Blog Post

Our Concierge Service: Let Us Help You Help Yourself

When clients come to see us, they often know “exactly” what they want but not quite how to get it. They may know they want a pool, but not what shape, how big or how deep. They may know they want a built-in island in the kitchen but do they want the sink there, or a mini-fridge underneath, or a marble baking top, etc.

To avoid confusion, we have a variety of forms that we ask clients to fill out that guides them through the process, digging for details and slowly drawing them down a “design funnel” until they have narrowed their choices down enough to make definitive deliberate decisions.

One such form is our Concierge Form. As the name implies, this form acts as a do-it-yourself guide to your new dream home. (You can find the actual form below, PLUS on our website at http://WhiteStonehomes.com/.) It lists such categories as:

• General must-have items (i.e. view of hills, warm feeling, Tuscan elevation, lots of closet space)
• Kitchen must-have items (i.e. stainless steel appliances, gourmet serving island, two dishwashers)
• Garage must-have items (i.e. three-car, built-in cabinets, epoxy floor covering, freezer plug, air-conditioned, surround sound)

Through every room in the house, plus the front, side and back exterior, every bathroom, closet, and cabinets, we walk you through it, step-by-step. We get you familiar with industry-specific terms, like “judges paneling,” “Tuscany elevation” and “full arbor.”

For every room or category, there are five lines to help list the major needs from the minor, drilling down deeper and deeper on every choice, until it’s clear to you what exactly you want, what you can live without, and what compromises may need to be made to reach a livable budget.

It may sound clinical, but as you go through the process, complete with visuals and even 3-D modeling if needed, you can feel the excitement build for each new client. This is where dreams become a reality, where the sometimes hard choices are made, but where the picture becomes real and solid in their heads.

By the time we’re through filing this in, everyone knows what to expect; you, me, the builder, the designer, the sub-contractors, we’re all on the same page together.

 

Figure 1.1: The WhiteStone Custom Homes Concierge Form