Tag Archives for " property developer "

Berkeley Group – the innovative urban property developer

We’ve worked with Berkeley for over 15 years now

The team have a long association with Berkeley being responsible for over 500 sales in the time we have worked together. They are one of our most respected and closest Developer Partners and we continue to sell their developments through each phase. We cannot speak highly enough of their quality build, attention to detail and all round value for money. They are masters at large scale regeneration and this above all else is the reason I hold onto their coat tails.

Moving forward with creativity focussed on the customer

The Berkeley Group is one of the UK’s most innovative development companies. With a strong land bank including quality brownfield sites, its focus is on developing sustainable communities. Its bias towards urban regeneration is central to its business, with a target of building over 95% of its development of luxury properties on brownfield land. Home buyers and property investors know that when they buy a Berkeley home, they are investing to withstand the test of time.

From humble beginnings, a world-class developer grows

Today, Berkeley is the leading developer in the South of England. When it was founded in 1976, not even the founders could have envisaged how big the group would grow. In that first year, the company built four single homes. Its turnover was £121,000, and it made a profit of £21,000. Within ten years, Berkeley was listed on the London Stock Exchange with a market value of £67 million.

Today, the group consists of six luxury property developers: Berkeley, St George, St James, St Edward, St William and St Joseph. Though each group is run autonomously, they all strive for the same results –­ the creation of new homes, in mixed-use developments of exceptional quality in the most desirable locations.

Where you invest in a Berkeley home, you can be assured it is built on a development that has been designed to establish a sense of place. These are not simply developments. They are communities, whether medium to large-scale developments in towns, cities and the countryside, executive homes, mixed-use schemes, riverside apartments, or refurbished historic buildings and urban loft spaces. Whichever type of property is developed by Berkeley; the name is synonymous with quality and excellence.

A southern developer expanding into the Midlands

Berkeley’s traditional strength has been in the development of quality homes in the South of England. It’s different brands has been developed to highlight their strengths and geographical prowess. For example:

• St Edward was established as a joint venture between Berkeley and Prudential. It delivers unique residential developments in London and the South of England.
• St George specialises in transforming brownfield land. In London, this brand is identified with producing high-quality, mixed-use sustainable regeneration.
• St William is a joint venture with National Grid. It will leverage off National Grid’s amazing brownfield portfolio in London and has plans to develop 7,000 new homes in the capital over the next 14 years.

Its latest brand, St Joseph, has been created to expand Berkeley’s reach to the attractive development markets in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Berkeley – a property developer at the forefront of innovation

Berkeley’s reputation for build excellence is matched by its reputation as an innovator. It set up an innovation fund, encouraging pioneering ideas to help the build process and reduce construction-related risks. To date, this fund has awarded more than £1 million to 10 pioneering ideas. These include a device to prevent back injuries and a detector of hand/arm vibrations – a problem which affects more than 300,000 workers in the UK.

Berkeley moving into the modular home building will excite many property investors. Rooms will be designed and built in a factory, before being shipped to the development site and erected by a traditional workforce. Build time will be reduced by 19 weeks. The first such homes will receive their debut at Berkeley’s Kidbrooke Village development, where they will sit alongside traditionally built homes.

When announcing the plans, Berkeley’s Karl Whiteman told The Times: “Our ambition is that the finished quality will be as good as traditionally built homes that have been built on the site. They look exactly like a traditional home. The customer will not be able to tell the difference.”

Berkeley’s focus on excellence is regularly recognised

Berkeley’s developments have been awarded numerous accolades. Most recently, at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards on May 19^th 2017, Berkeley Homes, St Edward and St James were successful in winning awards for:

• ‘Best Conversion (Large Scale)’, for St Joseph’s Gate
• ‘Best Conversion (Small Scale)’, for Fitzroy Gate
• ‘Best Luxury Home’, for Abell and Cleland Penthouse

The group also won a plethora of awards in several categories at the What House Awards in November 2016. These included awards for Best Public Realm, Best Regeneration Scheme, Best Luxury Development, Best Large Housebuilder, and Best Mixed-Use Development.

A property developer focused on the customer

In 2016, Berkeley won the ‘ABa Quality Monitoring Customer Focus Award, Large Enterprise’. The judges said, “Berkeley shone through because of its complete customer-centricity. Customer service is the responsibility of everyone at Berkeley and is underpinned by a professional and efficient Customer Charter.”

Little wonder that Berkeley won several awards at the British Homes Awards in October 2015, including the coveted prize of ‘Homebuilder of the Year’ – the second time it had been named as such.

Where can investors buy a new build Berkeley home?

