Kebbell’s Andrea Fawell On The Property Market In 2020

This week, we asked Andrea Fawell, sales and marketing director of award-winning housebuilder Kebbell, to answer questions about what their vision for the second half of 2020 is now as the lockdown starts to slowly ease and what life for a small housebuilder might look like going forward.

What was and what is now your plan for 2020?

We were really looking forward to 2020 and an entirely different set of operating conditions after 2019’s political and Brexit instability, global stock-market and business turbulence and general economic insecurity. We certainly did not anticipate that those entirely different set of operating conditions would be an absolutely unprecedented marketplace more or less at a standstill because of COVID-19.

Going forward, as the lockdown has started to lift, we will now be carrying out construction or maintenance work on our development sites in line with government advice, where it is safe to do so using social distancing and many other measures. Our show homes are now open for viewings by appointment and all of our procedures and protocols are in place to ensure we are COVID-19 secure. We have looked closely at the smallest details to ensure that we are ready to welcome everyone safely with social distancing and other practises firmly in place. The safety of our valued team, residents, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants and purchasers is still of our utmost concern.

We believe the second half of the year will be good for Kebbell if the country is able to remain COVID-19 secure. We have live sites and product that is ready to move into and we can meet and indeed exceed the expectations and pent up demand. We have new sites in Yorkshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire ready to come to the market as and when the time is right. In Scarborough for instance, demand has outstripped supply for our collection of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes in the coastal village of Middle Deepdale. The third phase sold extremely fast and the fourth phase is now soon to follow. Ensuring all viewings are safe will be critical to our planning.

How will COVID-19 affect the housing market in the future?

COVID-19 has impacted every household and business so it is inevitable now the market is carefully reopened that there will be a lot of disrupted services that will need immediate attention. Buyers who were close to completing may want their transactions to be sped through if they are still financially able to do so. Complications may include a backlog of local authority searches, surveys, removal companies, materials required on site and banking approvals. Some buyers may want to deep clean, even in new homes, to put their mind at rest that their homes are COVID-19 free. We may see more exchanges and completions occurring simultaneously on the same day, or an increase in reservations but with completions set for a date later in the year. New homes will most likely be easier to view safely than homes with someone living there already.

What new trends do you expect to see?

We believe buyers are still determined to move, probably more so than ever. We are also expecting to see more people wanting to move out of cities. Gardens will have become more important. With many predicting that we will want to increasingly work from home, a home office may also become a more desirable home feature. Buyers may increasingly turn to additional government or incentive schemes like Help to Buy, Armed Forces Help to Buy, Part Exchange and Shared Ownership schemes.

Will virtual viewings during the lockdown turn into actual sales?

During lockdown there was a noticeable increase in online viewings and virtual tours, as well as a number of serious property enquiries and requests for details. We think this is as a result of desired changes of lifestyle that have come about as a result of COVID-19, as we had more time to think, reflect and consider what is important to us. Looking to see what is out there on the property market and making some exciting changes and plans for the future has seemed to help people to get through this period.

How will you make it safe for viewings once lockdown is lifted?

Buyers (and sellers) will be far more cautious and will rightly have the highest of expectations that safety comes first. Visitors will be asked not to touch surfaces when looking inside a house and will fully expect estate agents or sales people to respect the two-metre social distancing. Buyers may not wish to sit in the sales office and might expect details to rather be taken over the phone. We still kindly ask customers who may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 to refrain from visiting until the appropriate self-isolation period has been completed. It will take some adjustment, but developers will need to be fully prepared and to keep putting safety first to main confidence and protect everyone involved.

Are you able to predict growth for this year?

It is rather hard to accurately predict now, but our turnover from house sales was £48.8m with 64 house completions across six main sites in 2019 and was forecasted to be £50.4m in 2020 with 94 house completions across nine sites. We are lucky to have a large variety of sites and properties on offer, from luxury apartments, family homes and first-time buys, to our exclusive gated developments.

Is Brexit still at the top of your minds?

Prior to COVID-19, whatever your feelings about it, a Brexit decision at the end of last year did lead to a gradual build in confidence, but the pressure is on and when we can we will be working to deal with the release of pent up demand whilst there are still challenging economic conditions. I feel positive, but the jury is out on what COVID-19 and Brexit will do for example for subcontractors who employ European tradespeople and whether we can fill those vacancies from the worldwide and domestic market. Hopefully, the economy will rally and strengthen after this period has passed.