This week’s focus is on one region of one of the UK’s best-known housebuilding brands, as we speak exclusively to Jackie Day, who is in charge of sales of the wide array of new homes built by David Wilson Homes South Midlands.
Hi Jackie, please tell us about yourself and your division of David Wilson Homes.
I am the sales director for David Wilson Homes’ South Midlands division. I have been with the company for 14 years and have been in the new homes industry for over 25 years. Our division currently provides quality new homes in Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
What kind of developments and properties are on your portfolio right now?
As a five-star housebuilder we offer our customers a range of beautifully crafted, quality-built homes and currently have anything from a one-bedroom apartment to a five-bedroom home available.
By having such a diverse and varied portfolio, homebuyers can benefit from a choice of our different homes that will suit their needs. As we offer different sized properties, we have found that we have something to suit everyone’s price ranges, whether they’re a first-time buyer looking to get on the property ladder or a growing family looking for more space.
Do you have a 'star' development outperforming others, and what is it about that one that house-hunters are responding to?
In 2014 we launched our popular Brooklands development in Milton Keynes, which is situated within easy reach of the M1. The development has offered everything from one- and two-bedroom apartments to three-, four- and five-bedroom executive homes which are perfect for those looking to commute into London. The first two phases of homes have all sold out now and we expect that our third phase will sell out soon. To date we have sold 247 homes across the development. We are now just starting work on our next exciting phase which will consist of a further 276 homes.
Are you seeing strong demand from any particular sector eg first-time buyers, family upsizers, downsizers etc?
As we tailor our homes to a diverse range of buyers, we see a strong demand for all of the sectors mentioned. However over the last year I think the need for growing families to upsize their home has increased, with more people wanting to take advantage of our spacious properties.
Are your purchase assistance schemes eg Help to Buy, Part Exchange, Movemaker etc proving consistently popular?
The government-backed Help to Buy scheme has proven extremely popular so far with not only first-time buyers, but those looking to move home and benefit from giving a smaller deposit. It is a fantastic way for people to purchase a new home when they otherwise might not have had enough money, and the 20% equity loan has helped thousands of homebuyers move to their dream home with us.
We have seen a rise in people using our bespoke Part Exchange scheme more recently and this is a fantastic way for existing homeowners to move into their dream home and not have to worry about selling their old home.
Movemaker is also a great way for us to help customers save time and money when they sell their existing home, as we’ll do all of the hard work for them and I think people are really starting to benefit from this. The tailored service is free for customers to use if they go on to complete their purchase of a David Wilson Home, and we will cover the estate agent fees.
Are you currently offering any of your show homes on a leaseback arrangement and what can that provide to a buy-to-let investor?
We are currently offering this scheme at a couple of our developments across Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. However, due to the guaranteed returns on our show homes, these hassle-free investments don’t take long to sell.
The scheme works by offering investors the chance to purchase a brand new property and earn money whilst renting it back to the developer to use as a show home. We offer a guaranteed 6% annual rental yield for a contemporary and spacious home that comes with a ten-year NHBC Buildmark Warranty, along with numerous extras as part of the deal.
The scheme offers investors great value for anyone who is looking to put their money into property with minimal risk as we guarantee they will have a tenant for the full duration of the lease. This means rather than them having to worry about untidy tenants or any problems that may usually occur when renting out a home, we can assure them that we will maintain the property in pristine condition.
What is it that your company offers homebuyers that differentiates you from the competition?
As a five-star housebuilder, we pride ourselves on providing quality-built, energy-efficient homes with something to suit everyone. We are part of Barratt Developments plc, which has been awarded a five-star housebuilder status for seven consecutive years by the NHBC – the only national housebuilder to achieve this.
We offer unique moving services such as Movemaker and our Part Exchange scheme, which helps make the move into a new home easier for our customers. We also have our Expressions range which allows customers to choose their own flooring, some electricals, and bedroom and kitchen fittings, allowing them to put the personal touch on their new home.
If you were Chancellor, is there something that you would have changed in the housing market this year that the real ones missed?
From my point of view, you always like to see schemes that give confidence to house-hunters. Currently, we are selling in a very positive market. Enquiry levels, both online and at our sales offices are at an all-time high. We have also successfully launched seven new developments over the last six months, which have all proved to be extremely popular.
We are currently investing in sites which will be built and sold during 2021, where buyers can take advantage of the government-backed Help to Buy scheme. I think from our point of view, we would like the government to offer clarity on what will happen when this scheme comes to an end as early as possible, and advise on whether they plan to extend Help to Buy or how they will mitigate the effect of withdrawal.
Do you have any predictions for a regional hotspot in 2017 – somewhere that will see a great demand for new homes next year?
Northamptonshire. A recent study by Zoopla highlighted that properties in Northamptonshire are on the market for the shortest amount of time – 27 days. We have a number of new developments which have contributed to that success and several more in the pipeline over the coming year.
What developments will be released by you in 2017?
We have a number of new developments that we will be launching in 2017 that we are excited to tell our customers about. We will be opening the doors of our sales offices at the following developments:
- The Avenue, Moulton, Northamptonshire – Summer 2017
- Lidlington Grange, Lidlington, Bedfordshire – Summer 2017
- Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire – Winter 2017
- Thrapston, Northamptonshire – Winter 2017
Find out more about all David Wilson Homes’ current developments