People Will Buy a Home with Character

I recently saw an ad for a local homebuilder advertising mortgage payments "as low as rent". Another homebuilder runs adds that try and scare consumers out of buying foreclosed properties. They give horror stories of buyers who purchased homes with thousands of dollars worth of damage. Yet, my guess is that these ads do little to entice buyers into a new home purchase as opposed to a short sale or foreclosure. Which made me think that homebuilders should create a better product that consumers will pay more for.

I have heard some suggest that builders embrace green technology, but I doubt consumers will spend substantially more for a home that offers slight utility bill savings. Instead, why not create homes with large front porches, shutters, dormer windows, crown molding, thicker baseboards, built-in bookcases, gazebos and picket fences. Ditch the sea of beige homes with tile roofs and stucco. Below is a picture of a home available that national homebuilder Lennar homes builds in Clovis, CA. Why not build similar homes in AZ?