The smart sell

Homes are no longer selling like hot cakes, so surely more attention should be given to marketing strategies? Such is the view of residential market consultants. However, up until now, only a very few developers have been using non-standard techniques in the competition for buyers “Nothing lasts for ever” sang Echo and the Bunnymen some years back. Were they thinking of the Polish housing boom? Maybe. The astonishing state of the market in Poland’s largest city last year, came first as a shock to developers, before eventually making them lazy. The hunger for homes is still huge, said to exceed one million; but on the other hand, it has encouraged developers, including first-time operators, to begin new investments – which means the supply of homes is gradually, albeit slowly, rising. The number of licences issued to build homes in Warsaw rose by 50 pct in the first months of the year, with the number of starts increasing by more than 60 pct, according to the Cen