Sustainability And Smart Homes Add Up To A Great Deal For Buyers

This week we talk to Kerri Bywater, new homes area partner for William H Brown about how sustainability and home apps in new homes add up to a great deal for the modern buyer...

Can you tell us about your main areas of responsibility in your current role as a new homes area partner?

I work closely with our extensive network of branches to help secure business for our new homes department. This includes creating the marketing material and managing the sales results for the East Midlands and Cambridge / Peterborough regions, which is the area I currently manage.

What was your route into a career in property?

I started working in residential sales at the William H Brown branch in Nottingham in 2011. Before this, I was a branch manager at another company in the suburbs. Within six months of being at William H Brown I worked closely with a few developers on new homes developments that we were marketing and I fell in love with new homes – from this point I knew which side of estate agency I was meant to be on!

When you talk to new home buyers are there common trends for why they’re choosing to buy brand new over ‘second hand’ homes?

I think one of the biggest reasons new builds are increasingly popular is due to the options buyers can have when choosing their own home. They tend to like being able to choose their own finishes in kitchens and bathrooms to suit their own tastes. The developers we work with offer a great standard of finish, and buyers enjoy that they can move in without having to do any work you would have to do in a second hand home.

What do you think is becoming more expected, or commonplace, in new build developments?

Buyers, undoubtedly, are expecting a good level of customer service which, at William H Brown and in my region, we are proud to deliver. They are also expecting a well finished product as well as a higher specification of things included. The modern buyer will shop around to compare what’s included to ensure they are getting the best deal.

We hear a lot about the ‘new homes premium’, what justifies paying that bit extra for a new home?

One of the biggest benefits of new builds is that they require very little maintenance or repairs and often come with a structural warranty, as well as a builder defect liability period. This, teamed with the choice of brand new finishes, lower running costs and more sustainable products often results in a premium being achieved. New build homes are also built in desirable, sought after, saleable areas, sometimes bringing more employment or amenities to areas too. All in all, they are a great choice for a modern buyer in a thriving market.

And what are the latest trends in technology that you’re seeing in new homes being marketed by Sequence?

As a result of the latest climate change actions, we’re seeing many more sustainable products installed into our new homes. Features such as solar panels, as well as smart heating systems are quite common on the market. Not only this, but technology savvy buyers and developers are also leaning towards smart home systems, linking sockets, appliances, lights and speaker systems, usually voice or app activated.

Is eco-friendly living becoming an increasingly important factor for new home buyers?

Absolutely, it is one of the most important things for some buyers. Sustainability in the current climate is key for a lot of people. Making a difference to the environment and low running costs are on a lot of buyers’ lists of requirements as they plan to stay in their home for the long term.

What’s the most exciting new app you’ve seen for schemes in the past few months?

I personally think in-the-home apps such as Alexa, Google Assist, Samsung Smart Home and Apple Home Kits are extremely important and increasing in popularity. Their ability to multi-task with features such as heating and lighting control whilst still being user friendly is very handy to a modern buyer.

And what’s coming in the future?

The aforementioned apps are always evolving and I think they’ll constantly add new features as technology moves on for the home buyer. I also don’t think it will be long before alarm systems, lighting, heating and sockets are controlled via apps as standard across most new builds which will be just another positive of buying a new build home.

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