It’s becoming more common for buyers looking to custom-design their home, making it vital for home builders to be aware of contemporary design trends and how to effectively communicate with clients to understand their needs and manage their expectations when unreasonable requests arise. Here are a few general tips to help you achieve success.
Knowing What People Don’t Want is Half the Battle
Get to know what your buyers want by performing an interview to truly understand their wants, needs and overall lifestyle. For example, if you are designing a home for a family with young children, their needs are going to change drastically over time. The same goes for an aging baby boomer who may only stay in the home for five or 10 years.
This makes communication profoundly important when designing a custom home. It’s important to avoid making assumptions and to reduce the guesswork you’re doing in your designs. Instead, commit to being patient, helping buyers explain what they’re looking for, and using your expertise to guide them toward the home of their dreams.
Work With a Realistic Budget
Many home buyers aren’t aware of how to realistically budget for design features, materials, and other elements that go into building a home. It’s important that all members of the team, from the architect to the builder to the bank, work together to ensure that building the home is carried out on a realistic budget.
Keeping the client on track is critical to ensuring your own sanity during the building process. This can be done by reminding the client of your agreed plan and budget when they ask for additional design elements outside of the project scope. In addition, recommend that your clients have a contingency reserve of 10% to 15% in their home-building budget.
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Be Aware of Generational Trends
Age and experience make a difference in building a custom home as features will differ between generations. Millennial buyers will gravitate toward smart technology, high bandwidth, and green materials, as well as smaller, urban, and multifunctional designs. Baby Boomers, on the other hand, may be interested in bigger properties with flatter floorplans that are friendlier to older knees and hips.
Finally, be conscious that building a home is an emotional experience for home buyers. It’s the largest invesment they’ll ever make. By showing the great work you have done on previous projects, demonstrating competence and offering a gentle hand to guide your buyers through the process, building a custom-designed home can be a satisfying and advantageous journey.
Choose 2-10 for Outstanding Support
Home buyers desire peace of mind when making a huge financial decision. They also tend to prefer to work with builders who have a strong reputation. When the homes you build are a part of the 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (2-10) New-Home Warranty Program, you can help fulfill these needs.
A 2-10 New-Home Warranty can help address financial fears your clients may have regarding the costs of unexpected defects. With clear performance standards and industry-leading structural coverage, you can offer a trusted solution for the unexpected.
Additionally, builders must meet certain criteria for quality to join the 2-10 New-Home Warranty Program. This can help show buyers that a third party can validate the quality of your work, which is extremely important to consumers.
Even better, as a 2-10 Builder Member, you can access 2-10’s Front Line Warranty Service. This program helps you provide exceptional post-closing customer experiences that can boost your reputation beyond the sale.
