Today’s buyers have a wealth of homes to choose from – and canny developers are offering that bit extra – in the homes and the deals – to capture their attention. Johnny Turner looks at some unique selling points.
What makes a home stand out? There is no definitive ‘something’ that persuades a buyer to take the plunge but there are many attributes that tend to spell success. Today’s crop of newly built homes has many impressive and special features that take the ‘wow’ factor to a whole new level.
One undeniable advantage is a location in an exciting part of London that is reinventing itself before our eyes. King’s Cross is undergoing an amazing renaissance, linked to the new international rail terminal – and canny buyers are already snapping up homes at Regent Quarter, a £150 million mixed-use scheme being created by P&O Developments. Investors and owner occupiers alike have jumped at the chance to reserve one of the 142 homes on offer at London’s most important conservation and regeneration scheme – in fact, over two-thirds of the homes have been snapped up. All of the apartments at Regent Quarter are architect designed and feature high-quality interior décor. Many of the stylish homes reflect the area’s industrial past, retaining original features such as cast iron columns, arched windows, exposed brickwork and beams.
This is an excellent chance to get an early foothold in what promises to be a new living, working and leisure epicentre for London. Prices currently range from £295,000 for a one-bedroom apartment at Albion Buildings to £550,000 for a two-bedroom, split-level apartment at The Ironworks. Some of these will be ready to move into this spring. The marketing suite is located at 36–40 York Way and is open Mondays to Saturdays 11am to 7pm. Call selling agent FPDSavills on 0870 240 4227 or visit regentquarter.com to find out more.
Another deal-clincher for those in the London property market is a view of the Thames. And Riverside Quarter, a joint development by LCR Developments and FairBriar, has more than just a view; it faces one of the most unspoilt and beautiful stretches of this great river.
Riverside Quarter is a £180 million development in Wandsworth, where apartments are designed to make the most of the views of the prestigious Hurlingham Country Club across the Thames. The generous living spaces in some of the homes offer retractable floor-to-ceiling windows – perfect for relaxing and entertaining.
Luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments are priced from £345,000, while three-bedroom river-facing apartments start at £865,000. Call selling agent FPDSavills on 020 8877 2000 or visit riversidequarter.com.
Another London development in which location plus regeneration equals a uniquely desirable home is Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV). The ‘wow’ factor is very present here – in fact, more than 91 per cent of purchasers here have cited the special features that set these homes apart from other developments as the most important reasons for choosing to buy at GMV. The unique selling points referred to in this survey of buyers include design, location and eco-friendliness.
Many residents commented on the sense of tranquillity created by the on-site ecology park and the landscaped open spaces, created by English Partnerships, and the relatively car-free environment.
The apartments at GMV are also impressive, with stylish open plan living spaces and large windows or full-height glazed doors which allow natural light to flood the space. Balconies, high-level terraces and decked areas adjoin landscaped squares, creating a bridge between interior and exterior space and making for fantastic views.
Parkside is the new phase at GMV, where one-bedroom apartments are currently priced from £199,995. Find out more about the many ‘wow’-inspiring features at this development by contacting the visitor centre on 020 8293 6900 or visiting parkside-gmv.co.uk.
One thing that is guaranteed to have buyers buzzing around is the inclusion of high-tech gizmos that allow for an easier and more fun lifestyle. And that is precisely what Regime Property Development has done with its excellent development The Pulse in Finchley Road NW3.
The niche developer has a policy of providing the best of smart home technology in its homes and The Pulse is awash – discreetly so – with fantastic techno-treats. These include ISDN- and ADSL-enabled cabling as standard, alongside a CAT5 data loop in all apartments. In the upgraded Pulse Collection apartments there is also a multi-room audio system which can be controlled from any area of the home via a keypad, remote control or even a mobile phone. Security features include a video entryphone system, as well as a Smart Home central locking option which links the front door lock to all the other Smart features so that when you enter or exit the apartment the lighting, heating, audio and alarm can all be activated or deactivated to your settings.
