Meritage Homes on Tuesday announced the launch of Design Collections, a new approach to the design process offering curated options for move-up buyers. The launch was propelled by a new consumer research study that drove the development of the new Design Collections and Studio M experience.
According to the new Wakefield study commissioned by Meritage Homes, buyers of new home construction across new home builders found a few key barriers to the process which centered around three main concerns: the time needed to design the interior of their new home, making cohesive style choices and sticking to their budget.
Buyers’ Time is Valuable
- Many buyers of new home construction found themselves making several trips to the design center due to their inability to make a decision. One in four buyers found the new home construction design process stressful.
- Nearly 40% of buyers spent more than 20 hours in the design center throughout the course of the building process.
Making the Right Choices
- Once decision choices were made, buyers still experienced stress by worrying if they made the wrong decisions and often experienced buyer’s remorse.
- Thirty-seven percent of buyers said their homes didn’t turn out the way they wanted — 26% of buyers found that their design selections did not come together as expected in the end.
Staying on Budget
- While design aesthetic is a top concern for buyers, so is their budget. Most buyers come in with a budget they want to stick to during the new home construction process.
- 45% percent of buyers noted they exceeded their budget in upgrades by over $21,000 on average. An overage of this amount often leads to frustration and dissatisfaction.
To transform the new home interior design process, Design Collections by Meritage Homes are designer-curated collections that enable buyers to confidently and efficiently style the home through a streamlined and personalized experience at the Studio M Design Center. This process, Meritage said, will allow them to select high-quality finishes for a greater value.
Instead of searching through thousands of samples for cabinets, countertops and flooring, the Design Collections and the Studio M experience provides buyers with Collections built around expertly coordinated flooring, cabinets, countertops and more that work together. Streamlined choices result in reduced stress felt by buyers during the design process. Plus, the designer-curated Collections represent both popular and timeless design trends, allowing buyers to select the collection that matches their personal style quickly and easily. The thoughtfully curated Design Collections greatly reduce the time buyers need to spend in the design center from more than 20 hours to three hours on average. At the Studio M Design Centers, buyers can select from a variety of different styles, from Traditional, to Transitional, to Modern.
“I am proud of how our entire organization took a step back to really listen to home buyers about the pain points of building a new home, and then developed an innovative, first-to-market offering that empowers our buyers to select their styles with confidence, while streamlining the entire process,” said Steve Hilton, CEO, Meritage Homes, “We’ve coupled the new Design Collections offering with our transparent pricing to ensure buyers understand costs clearly while saving them time by reducing the number of design center trips needed to complete their dream home.”
The Studio M Design Centers and Meritage Homes’ Design Collections are now available across Meritage Homes’ communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, and will be open in all of the company’s major markets early this year.
