Bad Industry News Reveals An Interesting Sales Strategy

With increasingly bad economic news citing slower and slower housing starts, growing unemployment rates, falling consumer confidence numbers and fears about another round of bank and finance company defaults, an interesting strategy is being revealed that many competitive and innovative homebuilders and developers may want to consider.

Nancy Keates of The Wall Street Journal recently reported on her experience in building a new home while making some interesting observations that are a result of the woes of the economy in general and homebuilding industry specifically.

While the article begins by playing on buyers’ perceptions that it is currently cheaper to buy an existing home than construct a new one, for those consumers that conclude a home built to their specifications is superior to one that they might settle on based on cost, there hasn’t been a better time to build new than now.

Baby Boomers and Millennials Enticed by Urban Housing Options

An interesting article, first seen in The Wall Street Journal, surfaced over the weekend in our local newspaper, The Chicago Tribune. In it, the author discussed how urban living appeals to two diverse demographics that you might not think about — Baby Boomers and Millennials, that groups of 20somethings born between the late 1970s and mid 1990s.

Each finds condo and townhome living in our nation’s urban centers appealing — the Baby Boomers favor the wide choices of dining and entertainment — as well as the many cultural attractions — while the Millennials, seeking refuge from the suburban sprawl they typically grew up with, find the nightlife and large groups of similarly-minded peers attractive. Both groups, of course, love the public transportation options, typically rail line and bus, though the relative closeness of everything also appeals to those seeking a healthy lifestyle — or at least those who think they do!