BUILDER USES RETAIL APPROACH TO SATISFY HOMEBUYERS
When Fulton Homes opened up their 13,000 square foot Design Center, in Tempe, they concentrated on using a retail approach to the merchandising of options as opposed to a “Builder Approach.” Brand names are very important to buyers, so they selected quality brands such as Shaw, Mohawk, Moen, Kohler, GE, GE Profile, GE Monogram, Viking, Sony, OnQ- LeGrand, Jeld Wen, Therma Tru, and Hunter Douglas. “We are constantly evaluating our performance of options, and adding new items as well as deleting items that buyers may not want”, says Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations. “In the past few years we have re-merchandised nine kitchens and three bathrooms in the center as we stay in tune to what our customers are looking for.” notes Douglass Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes.
When purchasing a new home, recent studies indicate the homebuyers want a large selection of options in order to personalize their new home. Fulton Homes offers over 6000 options to accommodate the discerning buyer. Other builders offer a few option packages in their “Builder Approach” so that the construction of the house is less complicated and easier to build.
Fulton Homes also offers the first online options selection program called “Design Online.” Here buyers can view thousands of options on line from their own living rooms. The information on the online site is provided by over 200 manufacturers and contains rich content including pictures, warranty information, product specs, and dimensions. Buyers are far more prepared for their Design Center experience when they are familiar with the options online. Fulton also opens up their Design Center on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 5:00 PM to 8:00PM for “Browse Night” so that people can see, touch, and feel the many available items that might be difficult to imagine in an online only experience.
Recently, three brand new items have appeared at the Design Center. A revolutionary new bathroom product called “Forza Stone” of which Fulton Homes is the first builder in the country to offer is a shower and tub surround that is manufactured in sheets, and is natural stone. Because of the sheets, there is no grouting involved. So the buyer gets the look of natural travertine or marble, but with no grout lines that makes cleaning a snap. Another new product is by Therma Tru and Jeld Wen doors where within a patio door, an adjustable shade screen is housed between the dual pane low E glass. This makes privacy and light adjustment simple without having traditional window coverings moving around the interior of the door. The third item which is exclusive to Fulton Homes in Arizona is the introduction of GE Monogram’s new 30” convertible refrigerator. The top of the unit is a refrigeration unit, the middle section is a freezer complete with icemaker, and bottom portion can be either a refrigerator or a freezer.
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Fulton Homes is planning grand openings in three new communities this fall. Monterey Bay at Victoria Estates and Mendocino at Ashcreek will debut in Queen Creek, while Shoreline at Fulton Ranch will open in Chandler. For more information on Fulton Homes, visit www.fultonhomes.com.