Cindy Camp thinks the new Rodrock Ready program is a perfect real estate buying tool for people like her. She and her husband have always preferred to buy new custom-built homes, but in the current market, nearly completed customizable homes can be hard to find and their time-to-finish can require buyers to move twice.
Camp thinks it’s great Rodrock Ready now allows “new home people” like her family to select from dozens of move-in-ready custom homes in 45 days or less. The Rodrock Ready challenge: How to get a custom home without waiting six months. When Camp’s husband moved to a new job location this spring, the family figured it was time to find a bigger house for their three children. They put their existing property on the market and were surprised when it sold very quickly.
Having purchased two custom homes in the past, the Camps wanted to do the same thing this time. But they found few move-in-ready homes on the market. They faced a dilemma: risk having to move twice to get a custom home or settle for an existing home they could move into right away. “We always knew we liked new homes, but we knew it usually took six months to get one built. We looked at the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and all the ones we were interested in were listed as being four months from done, “ Camp said.
Like many parents, Camp knew what schools she preferred, the Blue Valley District. She has one child starting kindergarten, one in elementary school and another starting middle school, so she was eager to get into a new house and get them settled before classes began. After viewing and rejecting 30 homes, their Realtor found a new home in the Wyngate subdivision that seemed perfect. There were even walking trails connecting the house to the elementary, middle and high school. The builder, Rodrock Homes, said it could be completed in 60 days.
For Camp, it was the ideal situation. After signing the papers for the purchase on a Sunday, she went to the Overland Park office of Rodrock partner Twigs Interiors, where she was able to pick out granite for kitchen and bathrooms, tile, stain for the floor, cabinet pulls and carpet. Later that day she chose appliances and lighting and by the next day, after picking the plumbing, she was done and the builders were at work. After a harrowing house hunt, Camp admits sitting down in the comfortable Twigs studio was the best part of the experience. “ They have designers that sit with you. I was so impressed with the standard choices. I came away spending very little in upgrades because the standard choices were of such high quality.”
Finding custom homes that are ready: Rodrock Ready solves a long-time problem for Realtors. Camp’s Realtor, Kerwin Holloway of Reece & Nichols, said the problem with finding almost-completed custom homes has plagued area Realtors for years. Buyers who are relocating or need to get moved before the school year starts often prefer new homes, but the multiple listing service has not always accurately been updated to show completion dates.
Now, Holloway said, Rodrock Homes has come up with a brilliantly simple way to solve this problem. They’ve created a shortcut reading “Rodrock Ready” on their website at RodrockHomes.com. “There was never a button that anyone could trust — agents and buyers — and now there is,” Holloway said. “Now it’s so easy, Let’s say a buyer wants to get into the Blue Valley School District by the time the school year starts. All they have to do is click on the Rodrock Ready button and they can immediately see the homes in Wyngate that will be options for them.”
The Rodrock Ready process is easy. Real estate agents or prospective buyers just click on the button and they land on a page showing several dozen homes. The properties are indexed by school district and show the completion date. Although the homes are close to completion, buyers still have the options to choose custom features such as granite, tile, carpets and light fixtures.
Rodrock guarantees the buyers can move in within 60 days. Rodrock Ready fills void caused by low new-home inventory. Holloway explained that many new-home builders have slowed production during the down economy. He said, however, that Rodrock Homes has had the financial strength to keep building and that is what allows Rodrock to have a large inventory of custom homes available. “Most people aren’t aware that builders have inventory,”
Rodrock CEO Brian Rodrock said. “That’s why we’ve created RodrockReady, to respond to the need for custom-built homes in a low inventory market. We are fortunate to be poised to offer buyers and real estate agents a listing of more than 24 custom homes that can be ready in 60 days or less. We hope they’ll go to Rodrock Ready’s website today and find the home of their dreams, because our inventory is selling fast under this new program.”
