One-on-One Interview: Matthew Storey of Storey Homes

Marc Da Silva speaks to Matthew Storey of Storey Homes.

Name and business title: Matthew Storey, Director, Storey Homes.

Where is your firm developing new homes? We are currently building new homes in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire.

What types of properties is Storey Homes building? We are developing a variety of new homes, from refurbished Georgian style properties to new build apartments and houses for first-time buyers.

How much does a Storey Homes home cost to buy? We have quite a wide variety of properties available with prices starting from £209,950 for a two-bedroom apartment rising to £449,950 for a four-bedroom villa style home.

What makes a Storey Homes home stand out from the crowd? We always look for sites which are a bit different, not only to create a challenge for ourselves but so that we can design and develop interesting new homes for our purchasers. We try to move away from the standard house types and instead focus more on building bespoke homes.

Have you noticed any particular buying trends recently? Interestingly we have seen more downsizers in the last few months than we have in the last few years. Many are in their late 60s and moving in order to release some equity, but they still want to live somewhere that is of a high specification.

Is your company currently offering any incentives or discounts to homebuyers? Yes, we are running the FirstBuy initiative at The Limes in Ampthill at the moment.

Which Storey Homes development potentially offers the best property investment prospects? The Limes offers the best investment prospects and we have had a number of buyers purchase for that reason. At the moment rental figures is £850 per month based on renting one of the remaining two-bedroom apartments priced at £209,950.

What is Storey Homes' USP? Our USP is a combination of design and location. It may be something that many developers promote, however, just looking at our developments it is clear to see that location and design really do come first. The refurbishment of the Georgian villas at Lansdowne Road in Bedford is a true testament to this.

Has Storey Homes ever won a What House? Award? Not to date, but we hope to be able to focus on entering the What House? Awards next year.