This week’s exclusive interview is with one of our 2016 WhatHouse? Award winners, as we ask the questions of Adam O’Brien, managing director of Metis Homes, a boutique developer with a portfolio of new homes developments in the Home Counties.
Hi Adam, please tell us a little about yourself and Metis Homes.
I founded Metis Homes in 2008 alongside Tony Burton (now a valuable non-executive director) and our investors the RO Group. I have remained with Metis throughout its now ten-year journey, and have been thrilled to watch the business go from strength to strength in that time, with our team of just two at our inception now twenty strong in 2017. I took the reins fully in April 2015, and since then have been working with our fantastic team to drive the company forward to deliver 75-100 homes a year and develop the Metis Homes brand, leading us to be crowned Best Small Housebuilder (Silver) at the 2016 WhatHouse? Awards - an accolade we are immensely proud of.
What developments are the company working on right now?
At Metis we build a diverse selection of homes across a relatively large patch. All homes are bespoke and delivered with quality in mind. Our homes range from contemporary apartment schemes to luxury detached homes – in both rural settings and town centres. Currently we are developing 14 homes in Guildford to follow on from our now concluded and exciting flagship development of 45 apartments at the Bellerby Apartments with Waitrose, six houses in Houghton with a rural contemporary twist; 10 apartments in Branksome Park, eight houses in Whitchurch, 14 houses near Petersfield and nine traditional apartments in Grayshott. Add to this 27 contemporary new homes in Sutton Scotney and I think it is fair to say the team is suitably busy!
Is there one thing, or a group of values, that defines a Metis home?
‘Modern Homes, Traditional Values’ is the Metis Homes mantra for good reason. An emphasis on quality and delivering an exceptional customer experience drives everything we do. We try to stay ahead of the curve with detail within our homes, relentlessly revisiting specification to anticipate what our customer may want in the modern world; we challenge each other to consistently fine tune what we produce in order to evolve.
The fact each of our developments is bespoke allows us much greater scope to do this - each project has a blank canvas and great potential. So, modern quality is one key value. The product itself is not enough, of course. The customer journey and the way in which the homes are delivered throughout the process, from start to finish, are equally important to us, and our traditional values of collaboration, relationships, integrity and professionalism with a true focus on the customer will for this reason remain firmly at the top of the agenda with whatever we do. This cannot be limited to just our buyers, but also the local authorities and communities with whom we work both at planning stage and through the construction process.
The fact we have achieved planning permission for every single scheme we have embarked upon since our inception in 2008 is testament to these core values.
We want every purchaser to feel like they are a part of something special, and our ongoing customer care is geared towards helping them settle into their new home and community. Our customers’ feedback is hugely important to me. Our appointment of InHouse, an independent research company which talks to each of our customers to understand exactly what we did and did not do well, is invaluable to us as it is a way to learn and thus a way to improve.
With the political and economic changes of the last year or two, how have you seen homebuyer behaviour change?
It is certainly the case that the higher priced homes are more challenging to sell due to the sheer cost associated with ancillary elements like the hiked stamp duty rates. Equally, there are fewer ‘discretionary’ purchasers in the market, because with such a turbulent political and economic climate, such uncertainty makes people think twice before making significant investments that are not essential to make. That said, we have certainly found that the traditional two-storey family housing market within which we operate to a large extent, continues to thrive.
Supply and demand remains in our industry’s favour and whilst buyers are quite rightly discerning, these homes will sell if they are appropriately designed, specified and well built. What’s more, developments such as our recently completed Eastgate site in Dorchester have seen an uptake in downsizers of a different nature – not necessarily those looking for a smaller house, but buyers looking for a home that allows them to use space more economically; a trend we are seeing in empty-nesters, or those approaching retirement. Overall, footfall remains high to all our developments and we are confident that the initial Brexit jitters are beginning to subside.
How are assistance schemes such as Help to Buy and Part Exchange helping to bring in customers?
Assistance schemes are crucial for helping some buyers secure a new home and we are delighted to be able to offer Help to Buy and Part Exchange at the majority of our developments. It is surprising though, that despite industry-wide promotion of such schemes, that some prospective purchasers are not aware of how these can help them. That’s where we must really make a difference by explaining the benefits and processes involved. Communication is everything.
How has your status as a WhatHouse? Award Winner affected your business?
It could not have been more positive. The WhatHouse? Award says to me that we are on the right track, that we have great people, and that we must continue to strive to improve. The word 'complacency’ does not exist in the Metis dictionary! Being crowned Best Small Housebuilder (Silver) was an immensely proud moment for the business and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Metis Homes team. It was our first time entering the awards and we are proud to be able to show prospective, and indeed existing Metis Homes buyers that they have chosen a housebuilder that has been endorsed for the values that are important to our business.
The judges commented that they were impressed by the design and detail of our homes, our robust commitment to customer service, our professionalism and collaborative approach with suppliers to deliver a diverse product range and the health and safety of our staff. This is good summary of what we stand for.
A home is still most people's biggest ever investment - are buyers looking for the same thing as a few years ago, or are priorities and expectations changing?
Priorities and expectations of buyers are constantly changing; who’d have thought that broadband speed would be a key priority almost above all else for many buyers? It is in our interest and part of the service we deliver to try to be one step ahead and able to offer our customers what they are looking for in the modern world. Purchasers are discerning and, quite rightly given the size of the investment, increasingly expecting a higher quality service and impeccable attention to detail, which we strive to provide across all our developments.
As more and more people look to climb the property ladder, demand for good quality homes is high and at Metis Homes, we recognise the crucial importance of the customer experience to ensure that buying a home with us is as smooth and as stress free a process as possible.
Do you think more buyers are seeing the advantages of new build homes over their re-sale counterparts?
Yes definitely – new build homes offer purchasers so many benefits. Not only do our homes comply with the latest government building regulations and include high-specification heating systems, wall and loft insulation, double glazed windows and doors to help towards keeping utility bills as low as possible - they are also practically maintenance free. And while all our properties include thoughtful interior design with high-quality fixtures and fittings, purchasers are able to put their own stamp on their new home as they wish, without having to do too much preparation first.
Are there things you can bring to buyers as an SME (small/medium-sized) housebuilder that they may not get from a national company?
As an SME housebuilder, we are proud to be able to offer a bespoke and personalised service for every customer. Our dedicated team strives to build strong relationships and go the extra mile. Fundamentally we pride ourselves on delivering the very highest quality of customer care that we can. We want our customers to feel confident in their choice to buy with us and peace of mind that we are on hand to help when needed. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool and we have been approached by many new purchasers thanks to the recommendations they have received from friends and family who have dealt with us before. This is the best endorsement we could receive and feels so rewarding.
What's in the pipeline for Metis Homes this year and into 2018?
This year is already proving exciting for Metis, with several of our developments selling out very quickly and work on new sites well underway. Our outputs are set to increase throughout the year, as we continue to invest in more land across the south of the UK and broaden our remit and reputation in the process. We would love to be able to improve upon our Silver award win from last year in the WhatHouse? Awards 2017 and take Gold – watch this space!