Effective model home merchandising that helps you sell your homes is much more than an art. Technology and materials have also made the industry a bit of a science. Factors such as furniture scale, color, material selection, market psychographics, local demographics, and market appeal are all factors in determining a successfully merchandised model home.
This also applies to special projects like the Meritage Homes reNEWable Living Home, which will be showcased during the 2018 International Builders’ Show in January 2018.
In today’s market, builders expect detailed drawings and schematics (similar to what an architect might provide) to detail the built-ins, trim, flooring, lighting, and exact location of furniture placement.
The designers of today have access to many programs such as SketchUp, Revit, and AutoCAD to make the industry a more exacting science. In fact, a good designer will be able to tell you down to the inch how much space there will be between furniture placements. A combination of architectural programs and broad product availability/selection allow the designer to find furniture selections that are essentially “custom fit” to the space.
This exacting science has become so popular that nearly all schools and universities that include interior design as a program focus heavily on teaching their graduates the technology that is now available in this industry. And builders should come to expect this level of protocol in their projects.
A successfully merchandised model home is not something that can be locally shopped. It needs to be scaled and carefully designed, with materials selected to help attract the target market to the project. For example, sofas can range from approximately 36 inches to 44 inches wide, and 80 inches to 144 inches long. A properly scaled furniture piece will help you showcase your property to its maximum potential.
You may think the return on investment isn’t sound. But after investing in land, construction, and carrying costs, a well-designed model home is exactly what you need to drive the sale and to make all of the other investments come together. A well-merchandised model home is the key ingredient to the success of the development.
To follow the process of the reNEWable Living Home project and read more tips from Intermark Design Group, visit www.builderonline.com/renewable.
