Lauren Angus - Sales Director at Miller Homes North East
Here, Lauren shares her route to her current role – and her passion for the industry.
What is about the housing industry that made you want to work in it?
I have always had a passion for property, starting from when I was very young. I remember as a child visiting show homes with my parents when they were looking for inspiration for interiors. As I got older and while studying for my degree at university I decided I wanted to sell new build homes part time and found I was successful at it. My career grew from there moving into marketing roles and then full circle back to sales and overseeing everything in-between.
How has the property market changed?
How we buy houses has changed- when I started selling new build homes we didn’t even have computers on site, it was arch lever files a pen and a phone. Today this looks a lot different – tech enhancements mean we’re able to provide our customers with a much better experience.
Often with new build homes customers are buying offplan and up to a year ahead of their home being complete. Miller has an innovative approach offering some of the best visualisation software in the industry. In April we launched a new website customers can walk down 3D CGI images of the streets and into plots virtually to view the homes before they are built – I don’t know any other builder who offers this on this scale.
Why are new builds so popular?
New build homes offer buyers a hassle-free option there are no hidden repair or maintenance costs that you may find with second hand homes, we give extended build and aftercare warranties for peace of mind and customer move into a blank canvas ready to make it their own.
Customers also have so many more buying options when compared to the second hand market. With our new builds we can help people through a multitude of buying schemes and without these many people either couldn’t get on the property ladder or move home.
We’ve also seen lenders are huge supporters of new build we’ve seen – LTV (Loan to Value) improve, with 95% mortgage products available from more lenders against new build homes.
There are also specialist products such as green mortgages – something I think we’ll see evolve over the years as the energy efficiently of new build homes gets even better meaning running costs are lower, which in turn leaves more money in customers pockets.
What is it about Miller Homes North East that made you want to work there?
Miller have always had an excellent reputation in the industry and across the North East, not only as a house builder but also as an employer. There is a strong focus on our customers too holding the 5 star builder status for over 10 years – that’s something we’re all proud to be part of.
How does the future look for Miller Homes in the North East?
Miller will continue to focus on what it does best which is building high-quality homes on developments designed to allow communities to flourish. In the North East this means the launch of more new build schemes in 2025 and 2026. We will continue to invest in technology to support our customers on their buying journey and support the communities in which we operate through our community fund.
What current developments are underway?
We currently have 11 live developments across the North East, spanning from Bedlington to Durham with new launches planned later this year and into 2026. Our focus is building quality homes in areas where people want to live and our product range spans from two to five bedroom properties.
Which ones are you most excited about?
We’ve a beautiful scheme in Chapel Garth, Sunderland called Blakeney Green. This site is an extension to the new build development my parents bought a home on when I was at school.
It’s been amazing to go back and see the high level of investment over recent years and how the area has evolved. It’s a stunning development set in a fantastic established community and next to some of the best schools in the city. I have such happy memories of growing up here and there is something special about being part of creating the next community in this area.
www.millerhomes.co.uk