What should residential property companies look for in a PR agency?

‍For residential property companies, reputation can be just as important as the development itself. Whether you're bringing new homes to market, navigating planning or building relationships with local communities, the way you communicate can influence how your plans are understood by buyers, residents, stakeholders and decision-makers.

That makes choosing the right residential property PR agency about more than generating media coverage. You need a communications partner that understands the housebuilding sector, the audiences around your developments and the commercial objectives behind your marketing.

At Purplefish, we work with housebuilders and residential property developers across the South West and beyond, supporting everything from planning and community engagement through to development launches, sales activity and corporate reputation.

Does your PR agency understand the residential property sector?

Residential developments involve a wide range of audiences, from prospective homebuyers and existing residents to local communities, councils, planning teams and journalists. Each has different priorities, so understanding who you're communicating with is an important starting point.

At Purplefish, we begin by conducting empathy mapping sessions where we consider the empathies and concerns of the audiences about a particular development or business, what they care about, and what could influence their response. We then use this to shape the messaging, channels and stories we develop.

Our work with Allison Homes is a good example. We supported their land team with stakeholder and community engagement across the South West, including local government engagement and community relations throughout the land acquisition and planning process. Alongside this, we manage media relations across the development lifecycle, from planning and breaking ground through to showhome launches and sales completions.

This joined-up approach means communications can support both the development itself and the wider business objectives behind it.

Does the agency understand your business, not just your sector?

No two housebuilders have exactly the same objectives. One might be looking to generate demand for a new development, while another needs support with planning, community relations or building its profile across a region. That's why we don't take a one-size-fits-all approach.

For Redcliffe Homes, the priority was to raise its profile across the South West, increase awareness among homebuyers and regional stakeholders, strengthen its online presence and ultimately drive more people to its show homes.

We developed a structured marketing and communications programme around those objectives, combining development storytelling and proactive media relations with social media, SEO content, awards and targeted Meta advertising.

The result was 64 media mentions, 243 million potential media impressions, a 51% increase in Instagram impressions and a 60% increase in website traffic from organic social. Targeted Meta activity also contributed to an uplift in show home visits.

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Can they support you beyond the development launch?

A strong property PR strategy should not start and finish when a development launches. There are opportunities to communicate throughout the development lifecycle, from planning and community engagement to construction, showhome launches, sales completions and beyond.

This is central to our work with Allison Homes, where we manage media relations throughout the development lifecycle and create local community events and opportunities to support engagement.

For Redrow, our work has included customer stories, development updates, community and charitable activity, creative development-led events and social content distributed through its national channels. We have also supported the business with media enquiries around planning and customer issues, alongside crisis preparedness.

This allows PR to support both the immediate marketing needs of a development and the longer-term reputation of the housebuilder.

Can they make your developments part of a bigger story?

A new development is not always a story in itself. The strongest property PR finds the wider angle: what does the development mean for the community? What is changing in the area? Who are the people behind it? What makes the homes or the approach different?

For Redcliffe Homes, we developed stories around its design quality, regional expertise and community investment, creating a steady pipeline of development, business and community coverage, including in South West Business Insider.

For Redrow, this approach has included ‘Welcome to Bedminster’, a creative community campaign featuring graffiti hoardings by an award-winning artist. It gave the development a story that went beyond the homes themselves and created a distinctive piece of community-focused activity.

What should you look for in a residential property PR agency?

If you're a housebuilder or residential property developer reviewing your marketing and communications, look for an agency that can demonstrate more than media contacts.

Do they understand the audiences around your developments? Can they support planning and community engagement as well as sales and marketing? Can they find stories that make your developments genuinely interesting? And can they demonstrate how their work has contributed to outcomes for other residential property businesses?

At Purplefish, our work across Allison Homes, Redrow and Redcliffe Homes spans planning, stakeholder engagement, community relations, media relations, social media, content, events, issues management and paid marketing.

The approach is different for every client, but the principle is the same: understand what the business needs to achieve, then build the communications strategy around it.

Why choose Purplefish for property PR?

We work with housebuilders and residential property developers to build visibility, engage communities and support commercial objectives through strategic communications.

From helping Allison Homes navigate stakeholder and community engagement, to supporting Redrow's regional activity and building visibility and demand for Redcliffe Homes, our work covers the full development lifecycle.

If you're reviewing your marketing activity, preparing a new development or looking for a communications partner with experience across the residential property sector, talk to Purplefish about how we could support your next project.