The Marketing Value of Model Home Merchandising

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BuilderRadio interviews Mary Dewalt, Mary DeWalt Design Group, Austin, TX

Is your model home an extension of your markteting? According to interior designer and model home merchandising specialist Mary DeWalt, of Mary DeWalt Design Group in Austin, TX, it should be. Not all builders sell from a model home, but for those of you who do, properly merchandising your model home can be one of the best investments you can make. Listen to our interview with Mary for tips on how to make your model home become a silent salesperson by attracting more buyers and helping them to decide to buy your product. Review the outline below while you listen, and make notes as to how you will apply these powerful strategies to make your model an active part of your sales and marketing implementation.

Interview with Model Home Merchandiser Mary DeWalt:

Why merchandise a model home?

Merchandising is properly packaging the product specifically for your target audience. Builders can’t afford not to merchandise their models. The typical customer will look at 50 homes during their shopping cycle, and will make a determination within 6 seconds if they like a particular home or not.

Proper mechandising willhelp your model home:

1. Compete with other builders, even larger ones
2. Act as a ‘silent salesperson’
3. Sell faster
4. Increase perceived value of you, the builder and your product
5. Demonstrate how the home will live
6. Draw ties to the community
7. Increase absorption rate
8. Keep buyers in the model longer, increasing the sales rate
9. Add a ‘memorability’ factor – makes your homes stand out
10. Ensure current trends are included in the design

Q: What’s the difference between Merchandising and Interior Decorating?

Interior decorators work to individuals to buy furnishings; Merchandisers work to
highlight the features of the home to a target audience. They don’t sell furnishings.

Q. How does a builder find a Model Home Merchandiser?

The best way is through the NAHB Sales & Marketing Council, or to Google Model
Home Merchandisers. That will bring up a list of websites to compare. Then, when
you narrow it down to 2 or 3, ask them each to give you a presentation.

Q. How will a merchandiser go about setting up a model home for a target group?

Model Home Merchandisers take the buyer profile information that the builder gives them and then do their own market research on top of that. They want to know who the buyer is, how they live, where they work, play and shop, etc. Then, the merchandiser will create a ‘fictional family’ that represents that cumulative buyer profile and merchandise the home for that family. Since styles are often being defined by popular catalogs such as Crate & Barrel, William Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, etc., a merchandiser might choose items from an appropriate catalog to use, always going one step up from where the target buyer may be at time and showing what they are likely to move up to.

Q. When should a builder begin working with a merchandiser?

The earlier, the better. Ideally, a merchandiser can work with the builder and architect to make sure the homes have the most sought-after features for a given market. So, the merchandiser should be part of the marketing team during project development.

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