Short answer: To sell plots in a new layout online, finish the layout approval and RERA registration first, publish an honest "from" price, film the layout as it stands in short vertical videos, list it where buyers search, and answer every enquiry within minutes. Judge each channel by its cost per site visit and per booking, not per lead.
This guide is for developers, builders and layout promoters, with Indian rules and Tamil Nadu as the example. It was checked against the RERA Act, TNRERA, DTCP, the Drone Rules and Google's help pages in October 2026.
Before you advertise: approvals and RERA
- Layout approval. In Tamil Nadu, DTCP covers the whole state except the area under the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). Layouts are applied for on the single window portal for planning permission. TNRERA's layout checklist asks for the planning permission and the approved plan, so approval comes first.
- RERA registration. Under section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a promoter cannot advertise, market, book or sell any plot in a project in a planning area until the project is registered with the state authority. Each phase counts as a separate project. The penalty can reach 10% of the estimated project cost (section 59).
- The exemption is narrow. Under section 3(2), registration is not required where the land is 500 square metres or less, or there are eight apartments or fewer, counting all phases, and the government can lower that limit. Never call a project exempt in an advert or to a buyer; confirm it with your state authority first.
- Show the number everywhere. Section 11(2) requires every advertisement to show the registration number and the authority's website prominently. TNRERA's FAQs say any medium used to solicit a sale is an advertisement, SMS and email included. Treat videos, WhatsApp messages and hoardings the same way.
Price and plot mix
Plots in one layout are rarely equal: some sit on a corner, on the widest internal road or facing the main road. Price them in bands.
- Group plots into size bands, such as up to 1,200 sq ft, 1,200 to 2,400 sq ft, and larger.
- Set one rate per sq ft, plus a stated premium for corner and road-facing plots.
- In Tamil Nadu, show cents too: one cent is 435.6 sq ft.
- Publish a "from" price only if a plot is really available at it, and update it the day those plots sell.
- Say what the price excludes, such as development charges, stamp duty and the registration fee.
Under section 12 of the RERA Act, a buyer who pays an advance relying on a false or incorrect statement in an advert must be compensated, and one who withdraws gets the money back with interest.
What to film: a shot list
Film in daylight, as the layout is on the day, in vertical 9:16 for phones. On Gmore a listing video runs up to 90 seconds.
- The approach: the drive in from the nearest main road or town, with the distance on screen.
- The entrance: the gate and the site board with the RERA number.
- Internal roads: one continuous walk or drive, so width and surface are clear.
- Boundaries and plot markers: the fence or wall, and corner stones with plot numbers.
- Services as built: drains, streetlights, water and power as they exist. If something is not built, give the completion date you declared to RERA.
- Open space: the park or open space reserved (OSR) in the approved plan, where it really is.
- Landmarks: schools, hospitals and the highway, with honest travel times.
- An aerial pass: one slow pass over the whole layout, where a drone may legally fly.
Before you fly a drone
India's Drone Rules, 2021 map the airspace into zones on DGCA's Digital Sky platform (digitalsky.dgca.gov.in). A green zone, up to 400 feet (120 metres), needs no prior permission, but the pilot must check Digital Sky before every flight; 8 to 12 km from an operational airport the limit is 200 feet (60 metres). A yellow zone needs air traffic control permission; a red zone, Central Government permission.
A drone must be registered on Digital Sky unless the rules exempt it. Under the rules as amended in 2022, the pilot needs a remote pilot certificate unless the drone is a nano drone (250 grams or less) or a micro drone (up to 2 kg) flown for non-commercial purposes. Treat filming plots for sale as commercial and use a certified pilot.
Where to list: plot layout marketing ideas
- Property portals: the same video, price and RERA number on each.
- Your own website: one page per project with the video, approved plan, price bands and RERA details.
- Google Business Profile, for a staffed sales office only. Google's eligibility guidelines require in-person contact with customers during stated hours and list for-sale properties and model homes as ineligible. Sales offices are eligible.
