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July 2011
Commentary
community you live in, it’s difficult to have a good quality of life if you’re not happy with By Vaike O’Grady • Newland Communities your home or builder. Therefore, it’s critical for MPC developers to do their due diligence and select homebuilders based on customer service, construction quality and financial stability. Beyond that, developers often work closely with builders to fine-tune the floor plans, features and pricing they offer. Amenities. This is the area where developers have the chance to make the most direct impact on quality of life. Some developers have a winning strategy of completing major amenities early in the life of an MPC, so the first buyers have immediate and tangible evidence of the quality of life they can expect. So before we talk about how to sell quality Depending on the project specifics, amenities of life, let’s first dissect what it really means, like golf courses, water parks, community along with how to identify it when you see it. centers and greenbelt trails enhance quality of Sticking to the most common buyer profile – life by providing recreation and visual beauty. the buyer seeking a new home in a suburban Peace of mind. This is another intangible development – how is quality of life defined? but very real ingredient in quality of life – and We can turn to marketing research for answers. it’s also a major advantage offered by MPCs. Schools. Ask 10 homebuyers, and the It’s hard to relax and enjoy your new home if vast majority of them will say schools are a you’re worried about potentially incompatible top priority, even if they don’t currently have development in the future. A detailed master school-age children. Public education is so plan – especially from a developer with a long central to the lives of most people, it’s in some track record – helps eliminate a lot of anxiety. ways the most fundamental building block for Connectedness. Most of us yearn to be quality of life. For MPCs, the first important part of something greater, and in fact that’s decision is the developer’s decision to locate the project within a strong school district, followed by the decision to identify potential school sites in the master plan. While developers have little control over a district’s decisions + of where to locate new campuses or how to draw attendance zones, smart developers work closely with districts to facilitate the location of campuses within their MPCs. Builders. No matter how great the
Before Selling “Quality of Life” You Must First Create It
I
n the context of new homes and communities, “quality of life” can mean different things to different people. For some, there’s no better quality of life than living in a high-rise or condo that offers incredible views and zero maintenance. For others, quality of life might boil down to a very closein location near downtown, or isolated country acreage at the other extreme. For the vast majority of the new-home market, however, “quality of life” is most closely associated with the range of amenities and protections that can best be provided by largescale master-planned communities (MPCs). This doesn’t just include the traditional profile of families with young children, as today’s MPCs appeal to a broad range of buyers, from young professionals to empty nesters. If an MPC has the right mix of ingredients, then quality of life virtually sells itself. But like the term “custom home” “quality of life” is one of those marketing catch-phrases that has been ballyhooed and tossed around to the point it has almost lost its meaning.
the very essence of community. Smart MPC developers help to jump start community spirit not only with physical amenities where residents can come together, but also through neighborhood networks (aka Intranets). More ingredients include community activities directors and seasonal events residents can look forward to. Selling it. Now that we’ve identified a few key ingredients in quality of life, how do you sell it? Community information centers are one of the most obvious ways in which developers strive to sell quality of life, whether they are traditional information centers or innovations like outdoor information centers. Bringing all or most of the builder models together in a centralized model home village also helps sell quality of life through a coordinated presentation. Virtually every other component of the marketing mix can be used to sell quality of life, from on-site signage and advertising, to website and social media outreach. Finally, one of the most important ways to sell quality of life is to keep REALTORS informed. Homebuyers overwhelmingly look to REALTORS for advice on their most important purchase and the way to keep REALTORS knowledgeable on your product is through honest, ongoing communication, as well as recognition and appreciation for their hard work. RL
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