If a developer wants to jump into master-planned communities, they must be experts at strategy. Big-picture thinking can help developers survive downturns and pivots in market trends. Bob MacLeod of Newland, who has 50 years of experience and has sold tens-of-thousands of homes, shares his insights on how builders can take their master-planned communities to the next level. In order to have the most success, they must widen their lens beyond the design of the homes and layout of the neighborhood to consider key points such as geography, product diversity, and buyer demographics.
If you want to know what makes a great master-planned community, you need to listen to Bob McLeod of Newland, one of the biggest and best master developers in the nation. Bringing 50 years of experience and having sold tens of thousands of homes, Bob shares some of his priceless lessons learned.
Building Great Communities
Some of those lessons are:
You need to give buyers a diverse product. A masterplan is a lot like an auto dealership—and Bob should know, he used to run one. You need different home types—detached, townhomes, apartments—the way a successful car dealer needs sedans, pickups, and SUVs.
You need to be geographically diverse too. Having a big footprint helps, particularly during a downturn, because different places act differently during different parts of a housing cycle. This can even be true within a market. So if the energy sector crashes in Houston or aerospace in Southern California, you can still succeed somewhere else.
Having a long-term view and a financial partner that shares that vision is critical. Communities have an active lifespan that lasts years. A good developer has to be patient and learn to sell through the natural life cycle of a place. In Sekisui, Newland has a partner that counts in years, not quarters, and has the kind of realistic expectations that allow Newland the space to build the best communities.
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