Model Homes Aren’t Needed
A model home simply isn’t necessary, says Andrew Kiener, director of project sales for Chicago-based Kinzie Real Estate Group. The firm is currently offering sales at Enclave of Heritage Estates, a community of 32 estate-style homes in Lake Barrington, Ill., and recently sold out of the first phase of a new townhome community, Church Street Village, in Evanston, Ill.
“Buyers today are extremely knowledgeable, so they don’t really need to walk through a decorated model to discover what it is they want. They know what they want,” Kiener says. “Plus, in the past it was common to see floor plans or model homes designed for certain buyers, like the empty nester or a family with two kids and a dog. But household dynamics have changed, so having a model represent a general demographic doesn’t really work anymore. Models just don’t fit into that equation.”
He added even when layouts and finishes are standard across the product line, as was the case with Church Street Village townhomes, a decorated model doesn’t impact the sales process.
“When there isn’t an option for other finishes or floor plan changes, we have found the model is even less necessary. Great renderings and detailed floor plans offer more than enough to help a buyer decide whether it’s the right residence for them,” Kiener says. “Again, buyers will have already done their homework and come into the process knowing what they’re looking for.”
Instead of touring model homes, buyers interested in seeing the quality of work offered by Kinzie are invited to tour spec homes in progress or, often, completed homes about to close. “You can still show buyers a finished or nearly finished product without the cost of a model home,” Kiener notes.
