Village Homes
Monday, April 1st, 2013 | Uncategorized | No Comments
This month East Tennessee’s Mountain Views is excited to share with its readers an interview with Village Homes’ founders and brothers, Dan and Wes Cooper. Dan served as Sr. VP with Cooper Communities and later in the capacity of president with Cooper Homes. Wes worked in both CCI land sales and home sales with Dan, and they continue on with their more than a quarter century of quality home building as owners of Village Homes. Having built the very first home in Tellico Village and having been involved with the construction of nearly one-third of all homes and townhomes built in the Village, Dan and Wes offer would-be homeowners a wealth of experience as well as unique perspectives on the direction of home building in the Tellico Lake area for the future.
MV: Briefly, how has the single-family residential marketplace changed during the last 25 years since you built your first home in Tellico Village in 1986?
Dan: I would say the biggest change throughout the years has been a constant move toward lower maintenance exteriors using brick, vinyl, and masonry siding and a shift to what was once considered upgrade finishes. Many items like granite countertops, walk-in showers, and outdoor living spaces, which were once considered upgrades, are pretty much standard today. We have also seen a shift to more energy efficient building, with the majority of our customers opting for ENERGY STAR certified homes.
MV: How would you describe the “typical” home being built by retirees today?
Wes: Less house, more features. We have seen that since the recession, most customers want less square footage and more custom features. Most want 1,800 to 2,200 square feet on one level. Depending on the homesite, many will opt for an unfinished or partially finished basement. Most of our designs are less formal than years past, with more open, casual, multi-use areas. The home should be the reward for a lifetime of working and should reflect the customer’s lifestyle and interests – a home they and their family can enjoy for many years to come.
MV: Home builders offer would-be home buyers a variety of business models to select from. Tell our readers about your “Fixed Price Plan.”
Dan: We have found throughout the years that most customers prefer a fixed price contract with a few allowance items as opposed to a cost plus agreement, where the ultimate price is unknown. We typically give the customer a preliminary estimate from redline plans. If we are in the customer’s price range, we then complete revised drawings and give the customer a contract price. Allowance items cover some foundation activities and vary from homesite to homesite. This process typically takes 30 to 90 days depending on a number of factors, including the degree of customization the customer wants.
MV: Village Homes also offers would-be homeowners free design service as well as a rather unique pre-priced home package you call “Signature Series.” Tell us about both.
Wes: As for the design services, Village Homes will pay or reimburse the customer for reasonable design fees on custom or semi-custom homes built by Village Homes. Most of our customers elect to go with one of our pre-priced Villager Series of Plans. These plans reflect the most desirable elevations, floor plans, and sizes, have been pre-priced, and come with many pre-priced options that allow the customer to personalize the home to their unique needs and taste. This greatly simplifies the process and saves the customer time and money.
MV: Village Homes is the only home builder that builds townhomes in Tellico Village. Tell our readers a little bit about the townhomes you offer.
Dan: We continue to work with CCI to build out some of their existing townhome areas – Chota Landing, Tanasi Cove Landing, and Kahite Greens. We have developed some exciting new detached townhome plans for Tanasi Cove Landing on the lake across from the Tanasi Clubhouse. This may be the best location in the main Village. We have some great one-level golf front sites on the Kahite golf course and a couple of sites remaining in the Chota Landing area by the Yacht Club.
MV: Are townhomes growing in popularity, and if so, why?
Wes: Townhome sales had been fairly steady since 1986 up until the recession hit, and then sales began to slow. Historically, about 40% of our townhome sales were to existing Village residents wanting to downsize and 60% to new residents. In the past couple of years, there has been a strong demand in the townhome resale market, but that inventory is about depleted, and we anticipate new construction will pick up this year. Townhomes offer a great lifestyle if you prefer to spend your time on the lake, golf course, or on something else other than yard maintenance.
MV: Are ENERGY STAR rated homes growing in popularity as well?
Dan: Yes. Most of our recent customers have elected to go with the ENERGY STAR package. It’s an investment that will pay you back for as long as you own the home as well as increase the resale value of your home.
MV: Is Village Homes able to build homes outside of Tellico Village, and if so, where?
Wes: Our focus is on the Tellico Lake area, but we will build wherever it makes sense, provided that we feel we can give the customer the service and attention they deserve.
MV: If I were considering building a new home, why should I consider choosing Village Homes?
Dan: We have a great home building team, which includes me, Wes, and Jeff Seese, our Production Manager. Together we have more than 100 years of experience building homes and townhomes for Tellico Village and area residents. We have established relationships with the area’s best trades and suppliers and have built our reputation on building trust in that we will do what we say we will do.
MV: Any final thoughts?
Wes: We are proud to call Tellico Village our home and take pride in all that we have done during the past 25 years to build and shape our community. Mostly, we appreciate all the Villagers that have allowed us and trusted us to be a part of their experience in coming to the area.
Village Homes
100 Chota Road
Loudon, TN 37774
(865) 458-6813
www.villagehomes-tellico.com