One-on-one interview: John East, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

This week’s exclusive interview comes for the estate agency sector in London, with insight into the regional market and how housebuilding is keeping up with demand from John East, director of land and new homes for Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (KFH).

Hi John, please tell us a little about yourself and KFH.

I’ve been in the property industry over 30 years and became head of KFH’s land and new homes division in 2009. My team uses its knowledge of local market conditions, demand and Local Authority planning to provide expert advice to developers across London on site acquisitions, unit pricing and specification, as well as developing overall marketing strategies to ensure their new homes are sold quickly and for the best possible price. We also work closely with our 60 local sales and lettings branches to ensure each of our clients are fully supported by our entire sales network, or our lettings and block and estate management divisions if developers are interested in PRS (private rented sector).

What's the range of new homes developments you're currently marketing?

We are marketing new developments all over London. As far north as Muswell Hill, to Crystal Palace in the south-east, and Wimbledon in the south-west. And we work with developers and developments of all sizes from eight units for the smaller local developers to 50+ units for the larger housebuilders.

Are there any that stand out for you with distinctive design or special location?

​The development that really stands out at the moment is Alto in Crystal Palace [a Hill development]. It’s a fantastically designed 48-unit development and its proximity to the local amenities and transport links is superb. But what makes the development really sing are the panoramic views. Some of the apartments have clear 180-degree views of the South Downs. They are truly spectacular and I’ve not seen better in south London.

Where are the 'hotspots' around the capital where you are seeing the highest level of interest at the moment?

There is interest across all of our developments at the moment but it’s the developments offering Help to Buy that are generating the most enquiries. The scheme is still very popular and these buyers are often more flexible about location. We are always having discussions with developer clients about whether they will be offering Help to Buy and how they should factor it into their schemes.

What are the main reasons your clients opt for a new build?

There are a number of reasons, including Help to Buy, but one of the main ones is that buyers want to have the latest in design and specification. If you get in early enough buyers can sometimes have a say over the final layout, spec and decor of the unit they are purchasing. The attraction of a new lease and little ongoing maintenance costs in the initial period is also too good to ignore for many people.

Are SME (small and medium-sized) housebuilders more flexible and likely to keep up with/initiate design trends and purchaser demands?

Yes, many of them have to be to compete with the larger developers. But they’re also aware of the need for a balance between meeting market expectations and providing value for money.

Has the surge in online/hybrid estate agencies had a major effect on traditional High Street businesses like yours?

Not that we’ve seen. As we’re selling off-plan and from site it is extremely important we meet buyers face to face and provide a personal service to ensure they completely understand what they’re buying. Our network of offices and access to buyers is extremely important to our developer clients.

How do you think London will meet the supply of new homes that industry experts say the city needs?

I think it certainly has the potential to meet the need. Whether it does or not will depend on developers being able to acquire land for the right price and being able to work with local planning departments to pass the required number of permissions. We have been banging the drum for small and medium-sized developers for a long time so it was great to see the government agree with the need to support these developers in their Housing White Paper. Although, with the general election interrupting proceedings, it remains to be seen whether today’s White Paper will simply become tomorrow’s chip paper.