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Community Corner

Meritus Homes Meets Buyer Demand to 'Right-Size' Features at The Reserve of St. Charles

U.S. Census Bureau statistics show average square footage of new-construction single-family homes continues to rise, but Deerfield, Ill.-based Meritus Homes says buyers are more focused on "right-sizing" than "up-sizing" at The Reserve of St. Charles, the builder's community of semi-custom and custom homes three miles north of downtown St. Charles.
"We're definitely seeing a swing back to demand for more square footage now that there's positive momentum in the market, but buyers aren't just throwing money around with an attitude of 'bigger is always better,'" said Brian Brunhofer, president of Meritus Homes. "Instead, they are being very thoughtful about the elements they're including in their home and feeling good about making customizations that ensure the home fits their lifestyle. And with our semi-custom building process plus the large home sites we offer at The Reserve of St. Charles, we're able to give our buyers the features - and square footage - they want."
As an example of how buyers are thinking about functionality rather than an increase in square footage when they make customizations to their home, Brunhofer pointed to the 3,300-square-foot Prescott floor plan from the Meritus Homes design portfolio. The home features four bedrooms, 2½ baths, a two-story family room and a first-floor den. Semi-custom home packages featuring the Prescott plan are priced from $512,900. 
"Buyers love the look and layout of this home, and when we build it as-is it's definitely in a sweet spot in terms of size and price," said Brunhofer. "But in our semi-custom design process we always use our floor plans as a jumping off point for customization with our buyers. In some cases, they have added one or two very specific structural changes to this home that ultimately brought the final square footage up to the 3,600 or 3,800 range."
For example, some buyers have added first-floor square footage to the Prescott by bumping out the back of the home several feet to create a nook of the family room that is used as a reading alcove or sun room.
"Many of our buyers start with the Prescott because they love the two-story family room, but sometimes they want to pair the openness of that room with an area that is a bit more intimate and quiet while still being connected to the living space," said Brunhofer.
Upstairs, buyers with older children sometimes ask to increase the size of the secondary bedrooms in the home. "Buyers are thinking long term, and they see their kids wanting more space of their own as they approach high school," said Brunhofer. "In that situation, we can expand the overall footprint of the home, or push out just the front or back of the home to create larger spaces upstairs."
Buyers at The Reserve of St. Charles have also added square footage to another popular Meritus Homes design, the 3,600-square-foot Dunberry. Semi-custom home packages featuring the four-bedroom Dunberry are priced from $537,900. One customization in the Dunberry is to expand the first-floor powder room to a full bath, which Brunhofer noted has also been paired with an expansion of an adjacent first-floor den.
"Often this change is driven by a specific scenario, such as when buyers foresee having an aging parent live with them so they want a first-floor bedroom," said Brunhofer. "Others like the option of eventually using this set-up as a first-floor master suite for themselves, or simply as a guest room if they expect frequent visits from out-of-town family."
Brunhofer added that with all home sites at The Reserve of St. Charles measuring 1/3 of an acre or larger, buyers also have options for expanding the outdoor living space of their home.
"For some buyers, a big deck, a perfectly landscaped patio or even an in-ground pool is as important to their lifestyle as what they have inside the home," said Brunhofer. "They really value that the large sites at The Reserve of St. Charles not only allow them to enlarge the footprint of their home, but also open up unlimited options for creating terrific outdoor living spaces."
Located amid 56 acres of conservation areas and wetlands, The Reserve of St. Charles offers a scenic Fox River Valley setting complete with prairie grasses, mature trees and walking trails.
The Reserve of St. Charles is less than one mile from St. Charles North High School, one of the top public high schools in Illinois according to U.S. News & World Report. The community is served by the highly acclaimed St. Charles Community Unit School District 303. 

The Reserve of St. Charles is located on the west side of Route 31 between Red Gate and Silver Glen roads. An on-site sales center, located at 745 Reserve Drive, is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (630) 549-6486 or visit www.MeritusHomeBuilders.com.

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