The housing market is steadily improving, the NAHB reports, which is great news for our custom builders. According to their newest IMI (Improving Market Index), 80 areas across 32 states are listed as an improving market. This includes 75 markets that retained their place on the list, as well as five new ones. Nine fell from the list, primarily due to slight movements in house prices.

If you’re a custom builder in Texas there’s very good news, as Lubbock was one of the five improved markets. So too were Miami and Palm Bay, Florida, Hinesville, Georgia, and Terre Haute, Indiana. See a full list of the IMI here. The IMI is designed to track housing markets showing signs of improving economic health, and to do so measures three sets of independent monthly data. Analyzed are the employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac, and housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. The NAHB uses this latest available data to create their list of improving markets; in order to be included, a metropolitan area must see improvement in all three measures for at least six months.

NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe said, “The fact that we continue to see a strong core of metros showing up on the improving list each month adds to the growing evidence that the emerging housing recovery has a solid foundation on which to build as housing returns to its traditional role of driving economic growth.” Have you seen an improvement in the custom homes market in your area? Do you find that your  custom home buyers are feeling more confident as the general economy improves?

Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman at First American Title Insurance Company, also said in the article, “With nearly one quarter of all U.S. metros currently designated as improving housing markets, there is growing recognition among consumers that now is an opportune time to consider a home purchase.” This is very encouraging news and we’re sure our custom builders will take full advantage of it. If you have any personal insight into your area’s improving market, we’d love to hear about it.

As a custom home builder, you’re skilled at balancing market trends and popular requests with caring for the individual needs of your homeowner. We’ve seen an very important change in the homeowner market over the last few decades: women’s purchasing power. Women make a great deal of the homebuying decisions. And too note that single households are most likely to be headed by women.  Market research indicates that of our popular design trends, some are especially important and appreciated by women homeowners.

Drop Zones: These are areas near a garage or door that offer a place to store and organize important items. Coats, shoes, rain gear, mail, keyholders – all the things that become scatted throughout the home and make a disorganized mess. These drop zones are a great solution. As a custom home builder, what kind of drop zones can you create for your client? There are all sorts of aesthetic choices possible in finding just the right look for just the right spot!

Electronic Drop Zones: Between smart phones, tablets, ereaders, and music players, the modern family owns a plethora of electronic devices – and with them, a multitude of cords. As a custom home builder, consider offering a convenient, well-designed place that houses all of those cords for quick charging and storage. They hide the mess and protect against loss.

Convenient Laundry Rooms: The location of the laundry can save – or create – a lot of hassle. Having the laundry room built near the bedrooms is an increasingly popular trend. It’s a huge time saver, and far more convenient for washing and putting clothing away. What laundry room locations do you find popular for new custom homes?

Kitchen Storage: As a custom home builder, you know how important the right kitchen is to your client! Storage is often one of the top must-have for women buyers. This is especially true for kitchen cabinets. Pantries and cabinets that provide plenty of well-utilized storage space make the kitchen more usable and appealing. Important, too, is keeping them well-lit and easily accessible.

These are just a few popular trends in the custom homes market. Custom home builders create homes that are perfectly suited for the owner’s needs – and those of her family. What trends do you think are well worth watching?

We’ve said before that 90% of homebuyers search online for homes and custom homebuilders. That’s a significant number! For the best sales and homeowner experience, you’ll spend a lot of time thinking about the design and features of your website. But also think about the way people first find you online. That might include SEO, social media marketing – whatever your company needs for name recognition and first page Google results. One feature to definitely consider is a mobile website.

It’s predicted that by 2013, more people will access information and search on their mobile devices than on their computers. Adding a mobile website will therefore have a major impact on your business. Regular websites are difficult to load and navigate on a mobile phone. Time-consuming sites send people off looking for companies that already have a mobile site. Mobile websites allow not just rapid website load time and easy-to-navigate pages, but also immediate access to phone numbers, directions, hours, and contact information. Consider how important this is to your potential custom homebuyer.

With the majority of people searching for homes on mobile websites, having a sharp-looking site with plentiful, organized information is crucial to staying ahead of your competitors. More visibility means more sales. Companies with mobile websites are going to sell more custom homes – that’s just the logic of numbers. Consider what your company can do to stay ahead of market trends and turn potential homebuyers into satisfied homeowners.

If you have any questions about mobile websites, or site design, SEO, and social marketing, give Builder Designs a call. We’d be happy answer any questions and discuss your options.

April is New Homes Month! Record-low interest rates and competitive prices make the custom home market an attractive potential for many families. But many people are also still keeping an eye on their budget. Custom homebuilders are creating energy efficient and space efficient homes, with multipurpose rooms, that offer beauty and comfort while keeping costs trim.

For example, spaces are being reworked. Custom homebuilders are designing common areas like kitchens for maximum family interaction, while buyers are less interested in little-used rooms such as formal dens. Rather than a large home office, custom homes can offer “pocket offices”, small spaces for home management. Other corners of space, like window seats, provide cozy alcoves for a private area while not taking up precious square feet.

If the property is smaller to begin with, custom homebuilders can offer increased amenities as compensation. Libraries are becoming more and more common, in addition to the long-popular media room. Cost efficiency for space may include a redesign of exteriors. Multiple roof lines take up interior volume, so rectangular designs are more cost effective. A new custom home can include architectural details that take advantage of that redesign. Consider what you could add to this modern look, such as mixed materials, and large windows for additional light. Offering keen selections as a custom homebuilder helps your homebuyer research the exact look they are dreaming of. Remember that 9 out of 10 people find a custom builder by website, so having those selections and floorplans posted for viewing is very beneficial.

Because of budget concerns and changing cultural diversity, many families are now living together in multiple generation homes. A custom homebuilder can offer “shadow” units, separate living units alongside the the main floorplan. Offering two master suites, especially one on a ground floor so as to be accessible for elderly occupants, may interest many of your homebuyers. A custom home is of course dedicated to the unique style and needs of the family buying it, so consider the different options you want to offer for all types of family blends. Custom homebuilders are especially talented at and suited for creating custom homes for complex or special arrangements.

These changes in home design are exciting to see. For more information about house design in the new year, check out this NAHB article. We at Custom Builders hope you have a great New Homes Month in April.