LISTENING? Are Developers, Architects and Builders Collaborating with Consumers Like They Should?
Julie Minter
Creative Marketing Strategist with Exceptional Skills in Brand Development Copywriting and Communications
This was in the Daily Rundown on LinkedIn:
"The new smart will be determined not by what or how you know but by the quality of your thinking, listening, relating, collaborating, and learning.”
And this is why it struck me as important to residential real estate:
The residential developer that responds to how people live today (which means they need to "listen, relate and collaborate") will win out, all other things being equal. As a consumer myself, and as a seller of homes, I want to give a few simple examples of what I encounter, collaborating with people to find a new home:
- Decks outside, even on 400k-and-up homes, where you are looking at your neighbors are a problem. You always get a comment and then we have to talk about how we can "fix" it. If you have to build a new home that way, can't you plan for a privacy fence?
2. Kitchens are big and open with islands (great) but then there is no space is dedicated to recharging multiple devices for multiple family members. There are devices you can buy that help, but a home with this thought out and addressed would just put a point in the column. These points add up, all other things being equal.
3.We all still get snail mail: where does it all get sorted; bills, catalogs, coupons that are "maybes," etc ? Can we be creative here? Something more than the built-in "computer desk." Think about adding a "mail center" and what that would be.
3. Trash can "pads" and enclosures outside: Can we make them standard? And what about the trash inside? And recycling? Can we have a place for that, even in lesser-priced housing?
There are more examples, but we all have work to do right? However, if something comes to mind or you have added features (as an architect or home-builder) that address the often overlooked in-home conveniences, please add a comment for the benefit of the community. And we all need to remember the "new smart."
If you or someone you know need help finding a new home, please call me at 910-368-7116. I specialize in people looking in Atlanta for a new home, condo, luxury home, families needing a move-up to a prime school location area and those relocating to the Atlanta area with a need to understand advantages and disadvantages of the metro suburbs and / or in-town living.
Julie Minter