Sales boom reported in Yorkshire new homes

A housebuilder in Yorkshire has seen ‘significant’ sales rates in the year’s first quarter with almost all properties now being bought offplan.

Miller Homes, with seven developments in the region, has reported that it is now at 80 per cent sold for the year, all within the first 12 weeks.

“The initial lockdown proved a challenge for many in the housebuilding sector,” said regional sales manager Sarah Whinfrey. “But since then we have seen customers remain eager to view, buy and move into our homes without hesitation at all resulting in forward sold figures that have not been seen for many years.”

Commenting on the stamp duty holiday, with purchase tax suspended on the first £500,000 of all sales until the end of June, she said this “undoubtedly” impacted, inspiring people to perhaps move quicker than they might otherwise have done.

“Our buyers have decided to seize the moment and get on with living their lives – buying, and then enjoying, a new home is one thing that been a positive from the pandemic,” she said.

Miller Homes has seven developments under way across the Yorkshire and Humber region, including in Bramhope, Wakefield, Thorpe Willoughby, Drighlington and Apperley Bridge.

It expects to complete on 341 private units this year.

During the last few months the group has been taking reservations on homes that are billed for completion in the latter half of the year and into 2022.

“The concern was that the housing market would be adversely affected due to the pandemic when in actual fact the opposite has happened,” said Ms Whinfrey. “Spending so much time in our homes has reinforced how important they are to us and as many of us have had to learn to work, teach and study from home.”