Thinking Differently About New Homes in a Changed Market.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

At a time when much of the property conversation is still framed around caution and constraint, some of the most interesting momentum is coming from those willing to rethink how development, pricing, marketing and sales are approached.

I sat down with Dan Harris, recently appointed Director of New Homes Sales at Hollis Morgan, in Clifton Village — a place that feels as much part of Dan’s professional story as the role itself. What followed was a refreshingly pragmatic conversation about land, demand, psychology and why the market is far from finished — it’s simply evolved.

Paul:
Dan, it feels fitting that we’re sitting down in Clifton Village. You moved back here in Q3 last year to join Hollis Morgan and head up New Homes Sales — almost a return to your spiritual home.

Dan:
It really is. Clifton’s always been my old stomping ground, both professionally and personally. I’ve worked in and around the village for years, and there’s a familiarity and energy here that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Walking out of the office into the mews, the cafés, the rhythm of the village — it genuinely lifts you. From a work point of view, that matters more than people realise. When you enjoy where you’re based, you bring a better version of yourself to clients and colleagues alike. Spiritually and professionally, it feels like coming home.

Paul:
When people hear Hollis Morgan, auctions tend to come to mind first. But New Homes is a much bigger part of the business than many people realise.

Dan:
That’s absolutely right. The auction arm is hugely successful — the largest in the South West — and rightly so, it’s a phenomenal business. But what sometimes gets overlooked is that Hollis Morgan is a far broader property advisory business than just auctions. There’s a very strong residential arm and a serious New Homes and land operation.

One of our challenges — but also one of our biggest opportunities — is changing that perception. We’re not trying to step away from auctions; quite the opposite. We’re leveraging that success to strengthen everything else. New Homes sits naturally alongside auctions because of the sheer volume of sites, land, and opportunities that flow through the business every week.

Paul:
So what was the real driver for you personally in making the move?

Dan:
Land supply. That was the deciding factor for me. You can have the best sales team in the world, but without a consistent pipeline of land and development opportunities, a New Homes department will always struggle to gain traction.

I’ve worked in businesses where land supply was sporadic or overly competitive, and it becomes very difficult to build momentum. What immediately stood out at Hollis Morgan was the volume and diversity of opportunities coming through the door — many of them initially destined for auction, but with real development potential.

I joined at the same time as Pat Addison, our Director of Land Development, who is exceptional at what he does. He’s incredibly driven, commercially sharp, and very adept at unlocking opportunities that others might overlook. The way we work together means that when a site comes in, we’re having intelligent conversations very early on about its best route to market — auction, land, or development. That joined-up thinking is rare.

Paul:
That constant flow of land opportunity to developers is the Trojan horse, really.

Dan:
Exactly. Developers are crying out for fresh opportunities. They want those phone calls that start with, “This hasn’t hit the open market yet.” A site for five, seven, nine houses — those are gold dust.

Because of the way the business is structured here, those opportunities come thick and fast. That means I’m having more meaningful conversations with developers than I’ve had in years. And importantly, they’re not theoretical conversations — they’re real sites, real numbers, real opportunities.

Paul:
Let’s zoom out a little. We’re at the start of the year — how do you see the Bristol market right now, and where do you see it heading?

Dan:
Bristol has changed dramatically over the last decade, but particularly in the last few years. If you look at the skyline, the cranes tell the story. Almost all current development activity in the city centre is focused on the living sectors — build-to-rent, purpose-built student accommodation.

When I first started out, cranes meant open-market apartment schemes. Large developments selling six or seven units a month without breaking a sweat. That landscape has shifted completely. City-centre prices have largely plateaued, and in some cases softened. It’s a far more price-sensitive and cautious market.

What’s interesting, though, is what I call the ‘doughnut effect’ — the areas immediately surrounding the city centre. Places like BS5, BS3, BS2. These neighbourhoods benefit from proximity, character, and comparatively better value. Buyers are far more analytical now. They want to feel they’re getting a deal, and that’s where those areas come into their own.

