Stacking plans: how to manage unit inventory, holds and bookings without double-selling

Every developer has a story about a unit sold twice. Two sales managers each promised the same corner flat on the 14th floor. A channel partner took a cheque for a unit that had been booked that morning. The buyer who loses out rarely comes back, and often tells others.

Double-selling is almost always an inventory problem. Status lives in a printed sheet, a WhatsApp group or an Excel file that three people edit. A stacking plan that is live and shared solves most of it. This article explains how to set one up and the rules that make it work.

01What a stacking plan is

A stacking plan shows a tower as a grid. Floors run top to bottom and unit positions run left to right. Each cell is a unit, coloured by status. A sales manager can see at a glance which flats are available on which floors, and a promoter can see which stacks and configurations are selling.

02Define statuses and who can change them

The rule that prevents most double-selling: a unit can move from available to on hold or booked only through the system, and only one buyer can hold it at a time. If two people try at once, the second sees that it is taken.

03Rules for holds

Holds are where inventory discipline breaks down. Reps hold good units 'for a client' and forget. Popular units sit idle for weeks while other buyers are told they are unavailable.

• Time limit. For example, 24 hours without a token and 72 hours with one.
• Named buyer. A hold must link to a lead with a phone number. No anonymous holds.
• Automatic expiry. When the time runs out, the unit returns to available and the rep and manager are notified.
• Extensions need approval. A manager can extend once. Beyond that, the sales head decides.
• Limits per rep. Cap active holds per person during a launch.

04Booking needs proof of payment

A unit should become booked only when the booking amount is received or a cheque is recorded with its details. Verbal confirmations should stay as holds. This keeps the booked count honest, which also matters for your quarterly RERA update on units booked.

05Channel partners and inventory

Brokers need to know what is available, and they need it fast. Sending them a PDF stacking plan each morning creates stale information by noon. Options that work better:

• Give partners view-only access to live availability, without prices if you prefer to share those separately.
• Let partners request a hold through the system, approved by your sales manager.
• Tie each hold to the partner's registered lead, so ownership and brokerage are clear.

06Pricing on the stacking plan

Each unit's price depends on base rate, floor rise, PLC and parking. If these are applied by hand, mistakes follow. Attach price rules to the tower and units so the stacking plan shows the computed price for each available unit.

This also makes price changes easier. When you raise the base rate by ₹200 per sq ft after the first 30% of a tower is sold, the change applies to every available unit at once, and booked units keep their agreed price.

07Launch day

Launches put the most pressure on inventory. Many buyers want the same units, often within minutes.

1. Freeze the price list and the blocked units the evening before.
2. Decide the allotment method: first-come, draw of lots among EOIs, or slots. Publish it.
3. Give every sales manager the same live view on a tablet or phone.
4. Allow holds only through the system, with short expiry (for example 30 minutes on launch day).
5. Collect booking amounts on the spot and mark units booked immediately.
6. Keep a person whose only job is to resolve conflicts.

LeadOne AI's stacking plan runs on every rep's phone and the web, with time-limited holds and an audit log of status changes.

08Reading the stacking plan for decisions

• Absorption by stack. If one stack sells much slower, look at its view, layout or price.
• Floor bands. If lower floors sell out first, floor rise may be too steep, or buyers are price-sensitive.
• Configuration mix. If 3 BHKs lag, consider a payment plan or a targeted campaign before cutting price.
• Holds that never convert. Patterns by rep or by unit tell you where the problem is.

09Blocked units and landowner shares

In joint development arrangements, a share of units belongs to the landowner. Management may also reserve units for later release or for pricing reasons. These units should appear on the stacking plan as blocked, with the reason recorded, so nobody quotes them by mistake.

• Only the sales head or promoter can block or release a unit.
• Record why each unit is blocked: landowner share, management reserve, legal hold, or pricing.
• If the landowner sells their units through your team, track them separately so brokerage and collections go to the right party.
• Review blocked units every month. Units blocked 'for now' can stay blocked for years.

10What to report every week