Custom Home Building is not Gender Neutral

When it comes to custom homes, it turns out that while men do the dirty work, it’s the ladies who are in control. In an article at Club Femina, actress-turned-builder Cathleen Gallagher’s self-designed house gets analyzed, and the larger gender issues of custom home building are taken to task.

National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Women’s Council statistics from 2007 show that of the 2.8 million home construction firms in the U.S., only 201,000 of them are owned by women. Yet women play the major role in up to 91 percent of home purchases. It’s not hard to figure out the cavernous void that is being left–one that talented builders like Gallagher can ably fill.

“It’s not only that women make more of the home buying decisions; it’s also that they decide differently,” said Dave Harding, CMP, an NAHB National Sales Manager of the Year and Principal, Western Market Forces. “The single-greatest identifiable group of prospects–indeed constituting a majority of the population–is women. Male builders try to design homes then merchandise them to appeal to that largest demographic. But just as women (and men for that matter) dress for other women, what is more logical than women building for women? Not to exclude men, but to supplement man-think.

“Women are more often heads of state, secretaries of state and practitioners of real estate,” he added. “But, so few are actual builders. Look at the annual reports of the biggest public builders and you’ll see few pictures of women in leadership positions. It’s a huge missed opportunity. Cathleen has a built-in constituency. Her design and execution are superb. Not superb as a woman builder. Superb for a builder.”

It’s interesting stuff — I definitely recommend taking the time to read the whole thing.