Despite the rocky start, “housebuilders are doing an impressive job of tailoring housing supply across all the regions of the country in relation to current homebuyer demand”, according to Sirius Property Finance. Research was conducted on current buyer demand for new homes across England, and this demand matches up with the level of new build stock being delivered and under construction.
Currently, demand for new build homes in England sits at 19.2%. Further insight shows that in Q3 2022, 40,210 new homes were completed while construction was started on a further 45,590.
The highest area in demand is in the South West where homebuyers have already snapped up 26.7% of available new homes. The region has also seen the third-highest number of new build completions in the last quarter.
Sitting at 25%, the South East is home to the second-highest buyer demand while the region ranks first for new builds completed (7,380), with a further 7,710 started.
Race for space ends
What was dubbed “the race for space” in the UK property market was a defining trend that had homebuyers leaving cities and heading for the countryside throughout the pandemic. While coastal towns in the south of England, the Lake District and mid-Wales all saw large gains in house prices over two years, there is now a slowdown, with more buyers choosing to remain in interconnected cities.
Buyers remain interested in towns such as Bradford, Swindon, Coventry, Crewe, Milton Keynes and Southend – all of which have registered above-average demand. Not only do these areas have their own employment base, but they have good connections to London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.
Energy crisis drives demand for new build homes
According to new research, after location, low upkeep costs are the second most important factor when buying a property. Now, 35% of buyers are willing to pay more for a new build house or flat to benefit from enhanced energy efficiency features.
The most popular eco features that home buyers would look for include:
- High-performance insulation (71%)
- High-specification glazing (65%)
- Solar panels (63%)
- Heat pump (47%)
Housebuilders are already taking advantage of this movement and demand, as Redrow shift away from traditional gas boilers and announce that it will now fit heat pumps and underfloor heating in all new homes as standard.
Find qualified leads
Is your housebuilding company meeting the right leads? Now is the perfect time to diversify your portfolio and connect with as wide a range of clientele as possible. If you’ve been relying on referrals or social media ads, you may need to step it up.
To start, start by adding affordability to your services with the Budget Calculator. By crunching numbers to tell buyers what they can afford, you get piping-hot leads sent straight to your team.
Additionally, find home buyers who have a home to sell by offering the Home Valuation tool for use. Homeowners get a free calculation of what their home could be worth, and you get a part-exchange lead to follow up on.
In addition, we offer Print and Digital campaigns that can ramp up your lead generation – and greet homebuyers earlier on in their journey.
To leverage all the right tools for lead generation – whatever the market is doing – schedule a free demo today.
