What's Hot in New Homes Today?

East West Communities- 40 Years Creating Virginia’s Best Places to Live and Play

What’s Hot in New Home Sales Today?

• What’s HOT in New Home Sales Today– The Latest in New Home Trends

• New Building Codes– What Builders must include in every new home

• Why Buyer Agents Should Bring New Homes as an Option to their Clients?– Why today’s buyer may be better served with a

new home

• Top 10 Misconceptions about selling new homes

East West Partners

East West Partners

WHAT’S HOT?

WHAT’S NOT

Garage with attached house

Most popular plans purchased online

Top New Home Trends Open floor plans

Changing floor plans

East West Partners

The death of the living room/and the separate dining room is on its way too.

Multi-generational

• Rooms or suites for “Boomerang kids”, taking care of mom, roommates, family members…

• Age in place – – with wider doors

– elevated appliances,

– zero entry showers

– modified staircase design (easier stair geometry and landings)

– Elevators

– lever handles on doors and faucets

Multi-generational Suite

Outdoor Living

Twilight porch- Southern Living Showcase Home

Outdoor Rooms – the new “FAMILY RETREAT”

• Increased interest in entertaining friends and family at home Incorporate outdoor spaces with the overall home design.

• The yard and garden become a part of the floor plan when sliding glass doors lead to patios and decks.

• Outdoor "rooms" may even include kitchens with sophisticated sinks and grills.

• Outdoor living spaces with fireplaces and outdoor cooking

Backyard creations

Backyard Fireplaces

Exterior Trends

Exterior changes

Craftsman Cottage style

Stone accents

First Floor masters

Exterior Details

Green living –

• Earth friendly – locally sourced, environmentally conscious – Chesapeake Bay

• Very energy efficient – the search for “energy independence”

–geothermal, led bulbs, tankless water heater, Techshield, foam insulation, solar water and energy

• Tight construction

Other Trends• Earthy natural textures -Outdoors in and

indoors out

• Low or no maintenance materials

• Porches

• Mixed finishes on exterior

• Flexible spaces

• Practical Home automation

• First floor living

Main Floor Living

A Place for Everything –Drop zone, clutter spaces, storage

Return of the Drop Zone and larger Laundry/Utility rooms-

• Drop zone areas are usually found between the Kitchen/Utility Room/Garage.

• Drop zone and cell phone charging areas, mudroom seating, cubbies, and nooks – help make a house feel more like a home.

• Today’s homebuyers are responding well to this new "old" feature.

Other Trends

• Walk-up attics

• 3 car garages

• Tech centers

• Pocket offices

Third floors- Flex Space

Pocket offices are in

Niche offices

Other Trends• Clean lines – contemporary like, gray blues are in• Little Treats-

– Shower seat, heated tile bath floor, dog wash, steam shower, garage workbench, workout room, large closets, generator plug

• Indoor playrooms• Internet sourced materials• Dual home offices

Expandable Space and More Storage-

• More storage areas that are easily accessible; walk up attics. • Expandable space for homebuyers in case of growing families • Larger walk-in closets, spacious dressing rooms, and plenty of

easy-to-reach built-in cabinets. • Vaulted ceilings are out. Families prefer more usable space.• Rooms above the Family Room make the perfect Media Room

• Unfinished areas with access doors gives today's homebuyers smart storage space.

Media Room trends

East West Partners

East West Partners

Interior Trends

Interior Details

East West Partners

Smaller entry foyers

East West Partners

Kitchen trends

Functional and Fabulous kitchens-

• Larger floating islands are often a different color and wood and resemble an old piece of furniture, also closer to the Grand Room where families can connect easier.

• Unique use of lighting- pendant lighting, smaller chandeliers

• Live-Work Spaces such as desk-top work surfaces in the kitchen.

• Maximizing space with built-ins (Shelves under a staircase or at the end of an island is an easy area to include a built-in shelf)

• Fabulous ceiling treatments - medallions with trim detail, coffered ceilings, and materials typically used for floors applied to the ceiling.

• Creative use of color in the cabinets, backsplash, flooring,

• Cabinets with glass doors, and a center island with fold-away table.

East West Partners

Kitchen trends

East West Partners

Floating Islands and mud rooms

Floating Islands

East West Partners

Bench seating

Bathroom trends

Larger showers – multi shower heads

Covered porches

Recessed garages

Coffered ceilings

Greater use of natural and hand-crafted materials

• Unique flooring materials such as reclaimed wood, walnut, other exotic hardwood finishes are becoming more popular. Pebbles are being used on shower surfaces, offering a foot massage while showering. And, a herringbone pattern is being used for outdoor brick pavers to create greater character and warmth.

