Larger model home merchandising firms will assign a project manager/designer to oversee and delegate responsibilities to subordinates. The project manager will maintain the focus and overall coordination of the group, but, such tasks as window treatment design and specifications, art selection, and accessory purchases will be doled out to less expensive, and typically, less skilled employees. This is the point at which I must separate myself; I have always been, and continue to be, a one-man operation. The only time I would enlist an assistant is for the actual physical installation of the model home, so, I speak from experience about each phase of model home merchandising because I always began and completed each phase myself. There is far more work that goes into the making of a model than what I’ve written; I’ve synopsized the process to make for less arduous reading.
That being said, the following is a partial list of how a proficient merchandiser subtly “flips the switches” of the targeted home buyer:
- Fabricate a family and merchandise the model for how the prospective purchaser perceives themselves, not for how they actually are. The demographic information compiled by the marketers provide a base from which we work; the merchandiser will raise that base 1 to 1-1/2 notches, giving the potential buyer a home and LIFESTYLE they can barely touch, but, is attainable. Buyers rarely make a lateral move in housing because they want more, otherwise, they would stay in the home in which they currently reside. They aspire to be more. The upscale furnishings and features of the home are the most obvious manner by which we stimulate the buyer’s covetous nature, but, there are subtler ways we manipulate the id. Visit the wife’s Master Bedroom closet; the average American woman is a size 16, but, the dresses and blouses hanging amid the color coordinated wrapped boxes, gift bags, and tissue paper are a consistent size 6. They are fashionable and age appropriate – still not entirely reflective of the onlooker, but, definitely how she would see herself. The stylish shoes and accessories are paired to create ensembles: smart business attire – because she is a successful working mother, and athletic attire and a yoga mat – because she works out diligently to maintain her slim and toned figure. The husband’s closet is handled in the same manner as his wife’s. His athletic build (large shirts and 32″ waist pants) will be reflected in suits, casual clothing, gym wear, and attire and accessories for a particular sport he enjoys, or could see himself enjoying, with friends.
- Home Offices and Bonus Rooms are ideally suited for showcasing any pastime relevant to the community or the immediate area. The development’s amenities and its location are, in part, what attracted the potential buyer to the builder’s model and it is the responsibility of the merchandiser to include that in the lifestyle portrayed. Golf and tennis are obvious themes, should the development have courses and courts. Models for waterfront communities might feature speed boating, wind surfing, kayaking, or fishing. Any outstanding feature of the community is a weapon in the arsenal to be deployed and should be exploited to its fullest advantage. The pastime should echo throughout the model because it lends credibility to the “family” who lives here (the aforementioned sports attire in the closets, framed pictures of the sport interspersed among the family photos, and occasional accessories on shelves and tabletops). Local schools are another significant draw for the targeted home buyers and should be well represented in the children’s bedrooms with school papers, yearbooks, notebooks, participation awards, and accessories available through school sponsored clubs.
- Framed photographs of the “family” will be placed throughout the model on nearly every horizontal surface and perhaps as a collage on a wall connecting the children’s bedrooms. They will be attractive and fit (as evidenced by the clothing in the closets) and happy, shown vacationing, enjoying gatherings with friends, playing sports, and celebrating holidays, weddings, and birthdays. An aside: I stockpiled photographs, magazines clippings, and advertisements (J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, Boston Proper, Coldwater Creek, and Land’s End were favorites) of the same clothing models for over a decade, so, I was able to not only fabricate a family, but, show them as they aged. I would often find the same couples photographed together in various situations giving further credibility to the lives of the fictitious family. Children were simpler to represent because they change so radically physically. As long as the models bear a resemblance to one another they pass as being the same children, especially from room to room and one part of the house to another.
- Children’s rooms should be themed in what is current and age relevant to the “children” who occupy them. There are countless ideas for kid’s rooms, but, the merchandiser’s one goal is for the demographic child to want THAT room and speak incessantly of it to their parents. Children are frequently the reason a model home is visited more than once; it’s the little girl tugging on her father’s pant leg begging to see that room again because it’s so beautiful, or because Moana lives there, or Belle lives there, or because the ceiling has stars and, in all probability, when the parents return at the little girl’s insistence, they themselves will see something else about the house they find appealing. The more time the potential buyer spends in the house – for whatever reason – the higher the probability of a home purchase.
- Accessorize the Kitchen pantry with boxes and cans of name brand and healthy foods. Dedicate a couple of shelves to workout supplements – pre-workout powders, protein powders, and BCAA containers. These empty containers reinforce the image of the “family” who live here and though the targeted buyers may not presently attend a gym regularly or eat healthily, they find the idea (and obviously the results) desirable.
- Strategically place accessories through the home that reflect the lifestyle of what the prospective buyer would desire: house and car keys on a BMW fob lying in a bowl on the entry console, trendy upscale costume jewelry strewn on the wife’s vanity or draped across a framed photograph, a message board by the Kitchen with postings for a PTA meeting or upcoming school game or event (again referencing the local school) and birthday, anniversary, or thank you cards that have been filled out and signed – anything that further validates the lifestyle.
Those are just a few of the subtle methods by which we fabricate a family and lifestyle to stimulate the psyche of the targeted buyers – the more obvious tactics will perhaps be the subject of a future posting. If one realization is to have been gleened in the reading of this series it should be that if you and your family absolutely love the way in which a model home was merchandised and could see yourselves actually living there, THAT is intentional and not happenstance. Other demographics will appreciate the stylish manner in which the house was designed, but, it was meant for you.
