Builder - February 2009 - (Page 32) SUCCESSSTORIES WOMEN-CENTRIC MARKETING LOCATION: ■ ■ Chick Pick I Homes designed for women hit their mark. n the past, building and selling 20 to 25 homes in 12 months constituted a good year for Hugh Fisher. That was before 2008, when he sold a whopping 90 homes in nine months. It wasn’t a silver bullet that sent this small New England builder’s contracts skyrocketing in spite of the worst recession in modern history. The strategy was more akin to cupid’s arrow. In late 2007, Fisher started to get his houses in touch with their feminine side. He began softening his design repertoire after attending a workshop held by Design Basics, an Omaha, Neb.–based consulting firm that provides “women-centric” stock plans, as well as design and marketing EXETER, R.I. advice to builders hoping to win the hearts and wallets of female buyers. Design Basics (which, not surprisingly, is woman-owned by entrepreneur Linda Reimer) began licensing its “women-centric” logo in 2006 and now has more than 70 licensees—Fisher included. For women, it’s the little things that matter, and that’s where Fisher began making tweaks to the house plans he’d always been able to build in his sleep. His basic formula remained the same for Deer Brook Estates, a 164-acre development slated to include 64 single-family homes and 66 age-qualified condos at build-out: four house plans with three different face-plate options. But to (see page 34) mix things up, he began Community: Deer Brook Estates Total acreage: 164 ■ Date opened for sale: January 2008 ■ Product: Single-family homes ranging from 1,600 to 2,000 square feet, and agequalified single-level condos ranging from 1,350 to 1,700 square feet ■ Price range: $340,000 to $450,000 ■ Total number of units at buildout: 130 ■ Sales to date: 101 ■ Builder/Developer: Deer Brook Development, Warwick, R.I. ■ Designer: Design Basics, Omaha, Neb. ■ Interior designer: Driftway Interiors, Casselberry, Fla. HER WAY: Recent studies suggest that women influence more than 90 percent of home purchasing decisions. Builder Hugh Fisher is listening to the ladies and giving them what they want: small homes with serious style and serious storage. 32 ■ B U I LD E R F ebrua ry 2 0 0 9 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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