- WhatsApp: send the video link to people who asked, with the RERA details in the message.
- Hoardings and site boards: add a short link or QR code that opens the video.
- Video platforms: the same vertical videos on YouTube and Instagram.
- Gmore: each listing gets a permanent Gmore ID and a short link, such as gmore.app/l/GM-L-47GQTNR, that opens on the video: put it on boards and brochures. Buyers browse plots for sale on Gmore by video; see how Gmore works for developers.
Answer enquiries within minutes
- Set a reply target, such as 15 minutes in working hours, with cover for evenings and Sundays.
- Keep the price list, approval and RERA numbers ready.
- Note where each enquiry came from.
On Gmore, buyers can only call and message professionals who have verified their ID (a passport or driving licence, or Aadhaar or PAN in India) and a selfie. Under each video they can chat, book a site visit or ask for a call, and every request lands in one Buyers inbox, marked Hot or Warm.
Site visits
- Confirm the evening before, with a map pin.
- Make the plot stones and number visible before the visit.
- Keep the approved plan at the site: section 11(3) of the RERA Act requires sanctioned plans and a stage-wise completion schedule to be available at booking, displayed at the site or another specified place.
On Gmore the buyer picks the day and time of a site visit. On the day, both of you see roughly how many minutes away the other is, and both check in.
Booking and paperwork basics
- The 10% limit. Under section 13 of the RERA Act, a promoter cannot take more than 10% of the cost of a plot as an advance or application fee without first signing a written agreement for sale and registering it.
- The agreement format. In Tamil Nadu it follows Annexure A of the Tamil Nadu Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017; TNRERA publishes the model agreement for sale.
- The separate account. Under section 4(2)(l)(D), 70% of the money received from buyers goes into a separate account in a scheduled bank, used only for the land and construction cost.
- Papers for the buyer. Give copies of the approval, the approved plan and the RERA registration. Our guide on how to check DTCP approval for a plot shows buyers how to verify them.
- Loans. Lenders often finance plots only in approved layouts. See how plot loans work in India.
On Gmore, a buyer cannot make an offer below 85% of the asking price.
Buyers who live far away
In the 90 days to 14 October 2026, 1,070 of the 1,682 people who watched a property on Gmore lived more than 100 km from it, and people in 14 countries watched.
For them the video is the first site visit. Offer a live video call from the plot, email the papers, and for registration from afar, see power of attorney for property in Tamil Nadu. Under the RBI's rules, NRIs and OCI cardholders can buy a residential plot but not agricultural land, a plantation or a farm house; see can NRIs buy land in India. For selling to buyers abroad in more depth, see how to get NRI buyers for your project.
Measure what works
Track three numbers per channel.
| Measure | How to work it out | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per enquiry | Channel spend divided by its enquiries | How cheaply it reaches people |
| Cost per site visit | Channel spend divided by its site visits | Whether those people are serious |
| Cost per booking | Channel spend divided by its bookings | What a sale really costs |
For a benchmark, the CRM company Sell.Do's 2026 guide to paid leads in India (updated 10 August 2026) gives working ranges of ₹150 to ₹2,000 per lead for Meta lead ads and ₹300 to ₹2,500 for Google Search, as sanity checks, not targets.
On Gmore, listing is free once you have verified your ID. You pay a fee for each buyer you unlock (₹99 + GST in India), or take Pro to get every buyer. Count that fee as spend.
List your project on Gmore
Gmore is a video-first real estate platform: every listing is a short vertical video tour, shot on a phone, camera or drone and posted from a phone. Verify your ID once for a verified developer profile, and every chat, site-visit request and call request reaches one Buyers inbox, including from buyers far from the site. Start with Gmore for property developers.
Checked in October 2026 against the RERA Act, 2016, TNRERA's published documents, DTCP, the Drone Rules, 2021, the RBI's FAQs and Google's Business Profile guidelines. Written by the Gmore team.
