Just as preferences for countertops, spa tubs and paint colors change, so, it appears, does the list of what buyers are looking for in their new-home communities. A decade ago, a large development without an array of neighborhood amenities was at a marketing disadvantage. A swimming pool and tennis courts, at the minimum, were standard, and many projects of 200 homes or more went even further, building houses around the edges of golf courses and resort-style water parks connected by walking trails and manicured green spaces.
But as the supply of buildable land shrinks, so does the opportunity to create communities large enough to support such amenities, said Andy DiMarzio, vice president of sales and marketing for Edward Andrews Homes.
“Finding some sliver of land in Sandy Springs or East Cobb is impossible, and a sliver is not as feasible to build an amenity on,” he said. “Alternatively, higher-priced neighborhoods, such as our Lake Haven in Crabapple, have large lots of one to three acres and prices from the $800,000s. When you get close to $1 million, customers aren’t looking for a swim-tennis amenity; they’ll build their own.”
But buyers who are moving out of their starter homes and into their second or third houses are often interested in a package that provides something for the entire family.
“We do have some deals in Forsyth, Cherokee and Gwinnett coming up with nice swim and tennis facilities and fire pits,” said DiMarzio. “And we always try to have some nuance in each community. For instance, at Kingswood in Roswell, there are only 25 lots, but we’re putting the finishing touches on a gathering place, a little pocket park with a fireplace where owners can gather and have a happy hour or toast marshmallows.”
Scott White, vice president of Almont Homes, agrees that a project’s size is the first consideration when deciding what amenities will be part of a new development, which is why the company’s Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall and Jackson projects vary.
“If you only have 50 people in a subdivision, they may not want to pay $2,000 a year to have a pool,” said White. “But with a big enough community, like a 50-acre development in Gwinnett, amenities are required.”
At Almont’s Twin Bridges in Suwanee, priced from the $290,000s, 109 homeowners will have a pool, playground and picnic areas, as well as access to a trail system that connects to the city’s Greenway. Bridlewood in Forsyth County features a pool, tennis courts and playground. The Orchard Lake project in Cumming will have a boat dock and fire pit in addition to the pool and playground.
“But at Sierra Lake in Cumming, we’re going a little overboard with about $1 million in the amenities because we can spread that cost over 250 lots,” said White. “We’ll have an extensive trail system, clubhouse, large swimming pools, docks on the lakes, a soccer field and possibly frisbee golf.”
The types and sizes of amenities vary not only by a community’s price and size, but also by its location. What’s important in some parts of the metro area is less of a consideration in others, said Dina Gundersen, marketing director for Monte Hewett Homes. For instance, the concept of “amenity” changes once buyers cross inside the Perimeter, where they generally don’t expect the same amenities the larger, suburban neighborhoods can offer. And they aren’t looking for extras provided by the developer; they’re basing their final selections on the characteristics tied to a home’s location.
No matter where a new home is located, more buyers are demanding one particular feature: Walkability.
“Walkability is now a key factor in choosing a home,” said Gundersen. “Buyers want to know where can they walk to from their home. It could be parks and walking trails; it could be restaurants and entertainment; it could even be schools. But the surroundings are an integral part of Monte’s decision to start a new community. Our four newest communities have walkability at the top of the list.”
That list begins with the new Avalon project in Alpharetta, where restaurants and upscale retailers are the main attraction. The residential component is townhouses and single-family homes that start in the high $600,000s, and having those within a short stroll from the front door is a huge draw, said Gundersen: "Avalon is the amenity."
Inside the Perimeter, Hewett is building 24 townhouses at East Howard Place in the heart of Decatur. At Ansley at Piedmont, seven luxury townhouses are going up on Piedmont Avenue in Midtown. In Buckhead, the St. Andrews will have 23 townhouses and eight single-family homes.
“Amenities aren’t as much a price-point thing anymore,” said Gundersen. “It’s not what people can’t live without as much as where they want to live. Ansley at Piedmont is right across from Piedmont Park. What could be a better amenity than that? The St. Andrews is close to the St. Regis (hotel), Whole Foods and Buckhead Atlanta. At East Howard Place, you can walk to downtown Decatur; the city itself is the amenity, and people don’t expect there to be a pool. In all of these cases, walkability is the main amenity buyers are looking for. Intown, that’s become the amenity: the ability to walk to a park or to the Beltline.”
Though the metro area is still home to communities with golf courses, expansive water features and multiple sports fields, the demand for such grand-scale accents may be shifting.
“I think if someone is looking in the far suburbs, they still want that swim/tennis feature,” said Gundersen. “But the definition of amenity is changing. And what’s important in some areas of town means something completely different in others.”
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