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Millennium Homes: Color Helps Buyers Zero in on Home
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A base of sleek black and white was used in The Reserve, Residence 2, in order to appeal to sophisticated L.A. buyers. |
The latest in a series on the secrets of The Nationals model home merchandising winners.
By Jan Mitchell
The Gold model home winners in the 2006 Nationals Awards have secrets to share about the different aspects of model home merchandising. Whether it’s use of materials or colors, the scale of the project or just breaking the rules, all of them reveal hot trends that are emerging today.
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Designers chose classic over trendy when merchandising this distinctive dining room. Taking advantage of the preponderance of glass, they brought the outside in by using plants and a botanical motif on the upholstered chairs. |
Model: The Reserve, Residence 2
Community: The Oaks of Calabasas
Award: Best Model Merchandising Over $1.5 Million
Builder: New Millennium Homes
Merchandiser: Creative Design Consultants
Location: Calabasas, Calif.
One of the biggest marketing challenges facing New Millennium Homes in its master planned, upscale community, The Oaks of Calabasas, in Calabasas, Calif., was how to keep from overwhelming prospects.
New Millennium Homes was building its exquisite luxury homes in four neighborhoods within the 550-home community. What’s more, the builder had 13 model homes to choose from — all on one cul-de-sac.
To help buyers zero in on the home that was right for them, New Millennium Homes used a color-coordinated system that corresponded to each neighborhood, says Jon Schneider, president of Barracuda Marketing.
Rolling kiosks with color-coded banners were used in the community’s indoor/outdoor sales pavilion to educate visitors about the features of each home collection. The colors for each home collection and their features were carried through to the homes’ neighborhood signage and collateral material as well.
The highest-end home, The Reserve, Residence 2 — a gold winner in The Nationals, the largest and most prestigious competition for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities — used, quite appropriately, a gold color scheme to guide prospects to its home and through its features.
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The home's exterior architecture dictated that interior merchandising feature a classic look. |
The Mediterranean-style architecture and elegance of The Reserve, Residence 2, dictated that the merchandisers feature a classic look that would appeal to L.A.-area buyers — without being trendy, says Julie Stark of Creative Design Consultants.
So, they chose a sleek, modern look featuring a base color scheme of black and white with color accents and sophisticated furniture.
The home’s spacious office/library is one of its selling features.
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The spacious office/library is one of the home's selling points. |
Jan Mitchell is the senior editor of NAHB’s Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine. She also writes about model merchandising, interior design, architecture and consumer trends for other industry and consumer publications, including Professional Builder magazine and its online counterpart, Housingzone.com. Her bestselling book, “Sales and Marketing Checklists for Profit-Driven Builders,” is available through BuilderBooks.com. She has served as a judge for regional and national builder marketing competitions and is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors. For more information, e-mail Mitchell at mitchell.jan@comcast.net.
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