Emotions Can Lead Buyers Astray
Answers to a short, unassuming question asked of recent buyers of newly built homes over the last six years contain some telling advice for future purchasers:
Don’t get too caught up in the emotion of the moment.
You should like the model you’ve chosen. You can even fall madly in love with it. But don’t get so carried away that you fail to notice its shortcomings or how you would live in it.
The Irvine marketing research firm National Survey Systems conducted a nationwide survey of 65,000 buyers 60 days after move-in. The buyers were asked, “What would you change about your new home?”
About 96% said they would alter something. And as you might expect, the responses were all over the ballpark.
Some said they’d change their builder. Others didn’t like their neighbor or their neighbor’s children. And some would opt out of their neighborhoods or their location within the neighborhoods.
But the five most frequent responses, in descending order, were: The rooms were too small, there weren’t enough outlets, storage space was inadequate, kitchens didn’t work as well as expected and windows were a problem.
At first blush, this makes it sound like there’s a lot of dissatisfaction among buyers of new homes. But that’s not the case at all, said Robert Mirman, president of National Survey Systems.
Mirman said that the “vast majority” of the buyers he surveys for his 36 builder clients are generally happy with their homes, adding that his builders have an overall satisfaction rate of nearly 92%.
So what do the responses mean? That some buyers listen to the wrong organ--their hearts instead of their brains.
“Builders merchandise their models so well that some buyers get too caught up in the excitement of it all,” Mirman said. “They fall in love with the house. They want to be in love with it. But they don’t think about the practicality involved. It’s extremely common.”
That is why 11% of the buyers who responded to the post-occupancy surveys said they would like to have had larger rooms, particularly kitchens, family rooms and secondary bedrooms.
“Rooms that looked adequate in the model didn’t actually provide enough usable space,” Mirman said. “Builders hire professional designers to give the illusion that there is plenty of space, and there is.
“But then the buyer moves in and there’s still not enough wall space for all their furniture.”
To avoid making a similar mistake, don’t get so carried away with the decor that you lose sight of how the place is going to function once you’re in it. Think about how you would set up your furniture.
But don’t just eyeball your stuff. That’s guesswork. Measure your sofa to be sure it will fit where you want it. Be certain the armoire will fit between the windows in the master bedroom and that there is enough space in the dining room for your table and six chairs.
The next most-frequent complaint is lack of outlets--8% said they needed more electric, cable and telephone outlets or that the ones they have could have been better located. Many buyers suggested placing more power outlets in the garage. But for the most part, they complained that television cable leads were placed in awkward locations and that electric outlets were sparse.
Nowadays, some builders are placing two cable outlets in each room or giving their buyers the option of where they want the outlet located. But most are still putting the outlet where they think it should be.
Again, the key is to think about how the house will function with you in it. If you don’t, you’re liable to have cords, wires and cables running all over the place.
Storage is another frequent problem, especially in lower-priced homes. Six percent of the buyers surveyed said they wanted more closet space and more usable shelving in their closets, which is why more and more builders are including organizers as a standard feature.
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The kitchen is the room most frequently mentioned as lacking storage, so smart buyers will look for pantry closets, kitchen islands with cabinets underneath and Lazy Susans in the corner cabinets.
However, a growing number of buyers--now 6% as opposed to 4% two years ago--have a bigger problem with their kitchens than just storage. They say there isn’t enough counter space and, surprisingly, they’re not satisfied with their choice of cabinets, either.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home, the control center where everyone tends to congregate,” Mirman said. “That’s why it’s at the top of the list of why people pick a particular house.
“But too many buyers tend to ignore how practical the kitchen is. They’re swayed by the openness of the floor plan and the light streaming in through all those windows. And they forget that they still have to work there. Spaciousness doesn’t necessarily mean more storage or counter space.”
To avoid being caught short, be sure there is enough space beneath wall-mounted cabinets to hang your small appliances. Also, look for appliance garages and kitchen islands with sinks and cooktops.
“Islands are becoming more prominent because they kill two birds with one stone,” Mirman said. “They turn nonfunctional floor space into work space as well as storage space.”
Judging by Mirman’s surveys, it also might be worthwhile to spend the extra $750 to $1,000 for upgraded cabinets. A good many respondents wish they had, the researcher said.
“It’s tough to realize the difference before you move in, but the woodwork and hardware [are] nicer, they have a little more character and they open and close better.”
Finally, about 5% aren’t satisfied with their windows. And with today’s emphasis on light, airy designs with plenty of tall and round-top windows, this has become “a high-profile issue,” Mirman said.
For one thing, it’s a pain to clean those panes. “It’s hard to clean glass when it’s above your head,” Mirman says. “You have to hire someone to do it or get yourself a 12-foot ladder.”
For another, the windows may not work as well as they should, not because they’re designed poorly but because they’re installed poorly. Thus, they’re difficult to open and close, they don’t keep out dust and dirt and they wreak havoc on temperature control.
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Distributed by United Features Syndicate.
