Lovell goes for gold when it comes to customer services

Glowing feedback from North West house hunters has led to house builder Lovell scooping a gold award for customer service in an independent national survey. The accolade, awarded by In-house Research, is given to house builders if at least 90% of their customers would recommend them. In Lovell’s case this was an impressive 96.6% in the North West. It follows on from Lovell’s receipt of the gold award for customer satisfaction last year, cementing the company’s outstanding reputation.

Clare Noakes, regional sales manager for Lovell in the North West, said: “We are extremely pleased to have struck gold with our customers for the second year running. As a region, we’re extremely proud of this award and will use it as motivation to continue to strive for the highest levels of customer satisfaction again next year. Customer recommendation is one of the strongest indicators that we are offering the right level of service and to achieve this standard with 96.6% of our customers is really something to be proud of.”

Through an independent survey undertaken by In-house Research, all customers were asked whether they would recommend Lovell based on the whole experience of purchasing a new home. Malcolm Pitcher, managing director of In-house Research, said: “It’s great to see yet again during 2012 that our clients are achieving high scores for overall customer satisfaction and recommendation. New home owners want to talk about their experience. Our clients take the customer experience very seriously; they want to be the best and ensure that their customers experience the best possible service and support throughout the whole process of purchasing their new home. Their investment and perseverance has resulted in high recommendation levels.”

Lovell is building high quality, affordably priced new homes across the North West and North Wales, including Wirral, Liverpool, Manchester and Carlisle.

View their latest offerings on SmartNewHomes here

Barratt Homes’ HelptoBuy home buyer calls the scheme a ‘lifeline’

One of the first people in the country to take advantage of the Government’s Help to Buy initiative has hailed the scheme a ‘lifeline’ for buyers in the same position as her.

Emma Grant, a 31 year old first time buyer from Yorkshire, had been wanting to make her first move onto the property ladder for years but was struggling to raise a ten per cent deposit as well as pay rent, the usual bills and maintain a lifestyle that goes hand in hand with being a young professional.

As she was driving to work one day she heard about the brilliant new Help to Buy scheme on the radio and was keen to find out more as it promised a new home for just 75 per cent of the purchase price and even better she could make the move with a deposit as small as four per cent.

The young buyer who works as an NVQ assessor for DearneValleyCollege, went to look at the superb selection of two bedroom apartments at Innovations – which is now sold up (timescale). She immediately fell in love with the spacious layout and beautiful light rooms that the property boasted and loved the face that she felt safe and secure.

Emma Grant said: “The Help to Buy scheme has made my dream of home ownership a reality and I wouldn’t have been able to make the move without it. This initiative is essential for first time buyers and many will see it as a lifeline to taking their first step on the ladder.

“As I started this journey I genuinely believed that there would be so many hurdles in the way and that dealing with this on my own would be terrifying, but everyone involved has made the process an absolute pleasure. The sales team at Barratt through to the staff at the mortgage company have been friendly, helpful and so determined to get me into my dream home which took a month from start to finish.”

Deborah Land, Sales Adviser for Barratt Yorkshire West said: “We are delighted that Emma was able to take advantage of this fantastic new scheme and move into her dream home. Help to Buy is sure to make a huge difference to many more would-be homebuyers who can afford the monthly mortgage repayments on a new property, but not the hefty deposit.

We’ve been receiving a great deal of interest for this exciting initiative since its launch, so anyone hoping to secure their ideal property for 75 per cent of its full list price should pay one of our five star developments a visit today.”

The Help to Buy initiative, launched on 1 April, dramatically improves the prospect of owning a home or moving home as it reduces the deposit required to just four per cent and also enables qualifying customers to access low cost mortgage finance. The scheme provides new build homebuyers with the prospect of a 20 per cent equity loan from the Government, with no interest payable for the first five years.

Barratt is offering the Help to Buy scheme on all its properties, up to £600,000 – including those in West and South Yorkshire.

To find your ideal home with HelptoBuy browse the latest offerings from Barratt Homes on SmartNewHomes 

Customer focus is key at Taylor Wimpey

Having spent 23 years in the housebuilding trade, Elaine Taylor knows only too well that the most important factor in the industry is the customer.

So when the opportunity arose to join Taylor Wimpey West Midlands as Sales and Marketing Director, she didn’t hesitate, as she knew the leading housebuilder was renowned for delivering the very best customer service. “The reason I wanted to work for Taylor Wimpey was its brilliant reputation for customer service,” says Elaine. Earlier this year, Taylor Wimpey received the maximum five-star rating for customer satisfaction from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) for the second year in a row.

“To be a five-star builder is a great accolade and speaks volumes for how seriously we take the customer’s needs. Compared to when I started out in this career, the homebuyer has become a great deal more discerning, and at Taylor Wimpey we have to put in a lot of work to make sure we meet the high standards they expect from us. There’s a lot of competition between developers, and so we have to get things right first time, or the customer will go elsewhere. If a customer is impressed with you, they’ll spread the word, and probably more so if they are not happy – so reputation is everything, and Taylor Wimpey has a very good one.”

Elaine’s career began with a part-time sales advisor position for Second City Homes, later to become Beazer Homes, before she progressed to roles with other national housebuilders. For the past 12 years she has enjoyed success in management roles, before returning to her native West Midlands in August 2012 with Taylor Wimpey, which has its regional office in Solihull.

Elaine, who originally hails from the Midlands, is excited to be back on the patch she knows best, and is currently responsible for new homes developments across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire in her new role.  “Location is a fundamental consideration when we are planning new developments,” she says. “Our excellent sales track record demonstrates we have a real knack for selecting locations which are irresistible to a wide variety of buyers.”

As Sales and Marketing Director, Elaine is involved with overseeing the progress of Taylor Wimpey’s new homes developments every step of the way. “I’m involved with a site from the moment we purchase the land through to project completion,” says Elaine. “But our responsibility to the homebuyer doesn’t stop once we hand them the keys to their new home – the after-sales care we provide to all of our customers is something we pride ourselves on as a company. “Buyers not only benefit from a two-year Taylor Wimpey warranty, we visit each and every customer after they have moved in, and do everything we can to make sure they are happy with our service. Our five-star rating in the independent HBF customer service survey shows we are getting things right.”

Elaine is also pleased to see the positive impact the Government’s new Help to Buy shared equity scheme is having on both first-time buyers and those with a property to sell since it was launched in April 2013. “Help to Buy is just one of the many effective tools we have to help people realise their dream of home ownership,” she says. “There are so many people who can comfortably afford monthly mortgage repayments, but are struggling to save large deposits, and Help to Buy means they can now become homeowners.

“We also offer 95% mortgages through the NewBuy scheme, we have Part Exchange and the easymover incentive which helps people sell their home and our own shared equity scheme on selected developments. Whether someone’s a first-time buyer, looking to move up in the world or downsize, we can offer them help, and that is one of the most satisfying aspects of my job.”

To find your perfect First home, browse the latest homes by Taylor Wimpey on SmartNewHomes