I thought that since our first Woman-Centric floor plan will soon be under construction in Linden, it might be good to give some insight into what it all really means. At first glance, this idea of Woman-Centric might seem to be just a creative marketing scheme. However, you will see that it is not just a new way of building a more useful, relaxing home, but it is also new way of providing the best customer service possible.
In 2005, it was reported at the National Association of Home Builders that “Women are the sole or primary decision makers in 91% of new home purchases.” After conducting 1000’s of hours of research, in 2006 Merillat, America’s largest cabinetry brand proclaimed “Women are the target market for home builders.”
America’s largest residential design firm, Design Basics, has been specifically researching women homebuyers’ preferences in home designs since 2003. During the previous decade, the majority of their firm’s research had been with men. But an article in FORBES magazine, attributing Lowes success against their bigger rival Home Depot was due to Lowes’ recognition that “she” was the key decision maker, encouraged Design Basics seek the input from female homebuyers. Women from all parts of the country, with differing backgrounds and varying levels of financial resources have participated in their research, which continues today.
In addition to being asked to critique the company’s home designs and describe their dream home, women identified what they were frustrated with in their current homes. Design Basics used focus groups, online and telephone surveys, model home interviews and spent time with women in their current homes observing aspects of design. All to better understand how these women wanted their homes to “live”. Paul Foresman with Design Basics points out, “I’ve been married 27 years and thought I knew what women wanted in a new home. But our research findings continue to amaze me. Flat out, many of my assumptions were wrong. And as guys, we simply overlooked design amenities that we’ve learned are very important to women.”
At Raymus Homes, we believe the woman-centric approach is better. The home designs are better because they truly focus on how the home “lives”. We’ve developed a new appreciation for the products included in our homes—again based on women’s feedback. And all of our buyers benefit from our emphasis on delivering a great customer experience.
If you have any questions about the Woman-Centric Matters approach or want to see what we've been up to, please contact us at 887-2172 or ryan@raymushomes.com.
You can take our Woman-Centric personality quiz on our website at www.raymushomes.com
