Market Tests Help New York Builders Sell Without Models

This article first appeared in the PB September 2002 issue of Pro Builder.

Builders on Long Island, N.Y., are market-testing communities before models are built. The process, approved by the state attorney general’s office, lets builders do “pre-sales” in which they can show floor plans and renderings to customers but cannot accept deposits.

Ron Bloomfield, director of sales and marketing for The Holiday Organi-zation’s Hamlet at Willow Creek community, expects more than 50% of Willow Creek’s market testers to convert into buyers when the models open at the end of September.

Holiday says the three keys to its market test campaigns are:

Keeping an in-house database of customers who were closed out of similar communities.

Directing traffic to upcoming communities via the company Web site.

Incorporating tools, such as a neighborhood diorama and virtual reality films, into the market tests so customers can visualize the community.

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