Jun 26
Homeowners Much More Involved in the Building Process
It used to be that developers of large tract community homes preferred it if they could build a new house in relative secret – keeping the prospective home owner at bay until the new home was complete. In today’s information rich atmosphere, however, this has become increasingly difficult as consumers are more informed and more anxious to have a say in the construction process.
At Town & Country Homes, Brian Murphy, vice president of operations, says they “are encouraging open communication between” buyers and the construction team, which fosters a great feeling of control for the buyer and results in greater customer satisfaction. Home buyers pretty much know what they want and Town & Country Homes provides an interactive experience, from choosing options on their Web site to supervised visits to the construction site so they can see first hand how the building is progressing.
Town & Country is located in the Chicago area and has seen great success building larger homes in the $250,000 to $400,000 range. They also have built townhouses that are selling in the low $160,000 to the upper $170,000 range. The development company is involved in just about every aspect of a building project from market research and land planning to marketing, sales and construction.
It’s not just the home buyers who become involved in the development planning, but the community as a whole can have a say in what sorts of amenities and homes are constructed and how much development is allowed. Town & Country plans to concentrate on smaller, more intimate communities of 200 or so homes rather than the 1,000 unit large tract communities of the past, and are particularly looking to redevelop in the older suburbs and explore urban reclamation.