SET-listed developer Sansiri may again revise its presales target upwards for low-rise houses, as it expects aggressive sales promotions and hygienic home features to encourage new bookings.
Arnut Kittikulmetee, executive vice-president for low-rise project development, said the company recorded good presales in the second quarter despite the coronavirus outbreak.
"We just revised up our presales target for low-rise houses from 15.2 billion baht announced in March to 17.4 billion baht at present," he said. "We will monitor the sales situation in the third quarter before revising up again."
From Jan 1 to last week, Sansiri posted 11.66 billion baht in presales of low-rise houses. Total presales in the period, also including condos, totalled 22 billion baht, while the first-half target was 23 billion baht.
One of the key drivers is sales promotions, under which Sansiri is offering payment in instalments for up to 24 months. The campaign started early last month and will run until June 30.
As the virus prompted new ways of life with necessary practices such as physical distancing and good hygiene, Sansiri will introduce new features in low-rise house projects, which will be launched from next month.
At the entrance of project sites, visitor ID cards will no longer be taken. Instead, visitors will be required to pre-register vehicle registration numbers, done by the homeowner through Sansiri's mobile app.
When guests arrive at the guard booth in front of a project, they will scan a QR code to open an automatic gate. Upon departure, they will need an electronic stamp to pass through the gate.
Mr Arnut said touchless visitor passes and e-stamps are being piloted at a single detached house projects under the Burasiri brand in three locations, comprising On Nut, Ram Intra and Ratchaphruek 345, before expanding to 30-40 other sites.
As hygiene and safety are more pressing issues, Sansiri has designed outdoor shoe storage and put a hand sink at the front door of each unit to allow residents to wash their hands before entering homes.
Mesh WiFi or whole-home WiFi systems will be installed at each unit to facilitate work from home.
The common area will have an isolation design in each function, such as lobby and co-working spaces being separate.
Automatic-sensor garbage bins and water faucets will be used to reduce touch points.