Industry experts will gather in Phoenix next week for the 12th Annual Southwest Builders Show to discuss how customers want their home to look and function as builders look to develop a niche that differentiates or folds into the push toward multifamily construction. Mollie Carmichael, senior vice president at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, Irvine, Calif., and Nick Lehnert, executive director at KTGY, will lead presentations at the show and share some of their insight below.
Carmichael: Research shows that today’s consumers not only prefer to purchase a single-family detached home over attached, but they also want a home that has a sleek, contemporary, sustainable design, with flexible open floor plans that capitalizes on spacious indoor/outdoor living. A builder must create a market niche to differentiate its homes in the marketplace and build homes that are truly reflective of the real needs of each particular market. This requires an investment in research—but the return on investment is very well worth it.
Lehnert: Home builders need to recognize that today’s home buyers need a compelling reason to buy a home in today’s economic climate. They need to get excited about what they see, from the moment that they drive up the street. The street scene is just as important as what is on the inside. The new homes are not only competing among themselves but also against numerous new apartment communities that offer luxury, resort-style living with endless amenities. The job of the builder (and the architect) is to convert ‘renters-by-choice’ into home buyers.
