A new website aimed at dominating the market for New Homes sales will soon be launched
WWW.NEW-HOMES.CO.UK
www.new-homes.co.uk is a website promoting new homes for sale. The objective is to allow potential purchasers the ability to obtain as much information as possible about the availability of new homes for sale, increase the volume of hits on member websites, encourage more site visits and, ultimately, increase sales. The site is owned by the HBF Ltd and managed by the New Homes Marketing Board (NHMB).
The site will be:
· The most comprehensive listing of solely new homes for sale - providing a focussed site for potential purchasers;
· A long-term cost effective solution for the industry;
· An inclusive (rather than exclusive) site which will allow members freedom to pursue other opportunities for internet advertising if they so wish.
· It will not be driven by a requirement to make a profit but rather as a service to the industry and the consumer.
BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE SITE
Potential purchasers visiting the site will input minimal search criteria (minimum of location, price range and number of beds required). The search will return brief details of developments meeting the criteria. (The matching developments are displayed in a random order to ensure equality between members). Selection of one of the developments will take the potential purchaser directly to the related page of the housebuilders website or, for members without a website, to a standard details form.
FUNDING
A levy specifically associated with the website will be charged through an annual payment based on the previous year’s completion figure. This will fund the maintenance and promotion of the site in year 1 and 2, and from year 3 also future development of the site. Any profits retained will be carried forward for future use. Levy rates for the first 3 years are provisionally:
Less than 100 homes per year £5 per house (minimum £100)
100 – 2,500 homes per year £3.50 per house
2,500 + homes per year £2.50 per house
Maximum £25,000
PROMOTION
The launch to the public will begin shortly before Easter, with a PR campaign, principally through the extensive amount of free advertorial offered to the NHMB.
The site will rely on being intuitive and promoted through web based search engines and web-crawlers rather than a “big budget” advertising campaign, as it is both economic and effective.
Since it is only the URL (domain name) that requires advertisement, text only, small box adverts concentrating on national and key regional press property pages and in selected magazines will be a relatively low cost campaign available within a budget of approximately £100,000 pa
In year 1 and 2 a projected £100,000 will be allotted to advertising with more added if the funds are available and the advertising is required.