9. New Construction Homes: What Most Buyers Miss About Customization

📺 Watch the Video on Spotify & YouTube "You never know what you're going to have to tackle every day," says Sarah Heatherly, vice president of development at Louder New Homes, who joins Start a Conversation to share how real creativity, relentless teamwork, and on-the-fly adaptation take a new construction project from raw, family-held land to a thriving, 52-home Summerlin neighborhood. Drawing on almost 15 years in construction, Sarah reveals how challenges like small footprints, surprise retaining walls, and shifting market demands are met not just with expertise but with in-house ingenuity and a commitment to transparent communication. If you want an inside look at how a builder, agent, and sales team collaborate to turn obstacles into opportunities—and why so many buyers end up customizing and upgrading their dreams in the process—this episode of Start a Conversation is one you won’t want to miss. ## 5 Key Takeaways 1. Surround yourself with skilled professionals—engineers, real estate agents, designers—to overcome challenges and elevate any project. Build your dream team from day one. 2. Embrace flexibility; be prepared to adapt plans mid-project when unexpected obstacles or opportunities arise. Pivot quickly and turn challenges into wins. 3. Prioritize transparent, timely communication across your team and with clients to avoid surprises and keep projects running smoothly. Make clear, open dialogue your standard. 4. Offer buyers choices—customization and upgrade options increase excitement and satisfaction. Give clients room to put their personal touch on every home. 5. Let the market guide your product—start with a variety of options, listen to buyer feedback, and adjust designs and finishes to match real demand. Stay agile and responsive at every stage. ## Memorable Quotes > *"I think every project has its own challenges. Summerlin was one of those. Most people have seen as we've started developing this property, we've added some significant retaining walls and had to adjust and pivot as we went."* > *"We used that natural barrier, even required green space location, to have this transition between a smaller product and a larger product. It actually flows really nicely with the topo of the property, and we felt like that became something that instead of being a challenge, was an opportunity to diversify our products."* > *"I think we are very fortunate at Louder New Homes that we have people in house that can be very creative with floor plan design. Especially even the house that we're in now, it's a corner lot. It's one of the most challenging lots to build on. The footprint was very small. We had to make adjustments to the plan. We made it work."* ## Connect with Tracey https://concepttoclosing.com/agent/tracey-johnston-ayers ## Connect with Lowder Homes https://www.lowdernewhomes.com/meet-the-team ## Resources Mentioned RESOURCES ## Nonet Reese LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nonetparmerreese/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonetparmerreese YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@threesixtyauburn ## Three Sixty Real Estate Website: https://concepttoclosing.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/concepttoclosing/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threesixty.realestate.eal/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/three-sixty-development-sales-management/ Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/profile/ThreeSixtyRealEstate 🎙️🎙️🎙️ Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast: https://fullcast.co Discover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/