Premier Business Partners:

Earl Grey and Sons

Every homeowner starts out as a first-time homebuyer – excited, nervous and more than a little apprehensive to both find and be able to afford all that he or she wants from a first home.

Beazer Homes understands the concerns and desires of first-time homebuyers. It tailors its approach and homes to make things as easy and satisfying for them as possible to ensure they are Beazer homebuyers for life.

In Indianapolis, Beazer Homes has been enjoying a strong position in its market. In fact, in recent months, Beazer Homes Indianapolis has become the No. 1 home-builder in its market.

Even though buyer confidence has taken some significant hits, rebuilding confidence is what Division President Bruce Craig says Beazer Homes specializes in.

“It just takes a little bit of extra work and we have to overcome a few more objections,” Craig says.

Currently, Beazer has more than 44 communities in the Indianapolis area featuring single-family homes ranging from the upper $80,000s to the $400,000s, providing homes for many price points. 

Beazer says its goal is to take first-time homebuyers and provide them with homes throughout their lives – from their first home to their dream home.  

Alleviating Fears
Specializing in serving first-time buyers means a slightly different approach from most national homebuilders, says Erika Inniger, director of sales and marketing.

Beazer Homes has structured itself into a team of dedicated professionals who lead buyers through every step of the design and construction process, continuously keeping buyers informed and involved in their home through all stages of construction to help alleviate any additional and un-needed stress.  
 
First Time Out    
Beazer has also come to the understanding that first-time and repeat buyers need more out of a home today.  

It is no longer enough for a home to simply look good, but the home must perform to a higher standard.

The options Beazer Homes offers to first-time homebuyers are designed to give them what they want while at the same time being as low-maintenance as possible. For example, Craig says, the company is beginning to implement a new program called SmartDesign, an integration of quality design, quality materials and the awareness of how homeowners today need their homes to perform at their peak and go above and beyond the expectations of a house. 

Beazer takes an approach that goes outside what many homebuilders have traditionally done and has developed a revolutionary way of designing and building homes.

Drawing on the experience and ideas of professional organizer Monica Ricci, SmartDesign floor plans maximize the space homeowners have and provide them with innovative uses of space that fit their lifestyles.

Along with Ricci, Beazer has sought the input of interior designers, organization experts and professional chefs to make their homes work harder for owners and provide high-quality design solutions and energy-efficiency needs to meet today’s demands.

The guidance of these experts has led Beazer to implement additions to its floor plans such as built-in bookcases, extra-large master bedroom closets and detailed storage spaces in the kitchen. Craig says a pet care center adjacent to the laundry area provides pet owners with a dedicated space for washing and grooming their pets without causing a mess elsewhere in the house.

“Things like that are very unique and different,” Craig says, “and we’re trying to be at the forefront of buyer’s needs. Even for the first-time homebuyer, they might not be able to buy that big house with all the additional storage space, but they can still get all the features and benefits of a SmartDesign home.”

Not surprisingly, affordability is probably the top concern for first-time buyers, Inniger says, and Beazer Homes works to keep its homes within their reach by cutting back on some unnecessary features that are not essential to the first-time buyer’s needs.

Large backyards, for example, are not high on many first-time homebuyers’ priority lists, Craig says. For these buyers, Inniger says, “it’s more about being able to afford their payment and making sure they find a high-quality home within a price range that suits them.”

Curb Appeal
In an effort to update its elevations to appeal more to modern sensibilities and regional preferences, Beazer Homes Indianapolis recently spent some time changing the look of its home exteriors. Craig said the goal was to “put a fresh face” on its homes and give them greater curb appeal.

“It took us a lot of time and expense to do that, and we feel that it was a worthwhile investment to differentiate ourselves,” Craig says.

Inniger says Beazer is one of the first production homebuilders to offer cultured stone on its elevations. “It’s something that people in the Midwest really want,” she says. Deeper front porches and brick fronts are other examples of features added to Beazer’s homes.

Peace of mind when it comes to maintenance is another feature of Beazer homes. For first-time homebuyers, the prospect of buying a new home only to repaint or stain the exterior is not the most attractive of prospects. Vice President of Operations Ed Koepfer says Beazer homes’ vinyl siding and brick/stone façades give homeowners the benefit of not having to worry about painting or staining on the outside of the house except for the doors. “Other than that, it is 100 percent maintenance-free,” he says.

Also contributing to easing first-timers’ minds about their new homes is Beazer’s unique Inside the Walls Quality Approach. The company says the program helps homebuyers feel just as secure about the unseen areas of their new homes as the maintenance-free materials make them feel about the exterior of them.

Using age-resistant, DuraPerm materials, innovative building methods and broad inspection protocols, Beazer’s Inside the Walls Quality Approach is the foundation of the superior craftsmanship found in each Beazer home, according to Inniger.  

Craig says this program lays out “the little things that we do, that you don’t necessarily see when you walk through a home.” Koepfer says this means walking a customer through the home and showing them things such as foam insulation in the floor joists to quiet vibrating pipes is key for each customer know so they can truly enjoy the livability of their new home without having to think about its durability.  

In addition, Beazer Homes continues to look for ways to enhance its homes with eco-friendly products and designs now in great demand by today’s first-time homebuyers, Inniger says.  

Setting Standards
Even though there is a lot of press regarding the “uncertainty about builders” today, Craig says, Beazer Homes Indianapolis has received high marks from homebuyers, and it has the figures to prove it. The company’s Customer Experience Index measures a homebuyer’s satisfaction throughout the entire building process.

This system allows Beazer to track and monitor the satisfaction of each of its homebuyers, allowing it to stay committed to providing the best homebuilding experience today.

Prime Market
Indianapolis has been kind to Beazer Homes, and Beazer Homes will continue to be kind to the market, Craig says. Prices have remained affordable throughout the area, making it a prime target for first-time homebuyers.

As long as they continue to look for their first, second and even their dream homes, Beazer Homes will continue to try and guide them through it, Craig says. He says the company, much like the first-time homebuyers it serves, is interested in setting down roots in the Indianapolis area.

“We’re committed to the market, we have a very large land bank, and I see us continuing to set the standards in this marketplace,” he says.