The model home.

Dramatic Results Can Happen When Commercial, Residential, and Psychological Design Merge

It's been said, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." It may be a cliche, but successful new home builders know it's true. When prospective buyers tour their homes, they have to capture their attention immediately, keep it throughout the model tour and in the process give them something to remember. Something memorable will distinguish their homes from the competition.

Model homes. It's an odd twist. A merger of sorts. A mix of psychology, with commercial and residential interior design to market and sell new homes.

Marketing any product in today's economic climate is not easy. We all know the California real estate market -- both commercial and residential -- has dramatically reversed itself from what it was a few years ago. The market has changed. The buyers are different.

DESIGNING FOR A NEW MARKET

The largest segment of new home buyers today are purchasing their first home. The American Dream is possible in California and builders are meeting the demand of quality design. In the last quarter of 1993, the state's largest builder of single-family homes, Kaufman & Broad, sold more than 1,500 new homes. Marketing new homes through the use of professionally designed models pays off. According to a recent survey on model home use, sponsored by Builder magazine and conducted by National Survey Systems of Irvine, nearly 35 million people visit model homes nationwide each year. Ninety-five percent of big firms use them, as do 72% of mid-volume builders. Even 20% of those builders who build fewer than 10 units a year now use models. Ninety-three percent of big-volume builders say models are important or very important to sales. People are getting back to basics and a successfully merchandised model home must reflect these values. More time is being spent with the family -- watching a home video together, working on the computer, or roller blading around the block -- so it's critical to demonstrate these lifestyle-oriented interiors in the design of a model home. A builder's prospective buyer should be able to walk into any one of the model homes and feel like they could move right in. This is where Psychology 101 is useful. If the buyer can't relate to the home, if it doesn't seem real to them, the builder has lost a potential sale. An experienced interior design firm is a valuable asset to the builder's team of professionals, especially when brought in early. The business of merchandising model homes is least of all decorating. The design firm must look at the architect's plans and improve upon them from a livability, lifestyle, and interior design standpoint. For instance, is the entertainment center area designed for today's popular giant screen TVs and in a practical location for family viewing? Does the master bedroom allow enough space for a standard size dresser and two nightstands? This is important for every project, but especially crucial to the entry-level home, where various and necessary functions must work in smaller spaces.

Children are not to be forgotten in this equation, because they also influence the buyer! For babies and toddlers, a bed in the theme of Noah's Ark with stuffed animals two-by-two is fun and memorable. A teenage boy interested in sports will remember the bedroom designed with baseball drawers, a batting cage to hang his equipment on and a desk supported by real baseball bats. These techniques are more psychological elements than design elements. The child's enthusiasm will not let the parents easily forget these homes.

The psychology involved in designing for the home buyer includes the proven aspects of color and the psychographics (the psychology of demographics) of various markets. Some interior design firms even go so far as to shop at antique marts and swap meets to find special memorabilia and accessories that will remind the buyer of pleasant childhood memories and activities.

A WARMER APPROACH

The merchandising doesn't stop with the model homes. The spirit of the development should continue into the sales offices. Buying a new home is an emotional commitment first, a financial commitment second. It's the '90s. People don't want to be bombarded with flash, hype, or the hard sell -- they want what's real, in a non-threatening environment.

Today's sales office is designed to be warm and inviting, so as not to overwhelm the buyer with a builder-inspired sales effort. Rather than displaying the traditional floor plans and elevations on the walls, the newer sales office shows pictures of the development team and key elements of the community. We're not just selling them a new home. We're selling them a new lifestyle, as well. Show it to them. Let them feel at home. Allow them to visualize their new lifestyle in their new home. Set yourself apart from your competition the first time. You won't get a second chance to make that first impression! Deborah Telling is director of sales & marketing for Norman Colburt Interior Design, a Santa Monica design firm specializing in merchandising award-winning model homes for developers nationwide.