When it comes to establishing a new franchise, Sentinel Homes doesn’t just let anyone take on the job. Luckily for us, Anna and Greg Sinnott tick all the boxes that make for fantastic leaders, and have the skills and experience to lead an amazing team down south.
We had a conversation with Anna and Greg to learn more about the decision to join the Sentinel family and their approach to delivering outstanding homes throughout Dunedin and Central Otago.
Anna and Greg are no strangers when it comes to residential building across Otago, with nearly a decade of construction and franchise experience across the region. This has helped them build a great reputation with both clients and the local industry. As Greg puts it, “We’ve been doing this a long time, so we reckon we know what we’re doing. You’d hope you would after 19 years!”
This track record also extends to the team that they’ve put in place in the new franchise. “We've got a really experienced team across the board,” says Greg. “We have two very experienced project managers in Mike and Richard. They’re great communicators and they're very organised. We feel very fortunate to have those two.”
One of the other benefits Anna and Greg bring to the franchise is strong established relationships with quality contractors. “One of our building crews we’ve been using for about 15 years, and another for about 10. We've used the same plumber drain layer in Central Otago for 15 years.” Greg explains. “They’re just good people,” adds Anna. “We understand the value of good relationships with contractors, and it just works, you know.”
When it came to thinking about the next step in their careers, Anna and Greg wanted to stay in the industry they know and love. After having a short break, they went looking for a partnership that would tick all their boxes, and Sentinel Homes fit the bill perfectly. “Guy and Stuart at the top are just good humans - the fact that they’re really decent people at Sentinel was a big attraction for us,” Anna says.
Anna and Greg have already experienced the benefit of being a part of the Sentinel family for their clients. “When they're tapping into us they're tapping into a national body of knowledge,” Greg explains. “There's easily a dozen experienced people we can jump on the phone with just to check what we’re thinking and there'll be someone in the group who’s had a similar experience.”
Even though it’s early days, Anna and Greg already think they’ve made a great decision. “We've been on a conference already with Sentinel suppliers and so many times we heard from them that we’ve joined a great group.”
Although the franchise has only been operating since September, Anna and Greg have a clear vision of the key values they want to instil to ensure they deliver for their clients at every stage of the build process.
“Honesty and integrity. Those words get bandied around a lot, but that's the vibe with Sentinel,” says Greg. “We give clients the warts-and-all story from the start. There’s always a few bumps along the way, and it's our responsibility to ensure that they don't become headaches for the client.”
“But as Greg says, that’s our problem not their problem,” adds Anna. “We want people to enjoy building their home. I hate it when I hear people say ‘oh, we've heard that building is so stressful’. It totally does not have to be, if we're doing our job right, it doesn't need to be.”
When it comes to understanding each client’s unique wants and needs, the team draws on their vast experience and even their own personal journey building their own homes. “We've built a couple of times for ourselves so that actually helps,” explains Anna. “We’ve gone through different stages of our own life and lived in quite a few houses so you can kind of relate that to people. I’ve actually pulled out our own house plans that we've done before just to check on things that I think would be good.”
At the end of the day, Anna and Greg want their clients to love their home and to have maintained a great relationship throughout the process. “Having a glass of bubbles or a drink when you hand over the keys, that’s pretty cool,” says Greg. “You want to be able to do that at the end of the job. If you can't do that, well, something's gone horribly wrong.”
With a strong foundation already to grow from, Anna and Greg are really excited by what they can achieve in the region. “We've definitely got a renewed energy”, explains Anna. “We just feel enthusiastic and energised by the business.”
Looking to build your new home in the Otago region? Get in touch with Sentinel Homes today.
Let’s get together for a free, no-pressure meeting with one of our team, at your place or ours.
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