Two years later, the first 60 units (phases one and two) were sold out, but the builder wasn’t content to do more of the same in subsequent phases. Feedback from prospective buyers who had declined to purchase in round one prompted some strategic design tweaks.
Credit: courtesy adams development group
“We had people coming in and saying, ‘We really like it, but we don’t want a home this big. We don’t want to clean it. We don’t want to spend this much. We don’t want any stairs,’” Crum recalls.
In response, the builder introduced two more plan options in phases three and four, which broke ground and opened for presales in 2006. The new plans answer the call for single-story living and high-end appointments in as little as 1,600 square feet. But perhaps their biggest draw is flexibility when it comes to volume spaces. The footprint of each unit is a constant, but the building envelope can be configured more than one way.
“This time we designed the center hall to the bedroom and over the great room like a commercial build-out, so you can either have a two-story great room, or you can have a 9-foot great room with bedrooms, storage, or a game room overhead. It’s a plan that can swing to accommodate different lifestyles,” says Crum. “The breakdown of those taking the two-story great room versus the second-level flex space has been about 50/50,” he adds, noting that cost efficiencies have been achieved by using panelized construction systems.
When the housing market slowed in 2006, Adams Crossing didn’t skip a beat. The next round of carriage homes is currently under construction, with 16 of the 70 units in phase three sold and 24 of the 60 units in phase four sold.
Happy buyers who jumped early on and are now comfortably moved in have proven to be a powerful sales tool. Last June, a “meet the residents” cookout gave prospective buyers a chance to mingle with existing residents and ask questions. “We got a tent, threw some stuff on the grill, and were stunned by the turnout,” Crum says. “Customers really liked having the opportunity to talk to the people who live there. They felt they weren’t being sold; they were getting answers. After that event, we got six contracts.”