Solution: If we’re perfectly honest with ourselves, we know that a true custom home isn’t for everyone. Some people can’t wait long enough for delivery, some can’t deal with the hassles, and some people just can’t picture in their minds what they’re getting from the drawings, blueprints, or any other “representation” of the physical structure. At the same time, these are people with money and particular tastes, who are willing to pay for what they want, and demand something more than typical builder quality. So why should you let this potential buyer slip away, just so you can maintain your custom “purity”?
These are some of the reasons so many custom builders also build an occasional speculative house. (Some other reasons are to use it as a model home and to keep their crews busy between custom jobs.) But John and Molly Byer weren’t really true custom buyers—they just thought that was the only way they could get everything they wanted in a home. When another builder showed them they could have exactly what they wanted—without many of the hassles of custom building—they jumped at the chance.
This type of building is often called “semi-custom” or “portfolio” building. The builder has many of the advantages of custom building—he isn’t building on spec (the house is pre-sold), and there is the same expectation of high quality, excellent design, and higher profit margins. And he experiences cost savings and productivity increases and makes fewer expensive mistakes by building from a design he is familiar with.
The buyers win through reductions in cost (some of which are passed on to them) and a smoother construction process. Unless the buyers are driven to create monuments to their own egos, they can get everything they want in a house, and less: less hassles, less uncertainty, less time devoted to selections and approvals.
This is an idea every custom builder should consider. Not as a substitute for their custom building program, but as an adjunct to it: a means of expanding their markets, making life simpler, and increasing profits.
