Is selling real estate in China becoming increasingly like flogging high fashion? After several years of soaring property prices and rapid investment, a recent slowdown in the sector is threatening to separate the wheat from the chaff and, suddenly, branding has taken on unprecedented importance.

The Chinese government’s efforts to rein in the rampant property market have largely focused on restricting property developers’ access to capital: limiting foreign investment, slowing approvals for stock market listings and tightening bank loans. This forced many developers to resort to pre-selling their units before completion and using that money to fund their next acquisition.