Paul:
So that’s where you’re seeing the strongest momentum?

Dan:
Without question. Overall price growth in Bristol is forecast to sit somewhere between 2–4%, broadly in line with national averages. But that headline figure hides a lot of nuance. Growth won’t be uniform. The strongest performance will be in those fringe areas where the value gap between city-centre pricing and local amenity feels unjustified.

At the same time, Bristol remains one of the most attractive cities in the UK for institutional investment. It’s got scale, education, employment, lifestyle — all the fundamentals investors look for. Build-to-rent and student accommodation schemes perform extremely well here, with high occupancy and strong demand. There’s still significant headroom for growth in those sectors, and it’s an area we’re actively looking to expand into.

Paul:
What about developers — are they still buying sites with traditional private sale in mind, or are strategies shifting?

Dan:
Developers are definitely more cautious than they were, but demand for good sites hasn’t gone away. What has changed is the nature of what they’re looking for. There’s a strong appetite for smaller, well-located housing schemes — typically five to nine units — particularly around the city fringes and commuter-friendly locations like South Gloucestershire, North Bristol, and North Somerset.

These aren’t ultra-prime trophy homes. Bristol is very price-sensitive at the top end. Schemes work when homes are thoughtfully designed, sensibly sized, and priced in a way that buyers can rationalise.

Paul:
Your recently sold-through Kingswood scheme feels like a textbook example of that approach.

Dan:
It really is. We launched at £425,000 and the response was flat. No momentum. We reassessed, adjusted to £400,000, and completely changed the sales dynamic. By controlling viewings and creating energy on site, all eight houses sold within three weeks. The final three sold in less than one hour.

That wasn’t luck. It was about understanding buyer psychology. People want reassurance, but they also respond to urgency when value is clear. Every sale came from a first viewing. And importantly, the sales stuck.

Paul:
Developers have historically been stubborn on price because of build costs. Has that mindset shifted?

Dan:
Sensible developers understand that unsold stock is dead money. Finished homes cost money every day they sit there. Developers have to sell — they don’t have the luxury of waiting it out like some private vendors.

Our role is to guide pricing from the outset, backed by real-time market feedback. But price is only part of the equation. Everything has to be right — the approach to the site, the lighting, the first impression. Buyers decide very quickly whether they trust a scheme.

The best developers obsess over detail. How doors open, how sightlines work, how spaces are actually lived in. When you can explain those decisions to buyers, it builds immediate confidence. It shows care, thought, and quality beyond the surface finish.

Paul:
It’s thinking beyond the point of sale.

Dan:
Exactly. That’s what separates good developments — and good agents — from average ones. Anyone can open a door. Real value is created by understanding how people live, anticipating objections, and designing them out before a buyer even articulates them.

Paul:
Which brings us neatly back to the bigger message here. The market isn’t dead — it’s just changed.

Dan:
Completely. There are opportunities in every market if you’re prepared to adapt. Think differently. Move quicker. Be proactive. When developers and sales teams work collaboratively and intelligently, you don’t chase momentum — you create it.

Paul:
Dan, that feels like the perfect place to land. Thanks for the insight — and welcome home to Clifton.

Final Reflection

The narrative that “the market is dead” is an easy one to repeat — but as Dan’s experience makes clear, it’s also a lazy one. Buyers are still there. Developers are still active. What’s changed is the margin for error.

Success now sits at the intersection of land intelligence, pricing realism, design empathy and a sales process that understands human behaviour. Those willing to think harder, collaborate earlier, and adapt faster are not just surviving this market — they’re shaping what comes next.

It’s a philosophy increasingly shared by those working closest to the coalface of development and sales — and one we continue to see echoed across conversations at Oakfield and through partners operating at the sharper end of the residential market.

The question, perhaps, isn’t when the market will return — but whether you’ve already adjusted to the one that’s here.

Dan can be found in and around Clifton’s many coffee shops, or direct at:
https://www.hollismorgan.co.uk/team/danielharris.html and https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-4a224810b/