^{The New American Dream II
By Mike Moore
Reprinted from: Builder & Developer Magazine}

^{Forty years of Rock n’ Roll, Disney, and Hollywood have taken us on a roller coaster ride to MTV, Video Games, The Fashion Channel, Fashion Café, Microsoft, and the Internet.  In an age where entertainment is king, celebrity is synonymous with success, and advertisers tell us to be a celebrity, we are not dreaming of owning a home, we are dreaming of owning a custom home!  We want our home to reflect our personal style, our status, our achievements.  When we invest in our home we do not want to be like anyone else, we want it to say we are unique, an individual with a sense of style and taste.}

^{This evolution from dreaming of owning a home, to the dream of a custom home has happened faster than we can say, “What options do you offer?”.  Tract homes, Masterplan and Gated Communities will not satisfy us unless we can get it our way.  Anyone notice that McDonalds is advertising no more warmed foods, everything is cooked just for you.  Most of us have received poor service from companies who promoted customer service.  We’ve learned if we complain loud enough we can get our problems fixed, so selling customer service doesn’t interest us, because we won’t know if we received it until it’s too late.  Individual personal attention however can make us loyal and win our favor. It’s all part of our celebrity society and our desire to be seen and heard.  The best builders are not waiting to fix your problems, they are providing this individual personal attention, from start to finish.}

^{Today’s new home builders are responding to the New American Dream by providing choices that can make each of their homes unique.  From computerization to custom countertops, what used to be a tract of homes has become a community of homes that can reflect our individuality, personal style , and taste.}   

^{Their are some challenges in building a production home and offering multiple options.  A complete commitment to options means the builder is going into the retail interiors business.  The interesting part of this commitment is that the builder doesn’t just face the normal service problems a retailer faces but must deliver quality changes as improvements to what they do best.  The profit structure makes for the first challenge because it often limits the amount of staff most builders will dedicate to options.  What options to offer and how to market them profitably must be worked out with multiple vendors on each project and for different markets.  All of these dynamics make the options process one that takes serious attention to detail.}

^{¨ The natural process of delivering all these changes on time and correctly can take many hands and undivided attention so that each home buyer will be satisfied.} 

^{Another challenge is providing the home buyer with professional design assistance and managing these professionals.  As we’ve discussed individual personal attention is the key and the practical delivery of this attention is the challenge we all must meet.} 

^{Multiple appointments are required  and then each choice must be effectively communicated to sales, purchasing, construction, escrow, and accounting.  It is only then that the design professional can ensure each new home reflects the personal style of it’s owner.  However, it takes solid administration to keep the building process moving and this has evolved into its’ own field of expertise.} 

^{All of this must happen within a very small time period so that construction is not delayed or confused. This requires time and attention and no one has enough time so their attention is too often divided.} 

^{Another question to be answered is how to display all your choices to help make the selection process enjoyable.  This is evolving with the New American Dream and best accomplished by combining a design showroom and technology to display all your choices.  Technology alone is not the answer but must be utilized to effectively communicate to all the necessary people involved in making the home buyers changes a dream come true.}   

^{As I said, technology alone won’t make the dream come true, it takes professional design staff who understand the building process and management of the process to make the options a profit center and not a cost center.  As we work on this combination, answers to the most difficult questions are being found and put to use to make the buying experience an enjoyable one.}    

^{The selection of options has become an intricate interior design process and can no longer be handled by a small staff without trained design and sales skills.  As all of us attempt to sell more homes and distinguish ourselves in our markets, this interaction during the selection of options must be seen as a service to each home buyer.  If we are to deliver their new home the way they want it, it will take the individual attention of experts to make their New American Dream come true.  Only then will we have taken advantage of the opportunity of giving the buyer what they want.  This makes selection, training, and leading the options staff a premium.  There is a better way than trying to go into a new business alone or without expert assistance.}    

^{I hope we can remember that people don’t just want a home, they want a home designed just for them!  This New American Dream is driven by our desire to never settle for second best.  I’d love to share your thoughts on the subject and can be reached at Actionary@msn.com, 800-582-0634, or 619-587-1011.}