LAND & NEW HOMES CONSULTANTS
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THOMAS MAE We work with market-leading estate agents and house builders to help them nurture and develop their existing Land & New Homes operations, and to identify and exploit fresh opportunities.
Allow me to introduce you to Thomas Mae
Are you making the most of Land & New Homes?
Ours is a consultancy that’s built on an unrivalled combination of experience, insight and inspiration, and what we do is help estate agents and house builders capitalise on growing Land & New Homes demand.
CONTENTS Introducing Thomas Mae The benefits of a Land & New Homes business
3 4
Our services Consultancy Land Aquisition & Disposal Land & New Homes network Research & Marketing Investment opportunities
5 6 8 9 11 12
How we work Box Clever? Reasons to choose Thomas Mae
13 14 15
The market has never been in better shape, and having previously run a highly-successful New Homes Department for an award winning respected Estate Agency for over 13 years, I established Thomas Mae to encourage smarter ways of working and to promote sustainable future growth. My team and I have the expertise and experience to understand what makes your business tick and the contacts and strategies to make it work even harder for you. Plus, if you’re starting from scratch, we’ve got the insight and the ideas to help you hit the ground running.
We’ve had fantastic, proven results working with agents in London and the Home Counties, with coverage in over 70 areas. Our exclusive way of working enables agents to work collaboratively – yet not competitively – and to reap the rewards of a thriving market. Another highly-successful aspect of our business is delivering effective land training to existing residential agency staff, which has resulted in the identification of hundreds of previously-untapped land opportunities. It all adds up to a unique package that I am convinced will help you achieve your Land & New Homes objectives. Read on to find out more, and if I can be of help, I’d welcome the chance to discuss your particular needs and the opportunities available to you.
Kevin Ellis Kevin Ellis - Founder, Thomas Mae
LAND & NEW HOMES
LAND & NEW HOMES
THE BENEFITS OF A LAND & NEW HOMES BUSINESS
There’s no doubt that a Land & New Homes operation is now an essential part of modern estate agency. It provides sustainable growth and can often generate multiple ‘wins’ from the same site.
GENERATE LAND FEE INCOME
Are you aware of the opportunities?
Ultimately, it’s a shift in approach from the conventional estate agency sales archetype and when your team is familiar with the investment market and the processes involved, your profits should start to snowball.
GROW YOUR BUSINESS INTO NEW AREAS
INCOME AND PROFIT FROM NEW HOME SALES
GROW YOUR LETTINGS BUSINESS
It’s entirely possible for an agent to receive land fee income from the original site, then to get the commission from the subsequent property sale and then – if it has been sold to a buy-to-let investor – capitalise on the lettings fees.
As a working example, one of the agencies we worked with recently converted a simple valuation on a single property into a subject-to-planning offer which will hopefully see 26 private houses built – along with further affordable housing. The fees just on this one site for our estate agency client were: • Land Acquisition fee: £63,700 • Sales fees for new units: £182,000 The icing on the cake for the negotiator in the local office who spotted the site? A land commission from his employers of £3,185.
NEW HOMES EXPERTS
KUDOS AND CREDIBILITY
PART EXCHANGES AND RESALES INCREASE MARKET SHARE
OUR SERVICES
CONSULTANCY
Are you giving yourself the best possible chance of success?
OUR SERVICES How can we help your business?
The Land & New Homes market is booming, with healthy and sustained demand from house builders. Yet many estate agents have found it difficult to turn a healthy profit, due to a variety of common factors. We help agents recognise these factors and institute trusted processes that will help their businesses thrive. It’s the beating heart of what we do at Thomas Mae, and we’re the only consultancy in the country to offer this valuable service. And reassuringly, we are results-oriented and always accountable – we appreciate just how important Return On Investment is to today’s agency owners. Our objective is to create or develop a successful Land & New Homes brand within each business. To achieve this, our approach is diligent and far-reaching and focuses on fostering the unique skills and strategies required for this thriving sector.
We’ll appraise and train the staff you currently employ and, if necessary, help you recruit a specialised team that is capable of delivering real results. From there, we’ll help you install or refine the critical processes your business needs to thrive, including: • Implementing development strategies • Carrying out effective land searches • Monitoring planning applications • Conducting worthwhile feasibility studies • Producing compelling content for marketing literature Above all, we’ll impress upon your team the value of foresight and of installing mid- to long-term strategies that will garner a sustainable and profitable Land & New Homes business model.
OUR SERVICES
OUR SERVICES
LAND ACQUISITION & DISPOSAL
Are you ahead of the game? When it comes to buying or selling land, our unique expertise and network of contacts means that we excel in initiating the conversations that result in done deals. DEVELOPERS For house builders and developers looking to acquire sites, we can help identify often-overlooked parcels of land, locate the owners, initiate sales discussions and secure the best possible price (often with positive payment terms). LANDOWNERS If you own a property or piece of land that may have potential, we can offer advice and insight
LAND & NEW HOMES NETWORK
Are you open to every opportunity? that will help you maximise its value. We work with developers in every sector – from affordable housing through to commercial developments – and can help you navigate the planning system (where necessary) and negotiate with potential partners such as house builders.
House builders actively seek out agents with proven experience in new homes sales and a track record for identifying and supplying land opportunities. When faced with two competing agents, they’ll select the one with the backing of an established, reputable network.
AGENTS We’ll share our experience and expertise in this arena with your staff, and train them to identify valuable land opportunities and then convert them into profit. With our guidance, your team will acquire the skills necessary to exploit your local markets and to further develop your new homes department.
