Ask anyone what’s the number one rule of real estate, and they’ll likely tell you it’s location, location, location.
It’s a phrase often attributed to British real estate magnate Harold Samuel, who famously remarked that a property’s location was of such paramount importance that he felt it necessary to emphasize the point thrice.
While there’s some disagreement on who actually said it first, one can’t argue the undeniable impact of location. In our business, even when the desirable location of a community is well established, location is still an important consideration when it comes to your home purchase decisions. Every home on every site presents a chance to maximize its appeal to the homebuyer.
In one notable example of missed opportunity, a new development out west was struggling to make sales. At first look, this community had it all: terraced desert landscapes, breathtaking sunsets, and heavily-touted mountain views. For all intents and purposes, it should have been an unqualified success. Except that it wasn’t.
Unfortunately, the only place you could marvel at those breathtaking sunsets and mountain views was by standing on the commode of the primary bath, gazing forlornly out an 18-inch window. No one had considered location when they designed the homes, and the product was missing the mark. Not to mention the sunsets.
In this case, the solution was a costly fix that involved moving some homes, heavily discounting others, and ensuring the next generation of homes brought in offered majestic views from more than just the bath.
Some may argue that there is a price and time at which even the most unappealing home will sell. That may be true, but who wants to tie up their inventory credit line determining exactly what that is? All it takes is a little time and attention to the location of each home to help you turn sites faster, elevate your community, and stand apart from the competition.
The secret is site-specific home design. Well, it’s not much of a secret, really. Custom home builders and architects successfully use this philosophy to design homes for the unique characteristics of the lot on which a particular home will be built. It’s an approach that recognizes no two lots are exactly alike, even in the same subdivision. They consider things like views, noise sources, and orientation of the site to maximize the livability of each home and downplay any negatives.
The good news is you don’t need to be a builder of million-dollar custom homes to put these same techniques into practice. Many of these strategies can be adapted to manufactured housing, equally as successfully, within an established home ordering process and budget. The result is homes that live better, look better and sell faster.
Here are a few tips to recognize the untapped potential in every home you order:
Get Site Specific
Think of every home you order as a unique opportunity. Don’t just ask a manufacturer for their best-selling floor plans. That can certainly be a good starting point, but you should have a plan for every home you order. How will this home work on the site where it is being placed? How does it elevate your community? Does it enhance your streetscape? Are you meeting the needs of the market with this home in terms of size, price, and amenities? Every site has something worth accentuating, whether it’s a wooded perimeter or open green space. A few tweaks to the plan can turn unremarkable assets into standout features.
Walk Every Site
There’s nothing that beats standing in the middle of a vacant site to truly determine its highest and best use. What are the positives of that site? What aspects of the location might a buyer find unappealing? Taking a moment to walk the site can help you make better product decisions. If you can’t be there in person, get photos taken from the center of the site, facing out in each direction. Don’t forget to look at the approach to the site as well to maximize your street-facing elevation.
Let Nature Be a Neighbor
Is there an opportunity for any outdoor living space? If you are fortunate enough to have a site that backs up to water or woods, be sure to take advantage of it with window placement and the opportunity for a deck or patio. Even what one would consider to be an unremarkable homesite can benefit from access to a dedicated outdoor living area. Don’t close up outdoor access from the home. No one wants guests to have to walk through their laundry room when it’s time for a barbecue. A front or rear porch can greatly enhance the livability of a home.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
One successful home deserves another, right? That is, unless you picked the wrong home in the first place. The worst thing you can do is take one bad product decision and magnify it. Even a home that worked in one community or market may not work as well when brought to another. An unappealing floor plan or decor combination is challenging enough to sell, let alone when you ordered the same beige home with a green roof seven times. Let the market guide you. Give your product time to prove itself. Refine the plan as necessary until you get it just right.
Avoid Too Much of a Good Thing
There’s nothing quite like having a successful model you can’t reorder fast enough. You’ve managed to find the perfect home for your community and market, but now you risk too much of a good thing. Look at how you can adjust the street elevation by varying columns, dormers, exterior colors, and window placements to create differentiation in your community and reduce having too much of the same look. Simple floorplan variations by reversing layouts, swapping rooms, and decor options can give buyers a different interior impression of the same home while preserving its appeal.
Take Advantage of the Site Orientation
What is the orientation of the homesite? Would placing the kitchen or dining area at the front of the home enable the homeowner to capture morning light? Likewise, a south-facing orientation can afford more natural light for living areas. In warmer climates, minimizing west-facing windows and incorporating dormers could help to reduce cooling expenses. Are there any trees on the site that can be utilized for privacy or shade? A rear patio placed in full afternoon sun may be uncomfortably hot. A deck facing a busy street may go unused.
Minimize Potential Negatives
Not every homesite is perfect. Many times there may be less desirable views or site features that can be minimized through a thoughtful layout. You may not want to have the primary bedroom adjacent to a neighbor’s busy driveway when a floor plan can be reversed to afford more privacy. In the same way, you wouldn’t want to place the primary living space overlooking a high-traffic thoroughfare where noise levels may be a concern. Strategic room and window placement can help avoid noise sources and direct lines of sight from neighbors. Secondary spaces, such as utility rooms and closets, can be an effective buffer against less desirable views or sources of noise
Buyers recognize when a home “fits.” They appreciate views, comfort, privacy, and functional outdoor living spaces. Even if they can’t always articulate why one home feels more inviting than another, they gravitate toward homes that seem meant for their location rather than just randomly placed on the next available homesite.
Ultimately, site-specific home design encourages you to rethink your home ordering process. It’s about making considerate, intentional decisions that focus on the strengths of each homesite and address any potential limitations. In today’s housing market, adopting this philosophy can become a powerful differentiator for your community, enabling you to turn homes more quickly and competitively – one homesite at a time.
And that, like location, is everything.
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