Dundas Estates, which is also due to build its 2000th property in the coming year, is aiming to replicate the customer service approach of marque car-brands, leaving behind the traditional, incentivised-sales approach of developers that has “changed little in 50 years”.
The Livingston-headquartered firm believes it is perfectly positioned, as one of a handful of independent developers of scale operating in Scotland, meaning that it can more radically adapt and modernise the culture of its business.
Craig Fairfoull, Head of Sales and Marketing at Dundas Estates, said: “While technology has brought video, virtual tours and interactive site maps, the actual mechanics of buying a home from a developer in Scotland has barely changed in decades.
“We’re now a mature and established builder. Changes won’t be overnight – but we want to move away from any notion of the pressure sales that buyers justifiably associate with our sector.
“Our sales advisers are increasingly becoming genuine product experts, more comparable to those in a top-end car showroom.
“Likewise, we are hearing that the customer experience offered by the PLC builders is perfunctory at best. We want to create homes that make people feel great – and that mantra has to permeate throughout our business, from identifying potential sites, right through to after care.”
In addition to a revamped sales process, Dundas is considering a range of new policies that it will introduce to provide a more rewarding house move, along with the launch of a new, client-centric website. It hopes a more straightforward, fun and inspiring approach will set it apart from rivals.
The housebuilder recently announced it will continue to offer the Help to Buy scheme in Scotland – where larger PLC’s will not – on all of its developments on properties up to £200,000.
The Livingston-based firm is on the verge of starting construction on a £35m development in Musselburgh, East Lothian which will provide 140 new apartments on the site of an historic wire mill that played a crucial role in Britain’s WW2 war effort.
Dundas Estates is also in the midst of constructing its flagship development Uphall Station Village in West Lothian. The development is around 20 minutes from Edinburgh’s city centre and will host 266 newly built homes.
Dundas Estates is a multi-award winning, friendly and independent homebuilder which creates homes that make people feel great. It is proudly independent and Scottish-owned, with a track record of building well-designed homes.
The developer is focused on building welcoming, integrated communities, and making the journey of buying a home more straightforward, inspiring and fun.