With the 2025 WhatHouse? Awards just a few weeks away, Rory Wilkinson, digital editor of Show House, sat down with Jason Howes, managing director of Connells Group Land & New Homes, to find out more about the company and what drew them to sponsor the Awards.
Tell us a little about Connells Group and your role at the company
Connells Group is the UK’s leading property services group, and we’re proud to have the largest estate agency network in the country – with over 1,200 branches nationwide, helping more than 100,000 customers every year. We also offer a broad range of property services covering the full property lifecycle, from surveys and valuations to conveyancing, auctions, PRS investment, asset management, commercial real estate, and of course, land and new homes.
I’ve recently stepped into the role of managing director for Connells Group Land & New Homes, after leading Sequence Land & New Homes for six years. Now, I’m responsible for bringing together our land and new homes teams across the entire group, including Sequence, Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons, John D Wood & Co., and Gascoigne Halman.
My focus is on harnessing the strength of our 200+ specialists, sharing best practice across the group, and making sure each of our brands stays competitive in their own markets. I also work closely with our estate agency teams to keep that strong connection between our branches and land & new homes teams, so we can continue delivering the very best service to our clients.
What role does Connells Group play in the housebuilding industry and how does it support developers?
At Connells Group, we see ourselves as more than just a service provider – we’re a partner to developers. We offer a genuine one stop shop, supporting them through every stage of the development journey. That means everything from land sourcing (both instructed and off-market) through to planning advice, pricing and layout optimisation, EPCs, valuations, and sales and marketing. We tailor our marketing plans to each site and can provide dedicated on-site staff to help drive results.
We work with a really diverse mix of clients, from national housebuilders and SME developers to those working on one-off plots. Our Auctions division is also a key part of our offering, especially when it comes to land disposal, and we use both traditional auctions and the Modern Method of Auction to give developers flexibility and reach.
One of our biggest strengths is our branch network and applicant database. It’s unmatched in the industry and gives our clients access to deep local insight and a wide pool of buyers. We also have specialist teams in affordable housing, with strong expertise in Section 106, helping Housing Associations meet their targets and deliver homes where they’re needed most.
Ultimately, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We work closely with each developer to create a bespoke offering that suits their specific needs and goals. It’s about being flexible, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in their success.
What was it that attracted you to sponsoring the WhatHouse? Awards?
We’ve been proud sponsors of the WhatHouse? Awards for many years now. It’s such a standout event in the industry, and it brings together hundreds of companies, many of whom are our clients. It’s always a fantastic opportunity to celebrate their success and show our support when they win, which they often do!
But it’s not just about the awards themselves. For us, it’s also a brilliant chance to connect with both existing and new clients, catch up with peers and reflect on what’s happening in the market. The conversations we have at the event are always insightful and energising – it’s a real highlight in the calendar for all of us who attend.
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How important are the WhatHouse? Awards to the housebuilding industry?
The WhatHouse? Awards are a really important moment for the industry. They give us a chance to recognise all the hard work and innovation that goes into housebuilding throughout the year, from the big national housebuilders to the smaller, independent developers.
What’s great is that it’s not just about scale – anyone can win, whether it’s a large multi-phase development or a beautifully crafted one-off home. There are so many categories that celebrate every part of the process, which makes it a brilliant platform, especially for SME developers.
It’s a real celebration of the talent, creativity and commitment across the sector, and it’s always inspiring to see what people are achieving.
What is your favourite part of attending the WhatHouse? Awards?
The excitement starts well before the event itself. As soon as we see the guest list, we’re already looking forward to catching up with clients and friends in the industry, especially those we haven’t seen in a while.
But the best part has to be seeing our clients and the developments we’ve worked with win awards. There’s no better feeling than knowing we’ve played a part in their success and being there to celebrate it with them. It’s a proud moment every time.
What does the future hold for Connells Group and how does sponsoring the Awards support that?
We’ve got big ambitions for the future. We already sell around 8,000 new homes a year, and we’re focused on growing that number while continuing to deliver the best possible service to our clients. It’s not just about volume – it’s about quality, relationships and results.
We’re also putting a lot of energy into expanding the land side of our business, which is such a vital part of the new homes process. Our experience has shown that a strong land pipeline feeds directly into a great new homes sales, so it’s a key area of growth for us. As is affordable housing – we have a unique, end-to-end proposition for registered providers and local authorities and we’re focused on expanding our reach to continue offering a variety of routes into homeownership.
Sponsoring the WhatHouse? Awards really supports us on this journey. It helps us stay connected with clients, celebrate their successes, and keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening across the industry. It’s a great way to reinforce our commitment to the sector and the people driving it forward.
