NEW
HOMES
Selling New Homes T
his might not seem like the best time to invest in newly built homes. Housebuilders have mothballed many developments, while in a market not exactly full
of confidence, buying off-plan is a step too far for some purchasers. But recently, a number of players have started beefing up their New Homes departments. For instance Zoopla is targeting new
homes business and has recently hired Chris Browne (formerly at Smart New Homes) to head up this area. Browne says “New homes are an important sub- category of all homes offered for sale on portals. So much so, that the major portals like
Zoopla.co.uk provide a dedicated channel for new homes in order to make these easy to find for buyers looking specifically for them.” But while Zoopla has created a specific
new homes area within the portal, new homes also appear within general location- based results. “They are flagged in all search results to show as ‘new homes’ so
they are given standout status.” Agent in this sector they will tell you that
some buyers never buy anything but a new home. These can be super business for agents – they often move every three or four years, instead of the average seven or eight – and good news for developers who can offer a part exchange scheme.
The naTional agenT At Spicerhaart, Peter Krelle has just joined after ten years at Countrywide to head up the Land and New Homes division. Spicerhaart plans to double the number of offices dealing specifically with new build - Krelle says he’s already opened new offices in Guildford and Cobham, and is looking
‘Zoopla has a dedicated channel for new homes to make it easy for
buyers.’ ChRiS BRoWne ZooPla
Buying new home is a habit; some buyers will only buy brand new!
Andrea Kirkby asks ‘is there still a role for the estate agent?’
at another half dozen opportunities including Wales and East Anglia. He thinks this is an excellent time to
grow the business, for two reasons. First of all, many agents who opened new homes offices during the boom have now mothballed them, so “now there are lots of places with no Land and New Homes specialist.” That gives Spicerhaart a chance to grab market share. Secondly, though, he believes the supply of new homes will increase over the next couple of years. “The disposal of distressed stock is about to come through,” he says; “up till now the banks have hardly started.” The bad news is that the increasing
focus of the major portals on new homes means that developers could decide not to go through an agent at all, but run their sales process directly. While individual vendors are unlikely to have the time or expertise to value, advertise and negotiate their own sales, larger development companies already have the expertise in-house, so it would be an easier choice.
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