General Manager Darren Felder Joins MHInsider on Home Sales
MHInsider asked a Clayton retailer to participate in a question and answer session on how homes are selling, how higher interest rates are being managed, and what customer are asking for in a new home. Here are the responses…
How long have you been operating?
I’ve been in the industry for 26 years. Originally, I worked for an independent retailer that was bought by Fleetwood Homes in 2005.
Is the average home you sell increasing in size, getting smaller, or staying about the same?
The average home size has remained about the same for many years. For the past 20 years or so, the average multi-section home we sell has been around 1,500 square feet and 1,200 square feet for single-section homes.
How many homes do you sell annually?
We sell 90 homes per year on average, and this has remained the same over the past several years.
What is your average time from the order of the home to set up?
We keep our best selling home models in stock. We currently have around 30 homes ready to order, and a lot of those are available at our store. For homes that we do not have available, the delivery of the home to the site varies depending on if the home building facility has received other orders ahead of the homebuyer’s order. Other factors like where the building facility is located and time of year can also affect the delivery time.
What is the most common add-on feature in your market?
One add-on feature that we tend to see is switching floor vents to ceiling vents. However, customers typically do not request any add-ons beyond site improvements.
How have you seen your business evolve over the last few years?
We’ve seen a lot more interest from customers in our affordable home options thanks to improvements in the home building process. The least expensive home is built using the same construction process as the most expensive home we offer. We also offer much more energy-efficient homes than we did years before.
Energy-efficient home packages have always been an attractive option to our customers and with eBuilt homes now being built in all Clayton home building facilities, we can help homeowners save up to 50 percent on utility costs annually.
What do you think is the greatest challenge facing the industry right now?
One challenge that hinders access to off-site built homes is zoning. Our industry is working closely with municipalities across the country to educate community leaders, zoning officials, and the public to allow off-site built homes in more locations.
Are there specific strategies you’ve identified to keep homes moving?
We monitor the housing market very closely. In the past, our more basic home packages have moved best. Within the last few months, though, we’ve seen more customers looking for higher-end home options. Staying ahead of the curve by understanding what our customers are looking for helps us anticipate what products we need to have available.
What customer trends do you see in terms of use-of-space and/or lifestyle amenities/materials choices?
For the past three years, many customers have been adamant that they do not want carpet in their homes.
Why do you feel it’s important to attend events like Louisville, Biloxi, Congress and Expo and others?
I attend the Biloxi Home Show every year. I believe it’s important to attend events like this to stay up-to-date on new product offerings in the market (like the uptick in energy-efficient features and packages), to make connections with others in the industry and to keep a pulse on where the industry is heading.
What do you think the next year is going to be like for the industry?
We plan to sell around 90 to 100 homes in 2024.
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