Prices for the remaining apartments at The Pulse are available from £470,000, while three of the original nine Pulse Collection homes are for sale from £1.25 million. The show apartment is open daily from 10am to 5pm; call The Pulse on 020 7794 0421. You may also call the selling agents Hamptons International on 020 7244 4700 or Goldschmidt and Howland on 020 7435 4404.
Wonderful high-tech options are also available at Lyndhurst Gate, a gated development in Weybridge by Antler Homes. Each of the six five-bedroom homes will have the capability for a personalised home entertainment system, including a built-in plasma screen, ‘hidden’ integrated speakers and digital jukebox – all controllable from a central cabling platform.
Antler Homes brought in hometech, the UK leader in integrated home technology solutions, to implement the up-to-the-minute technology to suit these luxury three-storey homes. Karen Lee-Brindle, sales and marketing director of Antler Homes Southern, comments: ‘Each house will be fitted with a small, subtly positioned control box, which will enable residents to watch satellite television in different rooms of the house and will also mean that either the same or different music can be listened to in each room.’ Broadband can also be accessed in every room of the house.
The homes incorporate Georgian style architecture and each house includes an individual garage. Double French doors from the kitchen lead out onto a rear garden, which is surrounded by woodlands. Lyndhurst Gate is located in a highly regarded area of Weybridge, a short distance from prestigious St George’s Hill. The location is excellent for golfers, commuters and those who enjoy the finer things in life.
The houses are now available, priced from £840,000. The show house is open daily from 11am to 5pm. Call Antler Homes on 020 8391 6670 or the selling agents on 01932 830581.
Some very important selling points are to do with the deal rather than the home, and KingsOak’s leaseback scheme is a very attractive incentive for investment purchasers. At its Slough development SL1 KingsOak Thames Valley is offering the show homes for sale with the extra benefit of the scheme, which introduces new investors to the property game while minimising the risk to the buyer.
‘Shrewd buyers have been opting to purchase show homes on a sale and leaseback basis as a great, risk-free way to jump on board the investment bandwagon,’ says Bob Rutherford. ‘The scheme is a particularly attractive way to make money work for those buyers who do not need to live in their chosen home at legal completion.’
SL1 is a central, highly commutable development consisting of 50 two-bedroom apartments, each with the benefit of en suite facilities in addition to the main bathroom. These homes are very well suited to sharers and are therefore ideal investment properties.
The leaseback scheme is simple. Buyers opt to purchase a show home – either completed or off-plan – and KingsOak agrees to lease it back from them at two per cent above the current base internet rate in order to make use of it for the duration of the development. The scheme has been so successful that KingsOak will now sell every show home it creates on this basis.
Prices at SL1 currently start at £197,995. For more information about the development – and the leaseback scheme – call the sales office on 01628 667126.
Another excellent incentive scheme is currently on offer from Banner Homes for its Victoria Square development in Reading. The developer has created three packages to suit different purchasers of these ten spacious two-bedroom apartments.
Banner’s range of incentives will appeal to those who are drawn to new build homes but unsure whether to take the plunge and buy one. One package, which is aimed at first-time buyers, removes much of the daunting expense that getting started in a new home can incur; Banner will pay stamp duty up to two per cent, legal costs up to £1,000 and all removal costs.
A second incentive package, for the buy-to-let market, is designed to take all the stress out of buying a new home. Banner will provide and fit the carpets, curtains, a security alarm and even a fridge/freezer – all essential yet expensive items for a buy-to-let property. Victoria Square is very well located for the Royal Berkshire Hospital and Reading University; parents of students and nurses may find this package very helpful, as a home at the development would be an ideal combination of investment for them and lodgings for their offspring.
The third incentive package is for investors who are not planning to have family occupy the property. It supplies a guaranteed income in the form of a contribution towards the mortgage of £800 per month for the first year of purchase.
Each property at Victoria Square has private parking and the latest CAT5 cabling. Prices range from £174,950 to £265,000. A show home is open Thursdays to Mondays 10am to 5pm. Call the sales office on 0118 966 2947 or selling agent Romans on 0118 936 6611.