THE VALUE PROPOSITION

So often the search starts by seeking a comfort level that you are getting a great value: after all, for many families, building a custom home is their most significant investment, as well as a lifetime dream. The first question that pops into everyone’s mind is, “What does it typically cost to build a house per square foot?” That is the “million-dollar question,” and the answer can vary widely based on the programming of the home’s features, detailed specifications, site characteristics and, not to be overlooked, the community in which the home is being built. 

Cordillera Ranch has such a high quality of architectural requirements and covenants that it is not realistic to compare home building costs to other communities. For example, a builder less familiar with Cordillera Ranch’s Design Guidelines that answers the price per square foot question based on past construction experience in a community with weaker restrictive covenants and Design Guidelines will most likely underestimate the cost for a home in Cordillera Ranch, particularly if your expectations are for the quality of finishes and details comparable and consistent with homes recently built in Cordillera Ranch. These thorough Design Guidelines, and the diligent enforcement of them, is one of the key factors for appreciating home values in Cordillera Ranch and the truly distinct feel of the community. 

One myth about the Preferred Builders at Cordillera Ranch is that they are more expensive than other builders because of the marketing fee they pay to Cordillera Ranch. This is simply an inaccurate assessment of how all builders (and frankly all businesses) operate. Though non-Preferred Builders sometimes market their value to you by indicating you’ll save money by not paying the “marketing fee,” that’s misleading because they undoubtedly have marketing expenses built into your home construction costs and are paying the Realtor who brought them the client a fee as well. 

Don’t let the principal reason for choosing a builder be based on a few percentage points. Focusing on such diverts your attention away from more profound principles — quality, dependability, customer service and value. Focus on making a far greater return on your investment when you sell your Preferred Builder-built home tomorrow. Year after year, homes previously built by Cordillera Ranch’s Preferred Builders sell for more than homes built by non-Preferred Builders. In fact, 2019 homes built by Preferred Builders sold for a 16% premium (dollar per square foot sales price) over non-Preferred Builders and that resale value was even more pronounced in 2020 with homes built by Preferred Builders reselling for a 34% premium versus competitors.

 Cordillera Ranch Realty and the Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builders are transparent about this marketing relationship and remain confident it allows Preferred Builders to keep overhead costs lower than non-Preferred Builders, which in turn saves clients money. “The Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builder program provides a more cost-efficient, scaled approach to marketing for the Preferred Builders. They can focus their resources on personalized service to clients and staying focused on a high-quality construction process, versus spending extra expenses on marketing or diluting their time with marketing operations that other builders have to do,” says Charlie Hill, President of Cordillera Ranch. 

It is likely that because of the scale of Cordillera Ranch’s annual marketing budget and the ability to create a consortium of marketing power with the builders, that the Preferred Builders have a more cost-efficient marketing operation and thus can allocate less dollars per home to marketing. Todd Glowka of Todd Glowka Builder explains, “Our marketing relationship with Cordillera Ranch allows me to focus on operating a building company and delivering the best possible home for my client. I’ve effectively outsourced a major part of my marketing and branding to Cordillera Ranch — there’s not a successful company in any industry that exists without some marketing budget.” Simply put: The Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builders have a marketing economy of scale that allows better cost-efficiency than some equally sized custom builder competitors. 

The Preferred Builders’ cost efficiency does not end with marketing. The Preferred Builders are consistently building more homes in Cordillera Ranch than other builders. This leads to economies of scale with trades, suppliers and project management that is difficult to achieve otherwise. You can figure the math easily: if your builder has five homes currently under construction in the community (versus one) that leads to more efficient material and labor costs because of buying power. 

In addition, each of the Preferred Builders have most, if not all, of their construction jobs within Cordillera Ranch which allows for much more cost-efficient job supervision. Ray Stadler of Stadler Custom Homes explains further, “The more homes we are building in Cordillera Ranch means more time we are spending in their home instead of driving between neighborhoods. More time in their home means greater attention to detail, quality and timeliness of the build.” Concentration of activity is also important for customer service. Immediate availability of resources during construction and after the home is complete is another reason Burdick Custom Homes has never built on remote, single sites. “We focus on a very few luxury communities,” says Alexia Herber, President of Burdick Custom Homes. “Prompt customer service is paramount for the happiness of our homeowners. There is great probability that since we have multiple builds inside Cordillera Ranch at any one time, we’ll have a plumber, electrician or other tradesman to you within hours of a request rather than days or weeks.”  

The value proposition of a Preferred Builder extends beyond their cost-efficient model. How valuable is your time? Do you want to partner with a builder that knows the architectural review process like the back of his hand and can expedite that process for you, or one that must sort through the nuances leading to costly delays or change orders? With today’s escalating materials prices, days and weeks trimmed from the process can amount to thousands of dollars saved for the owner. It is easy to understand how much smoother your building process can be with builders who have built hundreds of homes in Cordillera Ranch versus somebody that has just one under his belt. “We have some unique opportunities to capture stunning views and other nuances that you don’t have in other communities,” adds Trey Garner of Garner Homes. “There is an art to laying out your home site here, and if you approach it any other way then you probably haven’t maximized the beauty of your lot and ultimately the value of your home. That is one of the things I enjoy the most here is the flexibility and artistic approach to building,” continues Garner. 

TRUST, EXPERIENCE AND LONGEVITY 

One word that is used over and over about our Preferred Builders is “trust.” As Ken Nibling described when discussing his decision to choose Ray Stadler, “We had to do this [build] long distance, and we needed to be able to trust the person on the other end of the phone. We just felt we could put our faith in Ray.” The long-term commitment these builders have to the community adds an intangible value. “I live here in Cordillera Ranch,” says Stadler, “and we are all members of The Clubs so we, as Preferred Builders, have an elevated sense of obligation to protect our reputation! I’m going to see my clients for years to come at The Clubs and I’ve enjoyed continuing these positive relationships beyond the building process,” says Ray Stadler. 

In summary, choosing your custom builder can make or break the ease and enjoyment of your building experience. Don’t be fooled when a builder tries to convince you they have lower overhead costs because they don’t have a marketing fee or expense; it’s built into their price too and if you’re not using a Preferred Builder it’s probably costing you more than you realize. There is a reason that the vast majority of the homes in Cordillera Ranch have been built by a Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builder: they have earned their reputation as the highest quality builders, most dependable, best in follow-up and best in resell value. Don’t forget what Warren Buffet says: “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.”

For more information, contact the Cordillera Ranch Realty Team at 888.66.RANCH and visit www.cordilleraranch.com/preferredbuilders.