Strategy Shift Keeps Construction Alive

By Nancy Mueller • For the WILLIAMSON A.M.

Sunset Pool Sunset Park Front
There are several examples of new subdivisions in Williamson County that were stalled by the recession, but 2-year old Sunset Park isn’t one of them.
There are now 17 families living in this Nolensville neighborhood on Sunset Road, and there are seven active home construction sites, which almost seems like a building boom.
Of those seven homes under construction, four are under contract, according to sales agent McClain Holloway of Battle Ground Realty.
Getting this far with the project in a weak economy has taken some ingenuity on the part of the main builders, brothers Jimmy Franks of Tennessee Valley Homes and Justin Franks of Encore Construction.
“When everything began to slow down, we were just beginning here and we had no momentum to carry us through when it got really slow, in the fall of ‘08,” said Chris Franks, Jimmy’s son and construction manager at Sunset Park.
“We were lucky enough to time it right with some inventory homes at the beginning,” he said, “so we could get a start.”
In fact, a house that was built as a model home for the neighborhood sold rather quickly, and the sales operation was moved into a modified trailer across the street.
As the economy slowed down even more in 2008, the builders adjusted their business plan to fit the times.
The original plan for Sunset Park called for homes with prices starting in the $500,000s, with home sizes up to 4,500 square feet.
To offer a more affordable product, the builders went to smaller floor plans in the spec homes in a range that is now from 2,800 to 3,500 square feet. Buyers can now get into Sunset Park for $450,000 if they buy one of the smaller homes.
Most of the homes are priced in the high $400,000s and the $500,000s, but the builders are willing to customize homes, and the half-acre lots provide enough space to build bigger if the customer wants.
Variety is part of plan
Determined to avoid curbside sameness, the Sunset Park homes have varied elevations. It’s a plan that the builders are sticking to.
Many of the homes are stone and brick, with covered front porches and traditional architectural details. Toni Morgan just moved from Grand Rapids, Mich., into a 4,100-square-foot house in Sunset Park with her husband and children. She said they had anticipated buying a resale home here but ended up buying in this new neighborhood because they liked the look and size of it, the location within Ravenwood High School’s attendance zone, the completed swimming pool and cabana amenity, and the open interior floor plan of the house. “I think the biggest draw was the style of the house and the open feel of it on the inside,” she said. “I liked the fact that the styles of the houses were different, too.”

One-stories find market
There are a lot of single-story or 1½-story floor plans, with big bonus rooms over the garages.
“Not that many builders are building one stories right now. We’ve branded ourselves as a one-story neighborhood,” Holloway said. “We can’t build them fast enough, which is a good thing.”
The entrance to Sunset Park is a stone’s throw from the Brentwood city line, but because it is in Nolensville, Brentwood’s one-acre lot requirements do not apply. That’s another factor permitting the builders to sell a more affordable product here.
While adjusting the housing product and the prices, the builders also went ahead and put in the neighborhood swimming pool and cabana.
They also stayed with a plan to fill their homes with high-quality interior finishes. The kitchens, in particular, are fully loaded and feature raised-panel maple cabinets, granite countertops, tile backsplashes and professional stainless steel appliances, including gas cooktops and double ovens.
The homes have true sand-and-finish white oak hardwood floors in the foyers, dining rooms, kitchens, breakfast rooms, great rooms and first floor powder rooms and 7¼-inch baseboards throughout.
The homes are also being built to meet Energy Star program standards and the National Association of Home Builders Green Building program.
Warranty covers job loss
To keep the ball rolling, the builders began offering an additional perk to buyers this month: a job-loss protection warranty that provides the homeowner with up to six months of payments up to $2,500 per month if the homeowner loses his or her job.
Franks said the builders are paying for that warranty to give “a little peace of mind” to people considering buying a home in Sunset Park.
“It’s going to be part of our builder’s warranty,” he said.
Sunset Park will have 93 homes in it when it is finished. As of this week, there were four homes listed for sale in Sunset Park on Realtracs.com.
The most expensive is a 3,328-square-foot English country, two-story design with four bedrooms listed for $519,900. The least expensive is a one-story French country type with 2,982 square feet and four bedrooms, for $469,900.

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