Mary Cook, president of Chicago-based Mary Cook & Associates Interior Merchandisers, has seen her share of model homes. Builders, she says, run the risk of driving away prospects if their model homes are overly gimmicky -- filled with distracting elements that ultimately repel prospective buyers, not invite them inside. All of us have visited model homes plastered with cutesy themes and accessories that detracted from the home and its architecture. In fact, sometimes those gimmicks appear to cheapen even the most high-quality home.

Yet builders want their models to stand apart from the crowd. In most developments, the typical scenario is a single street lined with models represented by multiple builders. Particularly in the suburbs, homes' exteriors often look similar. How can a builder ensure that the inside of his home grabs prospects' attention from the minute they walk in the door? Cook has a few helpful tips to pass along.

Cook recommends the use of "memory features" in order to create the perfect first impression. Memory features are pieces of furniture, various accessories, and/or themes that strike a familiar and emotional chord with prospective buyers. When they're particularly effective, memory features make the community in which the home is located stand out in prospects' minds, as well.

In order to select the right memory features, Cook says, builders must be able to identify their target markets -- something they probably pride themselves upon anyway -- and then point out the items members of that market either have or are striving to have in their lives. Those items are what Cook refers to as "hot buttons" -- based upon buyers' lifestyles, community resources and amenities, and/or the various design elements within the home.

For example, let's say your target market is comprised of relatively young, energetic families -- couples with hectic schedules who are trying to move up the corporate ladder -- but who have already reached a certain degree of success and are ready for a move-up home. Those buyers want to relax when they return home at the end of the day. How do they relax? A large, luxurious bathroom with a whirlpool bath. Surrounding accessories should play upon that theme: a copy of the Sunday paper, a coffee mug, a tray with a placemat, fruit (plastic, of course), and a vase of fresh flowers. Cook adds that if a particular brand of coffee is popular in your target market, by all means, find a coffee cup bearing the brand name or place an empty bag of coffee from that company in a location your prospects will immediately find. It might sound like a hokey form of advertising, but believe it or not, the instant recognition and identification that brand creates will win points in your favor.

If your model is in a rapidly growing area due to an influx of high-tech firms, many of your prospects are likely to be young and single. What appeals to this group? This group likes computer access, high-tech toys, and recreational activities. Design an exercise room, place an impressive stereo system in the living room, or create a home office with computer. They're all important to this up-and-coming segment of our population.

Next, consider the community in which the model home is located. Is there a park nearby? Place a picnic basket on the kitchen counter, open the lid, and fill it with tempting items. If that park contains bike trails, swimming, or sailing, capitalize on either one of those themes in one of the bedrooms. If football is all the rage, design one of the secondary bedrooms using a sports theme -- banners, school colors, trophies, but don't get carried away. Keep it simple, yet interesting and identifiable.

These days, home theaters are exploding in popularity. If your model home contains one, by all means, open up those doors and let the sound out. There's seldom a prospect who isn't mesmerized by the rumbling bass coming from your upstairs theater. If your home boasts a large family room, upstairs recreation room, or basement, make sure prospects realize just how large that space is -- and the possibilities it holds for them. Place a juke box in the corner, a pool table in the middle, or set multiple pieces of exercise equipment around the room; many buyers fantasize about having home gyms. Or, if you have a particularly large entryway -- perhaps with raised ceilings -- place a beautiful baby grand piano there. Sometimes it takes an item as ornate as a piano to draw buyers' attention to various aspects of your floor plan or design features.

One thing builders should avoid, Cook says, is the excessive use of "merchandising" -- overdoing memory features and using heavy-handed themes that could offend buyers and send them to the next house. She names one such example: a child's room that had plastic ants glued in rows on the walls and streaming out of the heating vent. Overly bright, distracting murals in children's rooms are another good example.

If you have any doubts about designing a model, Cook says, use this simple rule of thumb: If you wouldn't want it in your own home, well, neither would your prospects. So if your 8-year-old son hasn't yet requested that you glue plastic ants in his heating vent, take that as a cue. Don't even think about it.

Published: July 9, 1998

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