Selling homes is about more than getting the visuals right: it also requires a deep understanding of the whole customer journey, from how you communicate verbally with clients through to giving them information that builds their trust in you as their developer. That’s why iCreate works with TwoCan, a consultancy specialising in new homes run by Andrea Gardner, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the housing sector. Andrea’s career has seen her sell out many successful developments comprising thousands of homes, in both the corporate world and that of a family-run business.

As a board director for a South Wales-based luxury housebuilder, Andrea was instrumental in growing and developing brands, helping them gain a positive reception from home buyers and from the neighbourhoods surrounding their developments. Andrea’s passion for housing is embedded in her DNA. She runs her consultancy with long-term colleague and business partner Clare Brown, whose experience at the opposite end of the developer spectrum makes the two a perfect team. Their mission is to iron out all the bumps in the road on the path to selling every property in a development. As Andrea puts it, “We’re there to sift out gremlins between the developer and the scheme they’re about to launch.” Andrea works directly with iCreate to ensure all information prepared for the developer, including brochures and online content, is on-message, makes deliverable promises, and covers all bases. Her understanding of the whole home building and selling process means she’s aware of all the regulations, policies, supply hiccups, practical issues and customer expectations that can make or break your bottom line. She can help with sales support, marketing strategy, marketing materials and more.

Her work begins with sitting down with the developer to assess what’s needed for their business.
“Every developer knows what they want, and when they want it, but because I am independent, I can be emotionally detached and help them understand what they want versus what they need, in order to determine their marketing spend,” she says. “I bring an understanding of what the buyer will require, what buying a new house means to them, and the need for the developer to be clear on factors such as specifications so that the people who are selling the homes for them know exactly what they are selling - otherwise people are catching up on these things after they’ve landed on site. I’m a great believer in setting out a clear pathway so that you’ve set your stall out at the very beginning and there is no confusion for the customer later on.”

Besides helping to determine what goes into the brochure and on your website, she advises on how to talk to customers face to face, online and on the phone, and how to set out the process so they understand the steps they will go through before moving into their new home. She can also advise on specifications and pricing of developments, ensuring the developer hits the sweet spot where regulations are met, customer expectations are met or exceeded, and the price is right. “It’s not wise to do just enough and charge the highest price, because that can lose you customers,” she says. “Some decisions can be make or break. For instance, making a decision to downgrade a specification could mean the customer decides they may as well spend their money doing up the house they already have.”

TwoCan is a thoroughly modern business built on an understanding of the latest trends and requirements, and the realities of budgets and pricing. Andrea has worked with iCreate for over 15 years and is one of its most trusted consultants: the two businesses share a commitment to moving with the times and delivering on promises. “iCreate and I work together to get things done quickly,” says Andrea. “It’s all about relationships, confidence and knowing that when I ask for something, iCreate is almost in my head, understanding what I need. They understand that whatever’s happening in their word is probably outdated after three months, so they stay up to date with everything. They are definitely top choice in terms of reliability, experience and loyalty.”