Marc Da Silva speaks to Stephen Cleveley of Persimmon Homes West Midlands
Name and business title: Stephen Cleveley, Sales Director, Persimmon Homes West Midlands.
Where is your firm developing new homes? We have developments open across Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands, including Telford, Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton where we have two major regeneration projects in Bilston and at the former Goodyear site. We are also due to open new developments in Great Barr, Lawley, Edgbaston and Sheldon.
We operate under the Persimmon Homes, Charles Church and Westbury Homes brands.
What types of properties are Persimmon Homes developing? Persimmon specialises in traditional family homes and apartments, suitable for first time buyers, those looking to climb the property ladder and downsizers.
We are also committed to delivering homes that exceed environmental legislative requirements and have introduced a number of sustainable solutions both within the design of developments and inside the homes themselves.
How much does a property by Persimmon Homes cost to buy? Prices range from as little as £105,000 to over £300,000.
What makes a property by Persimmon Homes stand out from the crowd? We pride ourselves on delivering well-designed homes, built in the locations people want to live, to a consistently high standard and offering excellent value for money.
Have you noticed any particular buying trends recently? Like every housebuilder, we've been through a tough few years, and the biggest challenge has been helping people struggling to secure a mortgage. Initiatives such as FirstBuy and the NewBuy 95% mortgage scheme have made a real difference to people, opening up the finances to first time buyers and those looking to trade up. Part Exchange continues to be the key to helping many people move out of their existing property into one of our fabulous new homes.
Is your company currently offering any incentives or discounts to home buyers? We work closely with individual buyers to find the best purchasing options to suit their needs. We regularly offer deals to help with stamp duty or legal costs. On some plots we can also include carpets, finishing touches or turf, to help the buyer settle into their new home more quickly and easily.
Which Persimmon Homes development potentially offers the best property investment prospects? All of them! We have a lot of investor interest at Akron Gate in Wolverhampton, but we also expect the homes at Abbots Field to be a wise investment - they are currently offered from as little as £131,500 and, when regeneration of this area of Bilston is complete, this will be a really desirable place to own a property.
We are just launching a brand new Charles Church apartment block in Edgbaston, The Edg, which has already attracted significant investor interest, so we anticipate many of the plots will be secured off-plan.
What is Persimmon Homes' USP? Our company mantra is ‘together we make a home' and we really do work closely with purchasers to ensure they get the keys to a home that is so much more than just bricks and mortar.
Has Persimmon Homes ever won a What House Award? Not to my knowledge. But with the exciting new developments we have coming up in 2013, I'm sure we could field some very strong contenders.
