SIMPLY DRAMATIC: Eliminating drapery from the windows in this family room increases the impact—and saves money.
Credit: El Imagery
Model homes have long been the central element of the new-home sales process. And merchandising those models is designed to engage prospective buyers, help them envision living in the home, and show them the possibilities that are available with options and upgrades.
But with builders scrutinizing their budgets for every conceivable way to cut costs, it’s not surprising that model merchandising often doesn’t rank very high on the list of priorities.
Yet, it should. Nothing should be left to chance in the effort to connect with prospects, and model merchandising is something a builder can control.
We spoke with four nationally respected interior designers—Mary DeWalt, president of Mary DeWalt Design Group in Austin, Texas; Lita Dirks, president of Lita Dirks and Co. in Greenwood Village, Colo.; Kay Green, president of Orlando, Fla.–based Kay Green Design; and Doris Pearlman, president of Possibilities for Design in Denver—about what kind of model merchandising makes sense for 2009. Here are some of their thoughts:
Simplify
Today’s decorating style is open, clean, and uncluttered. You may be able to give your models an updated look just by taking out some of what’s already there or by replacing several small accent pieces with one larger, bolder piece.
The big benefit from this, DeWalt says, is that the less cluttered the merchandising is, the more the buyer will see the house. “You want them to leave saying, ‘I love that house,’ not ‘I love those drapes.’ Merchandising is really complementing the home.”
Dirks suggests scaling back on window treatments and wall-paper, which are a high-cost area because they require materials, fabrication, and installation.
“In today’s trends, drapery is very minimal anyway,” Dirks says. “If you’re designing homes that are newer looking, the windows are part of the beauty of the floor plan. Show them off and put an accent color around the windows.”
Recycle
While some furniture may need to be replaced because it looks dated or has gotten shabby, there may be several pieces that can be reused. Pearlman has begun offering a new service called Renew, Refresh, Revive based on this concept. She completely changed the look of one model by changing the wall color from beige to a smoky blue, replacing the carpet with stone flooring (“You could also use wood,” she says), installing a new mantel over the fireplace, and adding a new rug and two chairs. “We used the same sofa, left all the draperies, and left the dining room in place.”
Master bedrooms are particularly easy to update, she says. “We did a job that won awards last year at the Boomers and Beyond conference,” Pearlman says. “The builder wanted to reuse all the furniture. We updated the overall wall colors, added new bedding and a new headboard to the bed, and maintained everything else.”
Engage
Lifestyle theming has always been a valuable part of model merchandising to help buyers picture themselves living in the house. Children play a tremendously important role in the home buying decision, DeWalt says, and their rooms can be merchandised fairly simply. “You can do wonderful decals or use a chalkboard paint and write sayings on the walls or draw pictures.” Dirks recommends playing up places for pets, cozy reading corners, and “reminders of more confident years they’ve had that will make them feel those times will come again.”
As Green points out, “If we can get them to stay in the house longer, we have a better chance of selling them.” Installing a Wii gaming system or a karaoke machine in a bonus room are easy—and inexpensive—ways to accomplish that.
Be Selective
Our expert designers had differing opinions on the subject of whether or not it’s okay to leave some rooms in a model unmerchandised. They’ve done it when they’ve been asked, but it’s certainly not ideal.
“We have participated in partial models, where you do the main rooms you see first—the entry, the great room, and the master suite—and everything else is barren,” Dirks says. “I’d rather do the whole model in a much simpler fashion. I’d eliminate the drapery from the windows before I’d encourage a partial model.”
DeWalt’s preference is to scale down on the furnishings and dial up the color. “You have to grab buyers as soon as they come in the door,” she says. “Nothing can do that like color. We like to do a punctuation wall to make them smile as soon as they come in. Every room has to have that.”
For builders who just don’t have the cash for a fully merchandised model, Pearlman is offering her customers a limited design service called The Essentials that focuses on a floor plan’s focal points and leaves some rooms, such as secondary bedrooms, bare except for flooring, paint, and window treatments. “We’re targeting the areas with emotional triggers,” Pearlman says.