What I learned from our Customers

Sophisticated
As I visit our customers in their new homes, I am almost always struck initially by the sophistication of their interior décor. Even if budgets are modest, the thought and care given brings remarkable results. I am continually amazed at how many different ways our customers find to demonstrate their individuality through their home décor. It’s sometimes hard to believe that these are the same basic room configurations.

Super Shoppers
Our customers are smart and really do their homework. This becomes very apparent in conversation. Some have no previous experience with home ownership but have done research on line and interviewed others. They are careful shoppers.

Good Neighbors
A strong sense of community is already prevalent when I arrive for my visits--which may be only a few weeks or months after move in. This is a big indicator that, for the most part, our new home owners are ready to extend themselves as good neighbors. It is a lot of fun to see new neighborhoods form. In a brand new neighborhood, everyone is a newbie. There are no established cliques that families have to try to crack.

Adventurous
And most seem to have a sense of adventure. Moving out of a comfort zone and taking the big step of having a house built and then moving in to a new community requires a bit of daring. Building a new home also requires the courage to make decisions. And getting into a new home requires a bit of resourcefulness. Our customers seem to radiate a spirit of fun and a zest for life.

Eager to Learn
I love an experience one of our home owners related to me recently. This couple felt they wanted to purchase a new home so that they could start building equity instead of “throwing the rent money out each month”. But they were new to home ownership and had no idea of what they could really afford. They visited with a couple of other builders, and when they expressed what they thought they could afford, were scorned. Our Gold Medallion Sales Counselor, Christine, took them seriously and hooked them up with our preferred lender, Kristen at Countrywide. They discovered that he could borrow from his 401 (k) for a down payment and eliminated Mortgage Insurance Premiums. Then they examined their life style and discovered that they were spending $600 a month in fast food. They exclaimed that eating that was “not healthy”. They found that all they needed to do was to plan ahead. They were amazed to learn that they could actually afford more than they dreamed. Now they are packing lunches for pennies on the dollars compared to what they were spending on fast food, eating more healthy meals, and loving their brand new Gold Medallion home.