Ours is such a network. Through our consultancy work, we’ve hand-picked an approved panel of independent estate agents to market and sell new homes in each of their core areas.
We work with house builders and developers in every sector from affordable housing, residential house builders through to mixed use developments
These agents all boast the specific expertise and experience that house builders are looking for, and the support of the Thomas Mae brand means that even the smallest agencies are able to access sales opportunities previously denied to them.
Conversely, larger agencies can improve their reach and boost market penetration. Our on-the-ground assessment of the shifting marketplace means that we can help you discover untapped opportunities and joint venture partnerships, while our established communication network will keep you informed of potentiallyprofitable developments. Plus, the New Homes Network’s unique way of working means that non-competing agents can identify and exploit valuable opportunities collaboratively. By working together, our members can offer a wider range of services and create an attractive package that will suit the explicit needs of any developer.
Our members can offer a wider range of services and create an attractive package that will suit the explicit needs of any developer and house builder
OUR SERVICES
OUR SERVICES
RESEARCH & MARKETING STRATEGIES
Have you got every angle covered?
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Are you exploiting every revenue stream?
Putting a foot wrong in the Land & New Homes marketplace can often be costly, and the profitability of a site can be compromised by a number of variables.
of competitors’ schemes. We’ll appraise pricing on a plot-by-plot or house type basis, offer house type optimisation observations, a SWOT analysis, and identify further opportunities to maximise values.
We eliminate those variables through research and by implementing effective marketing strategies. It’s an essential service for estate agents looking to pitch for new developments or house builders with plans to expand, and it’s informed by our unrivalled experience and expertise.
Meanwhile, our sales and marketing strategies are similarly comprehensive, and include all of the above analyses in addition to coordinating a bespoke advertising and event programme. This often includes press, Direct Mail, PR, digital marketing, sales rates, and phased releases.
Our land acquisition reports assess every risk factor, from local demand and market trends, to possible planning issues and minimising the effect
Whichever route you choose, our advice and insight is driven by an appreciation of the importance of your bottom line.
Whichever route you choose, our advice and insight is driven by an appreciation of the importance of your bottom line
Key to establishing and running a successful Land & New Homes business is to recognise and develop every opportunity available to you. We’ve got the insight and experience to help you achieve this. Ultimately, the Land & New Homes model is one that’s built on long-term gain and when your team is confident with the investment market, its processes and people, you will start to reap considerable rewards. At the same time, you’ll create a culture that brings the sales and lettings departments closer together.
Investor buyers are critical to the success of your business and we will show you how to exploit your existing database and attract high quality landlords by offering solid, viable propositions. We’ll also explain how you can help these investors to maximise their returns, through support and advice on rents, yields, property types, tenant demand and local demographics. Plus, you’ll discover how to foster relationships with major house builders and developers so that you can advise your landlords to capitalise on off-plan development opportunities.
Recognise and develop every oppor tunity available to you – we’ve got the insight and experience to help you achieve this
THE THOMAS MAE WAY Do your staff know what to look for?
The house builders we are seeking to develop relationships with have excellent in-house resources, and they have been pleasantly surprised with some of the opportunities that we have been able to present and are currently delivering.
When we begin work with new estate agency clients, we typically embark on training sessions with all their staff (at every level of the business, from branch administrators to directors). The purpose of these sessions is firstly to make them aware of the commitment that the business owners are making by developing and evolving a Land & New Homes department, but also – and just as importantly – to coach everyone on what makes a great land lead. In some instances house builders have kindly given their time to come along and demonstrate
good case studies, and these visits have made for some lively sessions with an overall outcome of an overwhelming focus from everyone, which has in turn resulted in literally hundreds of leads. Clearly, not all of those leads will bear fruit, but the job for us and the Land & New Homes teams we are working with, is to focus on the most realistic opportunities. The house builders we are seeking to develop relationships with have excellent in-house resources, and they have been pleasantly surprised with some of the opportunities that we have been able to present and are currently delivering.
10 REASONS TO CHOOSE THOMAS MAE INTRODUCING BOX CLEVER
How can we make a difference to your business? 1
We deliver solid advice and proven strategies through training, consultancy and advocacy.
Are you in-the-know?
2
We’re results-driven. We appreciate that you need accountability and want to see a real Return On Investment.
We have applied our market-leading insight and experience to Box Clever – an innovative resource for agents on how to run a successful Land & New Homes operation.
3
We can help you discover untapped opportunities and joint venture partnerships.
4
Our support network means that even the smallest agencies are able to access major sales prospects.
5
Our unique way of working means that non-competing agents can work collaboratively towards valuable goals.
6
Our sure-footed, experienced approach will prevent you from making costly mistakes.
7
We can train your existing residential agency staff to identify where the previously-untapped land opportunities lie.
8
We have over two decades’ experience in the industry and have helped transform this once-underexploited sector.
9
We have developed Box Clever – an innovative online resource for agents on how to run a successful Land & New Homes operation.
Available to estate agency clients up and down the country, it features online guides, videos, blogs, and all our know-how distilled into an exclusive, off-the-shelf package. Contact us today to find out more about how Box Clever can boost your Land & New Homes operation – wherever you are.
10
We can help you build worthwhile relationships with key investor buyers, landlords, major house builders and developers.
Are you serious about Land & New Homes? We are. If you’re planning to install or expand a Land & New Homes operation, considering selling some land, or simply looking for expert advice and insight, we can help. Get in touch today: 0203 411 6777
info@thomasmae.co.uk
www.thomasmae.co.uk