Berkeley builds homes across its brands in a range of price points. It has dozens of developments underway in London, the South East, and now Birmingham and the West Midlands. These include gems such as:

• The Waterside at Royal Worcester
• Victory Pier in Kent
• Royal Arsenal Riverside in London
• Kidbrooke Village in London
• Beaufort Park in London
• One Tower Bridge
• Wimbledon Hill Park
• Vista
• Chiswick Gate
• Heritage Walk
• Fitzroy Gate (houses)
• Brewery Gate (houses)
• 375 Kensington High Street

Berkeley is Britain’s fourth most admired company across all sectors and has contributed more than £2 billion to community facilities in the last five years. With land suffice for around 40,000 plots, you can be sure that Berkeley’s potential to deliver quality homes in quality locations will remain undiminished.

Live with passion,

Brett Alegre-Wood

Property developer? Here’s how to pump up your development profits

Property developer? Cut your costs, improve finances, pump profits and build quicker

We’re often asked how we manage to achieve the results we do for a property developer and investors. Higher profits for property developers and investors is an equation that some find difficult to fathom. Using our unique approach and targeted marketing, we’ve found that new build development sales and investment are not a zero-sum game – it is possible to build in benefits for all.

Here, you’ll learn about our approach and how it helps both property developers and investors to increase their profits.

Developing a targeted and smart marketing strategy

Before our property consultants approach our UK and overseas investor client base, our team will have conducted the in-depth research for which we are renowned. We’ll have done our homework on your new build development, its location, planned infrastructure, and local authority support for business and employment. By the time we market your property to investors, the message is clear and straightforward:

“It’s a great and exclusive investment opportunity, in a prime location which benefits from the factors that promote exceptional long-term capital growth and rental income potential.”

What investors get when buying a property developer’s off-plan property Castlereach

We’ve been helping property developers reach high net worth investors for many years. Our track record is evidence that we work with the best developers in the UK and source property in the best places to invest in property UK. While this is great news for investors, on its own it’s not enough to compel them to invest.

Our approach creates its market.

Because of the extensive research that we undertake, when a Castlereach property consultant approaches an investor, the investor knows it’s a call that must be taken:

• They know that what we’re about to offer them is an exclusive off-plan property opportunity to invest in great property.
• We understand each client’s needs and objectives.
• We keep in touch with them to remain onboard with their changing circumstances.
• The property investment opportunities that an investor receives from us are always in sync with the investor’s financial ability and investment objectives.

It is a powerful combination that informs our marketing process. It’s the smart way to market your development. It’s less work for our property consultants, who spend their time more productively. No cold calling. No blanket marketing. Instead, Castlereach property consultants have meaningful conversations with investors that are interested in buying fantastic property in prime locations for long-term gain.

What property developers get when selling off-plan property through Castlereach

Because we are so in tune with what investors want from a property investment, we provide several key advantages to the property developers with whom we partner.

For a start, our process of identifying developments that are viable for investment is, in a great part, informed by the needs of our investor database. Knowing the type of property that these investors want and their objectives for it means that we can make a decision very quickly.

We are also able to tailor our bulk purchase to your needs. While we are often able to pre-purchase an entire development, we’re also flexible enough to make smaller-scale commitments. For the property developer, the risk of a single purchasing commitment falling through and crushing the whole development is eliminated.

The speed and flexibility with which we operate also pump cash into your development when it is needed. You can clear debt faster and finance the development more easily. Your reputation and profit margins are maintained, as you complete developments within time and budget. This greater build efficiency enables you to move to the next project more quickly. (Of course, this has the added benefit of adding new build stock to the UK market.)

Each purchase is effectively underwritten, and this provides certainty of sales and cash flow. When we commit to a development, the investors we sell to are committed to proceeding on the schedule provided. Our commitment to the development instils confidence in the investor’s mindset. We walk them through the potential and the numbers, and our due diligence process ensures that developers benefit from only the most committed purchasers.

All property developers want lower costs and faster sales

Without the need to pay sales agents and expensive show homes before beginning the sales process, a property developer’s marketing and sales costs are slashed. Together with our scalability and speed of execution, this enables the developer to offer a discount that further enthuses property investors, while the developer makes healthy margins.

Our position and strength is a pivot that creates a mutually beneficial partnership between the developer, Castlereach, and property investors in the UK and overseas.

All this and more for property developers…

In summary, when you work with Castlereach property developers enjoy the experience as well as:

• A professional and streamlined marketing approach that sells out your development fast
• A sales and marketing process that meets your financial and time-based objectives
• Reduced costs as expensive sales agents and marketing processes are eliminated
• The elimination of expensive commissions paid to sales agents
• Decreased development turnaround time
• More effective financing options
• Peace of mind as pre-sales provide certainty of cash flow and deposits provide early-stage cash injection

When you work with Castlereach, you break ground quicker and with greater certainty. Pre-sales will also provide other financing options with greater confidence.

Contact us today on  + 44 207 923 5680 and discover how we are also able to help you with your marketing strategy and sales structuring to maximise your profits. You’ll soon discover why developers with whom we’ve worked look forward to partnering on new developments.

Live with Passion,

Brett Alegre-Wood