Photo courtesy of Balsam Mountain Preserve
Balsam Mountain Preserve is simplifying the homebuilding process for buyers with a new approach designed to highlight the community’s distinctive mountain setting. With existing inventory nearly sold out, the team is focusing on helping new residents build their dream home the easy way.
Photo courtesy of Balsam Mountain Preserve
“At Balsam Mountain Preserve, we do the hard work related to building in the mountains and leave the ‘fun stuff’ to our buyers,” says developer David Southworth. That work includes studying each available lot through topographical surveys, soil tests and site plans to design the most spectacular home for each site. Once engineered, sited and permitted, the team completes clearing, grading and foundation work before marketing the homes. “Getting to this stage takes anywhere between 6 to 12 months and costs a substantial amount of money,” says Southworth. “It’s what we refer to as ‘the not so fun part of the process.’”
When buyers join in at this point, they can customize various design elements along with colors and finishes to suit their preferences. “As buyers then come along, typically there is plenty of opportunity to customize certain features, choose colors and finishes, and really put their stamp on a home,” Southworth says. “This isn’t always easy for us, but we’re not looking to make things easy for us—just for our buyers. What we’re striving for are extremely happy customers and a finished product that we are proud to say we’ve built.”
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The natural attributes of the land play a significant role in how homes are designed and sited at Balsam Mountain Preserve. “In the beginning stages of our lot evaluations and study, we make note of the lots’ attributes, such as views, creek and streams views and sounds, sunsets, privacy, potential for future expansion, cost of sitework, and we then design a home that can best capitalize on that particular location’s attributes,” says Southworth. “It’s actually an enjoyable process for us. We even sometimes discover bonuses during this process such as a cluster of amazing trees or beautiful rock outcroppings.”
Photo courtesy of Balsam Mountain Preserve
For many buyers, home completion is an 8- to 10-month process, depending on when they purchase during development. To make the experience easier for those who don’t live nearby, the Preserve emphasizes over-communication with monthly reports and copious photos. “We also strongly recommend the three or four ‘Balsam Home Development Vacations’ where our homebuyers stay in our beautiful guest cottages for a few nights and maybe mix in some golf, great food, great company and even a massage or two between design meetings and landscape decisions,” says Southworth.
Photo courtesy of Balsam Mountain Preserve
Beyond the homes, Balsam Mountain Preserve offers a number of features that enhance the appeal of living there, from its high elevation and golf course to 40 miles of hiking trails and a nature preserve. For Southworth, home development is rewarding in both the process and the results. “Developers love to develop, and seeing various areas of Balsam Mountain come alive is very gratifying,” he says. “What’s even more gratifying is witnessing the pure joy that homeowners experience as they set up their homes and move in. And the ultimate is when their hearts are touched when their kids and grandkids say they are ‘never leaving’ or ‘when can we come back?’”
Looking ahead, Southworth views this streamlined building model as a natural extension of what makes Balsam unique. “I think it’s just another feature of Balsam Mountain that makes the community so special,” he says.
Learn more at BalsamMountainPreserve.com.
