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Surge Homes Development LLC is introducing a new design-build approach in Houston.
As the Houston Business Journal reported earlier, Surge Homes Development LLC is launching 10 residential projects inside the Interstate 610 loop. The homes will range in price from $125,000 for a condominium unit in Midtown to $1.5 million for a single-family home in the Heights. Construction is expected to start in fall 2015, and the first units are expected in fall 2016.
However, instead of building single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums based on what it feels the market wants, Surge Homes plans to work intimately with potential new homebuyers to design and build its projects.
Interested buyers can visit Surge Homes' new interactive website and peruse all the home options, including price points, floor plans and design elements. Once they choose a design they like, buyers can sign up to become a "VIP" in Surge Homes' "Insiders Club," where they can talk directly with developers on designs and have first dibs on buying a unit.
Buyers can visit the company's "discovery center" and share their opinions about what kind of fit and finishes, amenities and features should be included in the project. On some projects, buyers even have the power to choose what kind of home product they want the developers to build, whether it's a row of townhomes or a mid-rise condominium.
The VIPs also will be invited to a special interior and exterior design event in January. Curious neighbors are also invited, to help alleviate community concerns about the projects. One of Surge Homes' 10 projects faced several roadblocks with area residents and the city of Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle. Other projects, like the Ashby high-rise project, have hit similar snags during the development process.
"We want to find a way to interact with future owners from Day One," said co-founder and partner Louis Conrad. "We don't want to impose a product on our buyers."
Custom homebuilders have personalized homebuilding for years, working with well-heeled clients to design and build their perfect abode. Production homebuilders also offer customization options, from selecting different paint colors and trims to knocking down walls and rearranging floor plans.
However, this customized approach is rare for larger, more expensive multifamily projects, such as condominiums. Most multifamily developers gather focus groups, send out mailers and conduct door-to-door interviews with their target demographic, but typically not the buyers themselves.
"We wanted to do something to take production building and move it closer to custom building," Conrad said.
Surge Homes co-founder Ben Lemieux pioneered this approach in Canada, talking with interested buyers to build several residential projects. While it typically takes an additional six weeks of development time, the extra effort pays off in the end, he said.
With a more accurate understanding of what the buyer wants, Lemieux said he is able to build homes that buyers actually want, which translates into higher and faster sales. VIPs also get first dibs on the units as well as a discount for participating in the "Insiders Club."
"We don't want people having to accept whatever the developer does," Lemieux said. "With the Insiders Club, we'll be able to get all the feedback and tweak a product and our plans in order to make it perfectly for them."
