Real estate / developer

«They view the apartment — but never sign»

The developer thought it was about price and installment plans. Interviews revealed the real barrier — fear the building won't be finished, and distrust of the developer itself.

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1Company & symptom

Company
A developer selling apartments at the foundation-pit stage. Good location and price, plenty of viewings, but deals drag on for months.
Symptom
Interest is high, but very few reach a contract. Managers blamed "too expensive" and asked for more discounts and installment plans.
False hypothesis
"We need a better price and more flexible installments." That's what the managers believed.

2Research design

Goal
Understand what actually stops people from committing to buy a property under construction.
Who we invited
20 people who attended a viewing or consultation but never closed a deal.
Format
A 15-minute voice interview, link sent after the visit.

3Script

Full set of questions

  1. What actually triggered the apartment search right now?
  2. What did you imagine the ideal option to be before you started looking?
  3. Why did you even consider a new building still under construction?
  4. What did you like about our property when you viewed it?
  5. What caused the biggest doubts or fear?
  6. What were you thinking about at night after the viewing?
  7. Who did you consult, and what did your loved ones say?
  8. What would have had to happen for you to sign the contract?
  9. If you chose a different option — what felt calmer there?

AI doesn't read this out as a list. It follows the questions and, after every answer, asks a live follow-up until it gets to the real point. Here's how it sounds.

4Live conversation

Interview excerpt

AI
You liked the property, but it never got to a contract. What stopped you?
Respondent
Honestly — it's scary to give money for something that doesn't exist yet. What if construction gets frozen.
AI
What would help reduce that fear?
Respondent
Seeing that you've already finished something. Real completed buildings, not renders.
AI
Did they show you past projects?
Respondent
They showed nice pictures of the future. What was already delivered — only in passing.
AI
Did they talk about escrow, guarantees?
Respondent
The manager immediately started on the discount. But I didn't need a discount — I needed confidence it would get finished.

5Interview analysis

sonarum combines 20 conversations into one report: which themes come up most often, live quotes, and conclusions.

How often the theme came up

Main fear — unfinished building and frozen construction85%
Need proof: completed buildings, not renders70%
Don't trust the developer as a stranger60%
A discount doesn't remove the fear, yet managers pushed on price55%
It's a family decision, made with loved ones50%
«I didn't need a discount — I needed confidence it would get finished.»
«Show me what's delivered, not pictures of the future.»
«Giving money for something that doesn't exist yet — that's what's scary.»

Key conclusions

  • The main barrier was fear of an unfinished building and distrust of the developer, not price. Discounts didn't bring people closer to a decision.
  • They sold the future — with renders — while buyers looked for proof of the past: completed buildings, escrow, deadlines met.
  • Pushing on price only increased anxiety instead of relieving it.

6Solution & result

Change the sales script: lead with proof of reliability — a portfolio of completed buildings, escrow accounts, deadlines met, a trip to a finished property. Price comes later. Rewrite the managers' script from "discount" to "confidence".

Before → after

Viewing → contract
8%
15%
Time to decision
3.5 months
1.8 months
Deals without an extra discount
rare
most common

They stopped pushing on price and started relieving the fear of an unfinished building with proof — nearly doubling conversion and halving the deal cycle. And they started giving fewer discounts.

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