Lennar Opens 13 Model Homes On One Street

Original Story: BuilderOnline.com

Most residential builders construct one or two models to showcase what’s possible in a new community, but one of the country’s largest builders is taking model homes to a new level.

Miami-based production builder Lennar, which builds in 44 communities in the Tampa Bay area alone, needed a way to show off its products in one place without requiring customers to drive across several counties to see them. This Custom home builder Tampa instead, division executives decided to locate many of the company’s models in one place, a model home showplace called “Easy Street.”

The company recently debuted not one but two Easy Streets composed of 13 model homes each that will make shopping for a new home ultra-convenient. Located in two of its Tampa Bay, Fla. developments--Stonegate at Ayersworth in Wimauma, and Concord Station in Land O’ Lakes—the model homes found on each Easy Street will showcase the floor plans available in Lennar's nearby communities.

“Prospective home buyers can easily see our newly launched floorplans and walk from model home to model home all in one morning or afternoon,” says Mark Metheny, division president of Lennar Central Florida. “Our goal with Easy Street is to make it convenient so buyers can see all the available floorplans at one location, and then choose the community they want to live in.”

The home builder Tampa based shows the models of Easy Street are available in 13 communities in Florida’s southern Hillsborough and Pasco counties, a widespread area that would normally require miles of driving for a prospective buyer to see each one. That’s why customers appreciate the one-stop shopping experience provided at each Easy Street, says Steve Seeger, director of sales and marketing for Lennar’s Tampa Bay division.

“Our buyers really like the convenience of seeing all the floor plans before making their selection, and being able to see them all in one place,” says Seeger. “Once they pick the floor plan that works for them, then they can pick the community they would like to be in where that floor plan is offered.”

Building 26 model homes was a significant investment, says Seeger, who declined to provide the total expense of the project. “Fortunately Lennar has the resources for this type of project to provide convenience to prospective home buyers,” he says. The company is the second largest home builder in the country as ranked by the recently released Builder 100 list.

Each Lennar division uses a different strategy to showcase new floor plans and reach prospective buyers, says Seeger. The Tampa Bay division is the first to try the Easy Street approach.

The Easy Street homes are part of Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” approach, where all the features are included in the list price of the home. Visitors to Easy Street in the community of Stonegate at Ayersworth can see a wide range of model homes, from a single-story 1,276-square-foot three-bedroom to a 3,327-square-foot two-story six-bedroom.

The model homes at the Concord Station community’s “Easy Street” range from three to five bedrooms and 1,612 square feet to 3,777 square feet. Featuring many of Lennar’s most popular luxury features, these homes are part of the builder’s Legacy Series, with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, ceramic tile flooring and more.