too.

What does the sale gain when the real status is visible?

Buyers choose among what's possible

When each floor plate shows what's available, reserved and sold, the buyer falls for a unit they can actually buy. The inquiry arrives about a specific unit, and that unit is open. See better-qualified inquiries.

Progress is visible

A building with half its units marked as sold says something no sales copy can: other people have already trusted this project. For a hesitant buyer, seeing that the development is moving is a strong argument. And it's an honest one, because it's real.

The urgency is genuine

When there are two units left of the type they want, the buyer sees it for themselves. Nobody has to say "these are going fast." It's right there. That kind of urgency works better than any sales line precisely because it isn't a line.

Agents can steer better

With every unit's status in view, the agent can guide: "The two-bedroom facing the street you liked just got reserved, but look at this one at the back on the ninth floor. Same layout, and a lot quieter." The alternative gets offered by showing, not by explaining. For the units that take longer to move, there are ideas in selling rear-facing and low-floor units.

How does it look in a building view?

In a building view, availability isn't a separate list. It's built into the way buyers explore the project. They see the building on its real block, tap a floor, get the floor plate with each unit and its status, and if they pick an available one, they step inside and walk through it.

That's how the Maconda XXIV building demo works, an unofficial working demo based on a 12-story building in Quilmes, near Buenos Aires, marketed by Otamendi Propiedades. Availability is part of the tour, not an appendix you have to go looking for. More on this way of showing inventory in interactive unit selector and availability map.

How do you keep it current?

The hard part isn't showing availability on launch day. It's keeping it true three months later. It works like this: the developer or the brokerage lets me know which units were reserved or sold, and the view gets updated. What buyers see matches what the team can offer.

To keep that from slipping, sort out a few things on the sales side:

• One person in charge of reporting changes. When everyone's responsible, nobody is.
• A fixed time to check. For example, at the end of each week, compare the internal spreadsheet with what's showing on the website.
• A clear rule for "reserved." Decide when a unit goes from available to reserved, and when it goes back if the reservation falls through.
• One link for every channel. The website, the portal listing and the WhatsApp reply should all lead to the same view, so there are no competing versions floating around.

Should you show sold units or hide them?

Some developers prefer to show only what's available, so buyers don't see gaps. That's a valid call, but you give something up: visible proof that the project is selling.

Showing sold and reserved units, in clear colors, usually works in your favor. Buyers understand there's demand, see which unit types are moving and calibrate their own decision. If there's little left of what they want, they decide sooner. If there's plenty, they feel they have room to choose.

What you shouldn't do is show everything as available when it isn't. That shortcut catches up with you on the very first inquiry.

And in the first weeks, when nothing's sold yet?

At the start of a pre-construction launch, every floor plate shows all units open, and that says something too: early buyers get the pick of the building. That's the moment to push the advantage of getting in first, with the best unit on whichever floor they prefer. As sales move, the same view starts telling a different story, without anyone having to redo the material. To get that first stage ready, see the project launch checklist.

I work remotely from Buenos Aires, Argentina (UTC−3), and availability updates are handled by message: you tell me what changed and the link everyone already has shows it. If you have a building on the market and want buyers to see what's open on every floor and walk through the unit they pick, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com and we'll look at it with your plans. I answer in English and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

How does unit availability get updated?

The developer or the brokerage reports which units were reserved or sold, and the view is updated. That way what buyers see matches what the sales team can offer.

Can I show only the available units?

Yes, it's a sales decision. Even so, showing sold and reserved units usually helps, because it shows the project is moving and that other buyers have already trusted it.

Can buyers see availability on their phone?

Yes. They open the link in their phone's browser, tap a floor, see the floor plate with each unit's status and step into the one they choose, with nothing to install.

Does this work for houses or lots, not just buildings?

The sales logic is the same: buyers should see what's available, reserved or sold before they reach out. How to show it across a gated neighborhood or a subdivision is best worked out case by case. See 3D walkthroughs for gated communities and subdivisions.