• Antique doors, reclaimed wood, beams and mantels milled from trees cleared from their lots.

• New buildings aren't always entirely new. A desire to protect the environment and to preserve historic architecture is inspiring architects to re-use, older structures.

Why New is Better…Shiny New is Awesome!

• What has changed in building codes and the benefits to today’s buyers?

Newer homes are built to a higher standard

• Energy related – a home built today is 30% more efficient than one built just 5 years ago.

• Technology allows us to test our homes better – moisture meter, thermal imaging, duct blaster,

blower door, infrared point and shoot thermometer

• Programmable thermostats, Led, Cfl, and halogen bulbs must make up 50% today.

• Caulk and sealed openings, Thermo-shield sealed and insulated voids.

• Mastic duct, duct blaster or visual inspection, properly sized and designed duct system and designed systems Manual J and D CFM diagrams

• Higher seer and AFue ratings• Low water usage devices – toilets, faucets, irrigation

Windows Ratings- New label requirements

• Design Pressure vs. Performance Grading – the performance grade of a product is limited by the

lowest/least performance of its structural, air leakage resistance, or water penetration resistance test results; operating force and/or forced-entry resistance requirements may also apply.

• Energy rating requirements R value vs. U value

East West Partners

Structure – all homes built today must be designed to resist racking, heavy wind

uplift and attachment failures• Braced walls

• Portal frames, engineered beams, TJI and open web trusses

• Ground to sky thru structure attachments

• Nail off and attachment inspections

Safety - Safer while you are awake and even more so while your family sleeps

• Fire safety – smokes CO2 fire alarm • Fire extinguisher/ sprinkler will follow• Stair geometry / hand rail requirements

• Fire rated drywall/ doors• Tempered glass doors and windows • Arc fault, anti-scald, new device location

Environment

• Run off control, BMP design, silt fence, water quality

• Low water usage fixtures• Green space – cluster neighborhood design• Flood plain management/FEMA• Sustainable products/ no maintenance. Products

not required by code but by good sustainable practices.

• Forest management

Top Misconceptions about Buying New “It’s cheaper to buy a used home than a new one”

• Your customers are often times buying a used structure with outdated design/ building techniques, appliances, windows, insulation etc.

• Total cost = purchase price + monthly utilities + capital improvements+ maintenance

“They don’t build them like they use to…”

• No, we build them better!….Engineered structure which is stronger, tighter and better designed.

• We have gone to engineered or manmade lumber in many areas because old growth wood is not available

You can shop by price per square foot

• Price per Sq Ft without Features/Quality per Sq Ft is meaningless

• Do you buy cars by the pound?

• Floor coverings and siding/roofing material decisions alone can make a $10-$15 per sq. ft. difference

Options and Upgrades are Dirty Words

• Think of buying a house the way you go to a restaurant-– They don’t make you buy the wine, soup, salad

and dessert if you don’t want it.

• Everyone wants a choice

Today’s Homebuyer buys a home solely on price.

• Do people buy a brand new home based on price or value?

• The answer is simple. Overwhelmingly, a new home is bought emotionally – based on the value rather than price – because of the consumer's perception of reality. What has value in their eyes is where they'll spend their money.

The Ultimate Goal

“It’s more work/ too complicated/The buying process is confusing”

• It can be. That’s why you need to be an expert and do your homework.

• Explore Design/Build• Pre-designed plans• Preview new construction sites, models and

Homearama home shows• Find a few builders or site agents that you

are comfortable with. Take the time to get to know them or coach them to improve.

“It is too expensive to custom build”

• We can build to any budget, that’s why they call it custom.

Factors in getting people to move

• Current Dissatisfaction- there is a built up demand and there’s a stronger urgency to purchase today! Salespeople need to realize and understand the dissatisfaction curve.

• Future Promise- engage them, get them involved emotionally, get them to see the future promise

• Cost and Fear- holds people back.• Which factor gets in the way of a sale?

People will buy when….

Current dissatisfaction

X

Future Promise

>

Cost/Fear

• What they do want is a new lifestyle that doesn’t include the aggravation, expense and emotional turmoil that usually accompanies a cheaply priced home.

• Simply stated, they want a better life in a new home and you can give it to them.

• Show them that your new homes coupled with exceptional service can offer them what they really want and price will not be a hindrance.