FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We would be surprised if you didn’t have a lot of questions. After all, there are not many organizations that perform the type of service we perform, let alone reach out to individual property owners about their future development plans. We look forward to discussing your development goals but in the meantime, here are some of the answers to your questions:

What do you really do?

There is a huge opportunity right now on the West Coast. Washington, Oregon, and California are facing an unprecedented housing shortage. Home costs and rents are rising and areas are facing housing insecurity. Because of that, and to increase housing supply, local jurisdictions are relaxing their zoning and development requirements and are more willing than ever to think outside the box when it comes to innovative communities.

Our goal is to capitalize on this moment in the market, find properties that have “destination community” potential coupled with a strong buyer pool, and work with landowners to realize maximum gains.

Why are you interested in my property?

There are a handful of landowners we are reaching out to on an individual basis because we see opportunity. That opportunity is due to a combination of items:

  • The potential for building an incredible legacy development that strikes a balance between profitability and celebrating the local culture and history.
  • Local recreation opportunity and demand
  • Your land and its development potential
  • Local building department attitudes towards outside-the-box developments
  • Buyer demographics and ability to buy the target product
If I like what I read here, what is the next step?

The next step is to set up a meeting with our team and you and/or your team. This is a “getting to know you” type of meeting in which we will lay out what we do, how we do it, learn about your property and your goals with the property, and determine if we are a good fit to work together.

What does the feasibility process look like?

Once we have the initial meeting, we will determine your property’s custom feasibility plan. In some cases, we will have already performed initial reconnaissance and will know what those next steps look like such as obtaining surveys, wetlands and critical areas reports, stormwater planning, buyer demographic analysis, area SWOT analysis, community design, meeting with the planning department, and initial general costs.

What do you need from me in this initial feasibility period?

We want to know any information that you have already obtained about your property. We will also outline roles and responsibilities in an agreement. The financial aspect of getting the feasibility, reports, and hard costs regarding design and engineering will be attributed to the landowner.

What if this initial feasibility indicates this isn’t the project for me?

If after the initial feasibility you determine that you don’t want to move forward, then we will go our separate ways. However, if the challenge is one of expense, we may be able to find a bank or investors who may want to provide funding. If the desire is there but the funds are tight, we may have a solution that keeps us all moving forward.

It is important to remember that if you decide to not move forward with the development, having performed the site reporting will make your property more valuable should you decide to sell while those reports are still valid.

What would developing with your team look like?

There are two aspects to development – “going horizontal” in which the sitework is done – grading, building roads, pulling in utilities, installing stormwater systems, and building amenities such as a trail system. “Going vertical” includes building amenities such as park facilities, landscaping, and building any model or spec homes to be available when the development opens.

Each community is unique, so we will create an agreement that clearly spells out each party’s responsibilities during both the horizontal and vertical development periods as well as the sales period.

Once this development is complete, how will buyers find it?

We are pros when it comes to marketing and sales. We will create a custom sales plan that is designed to reach the target demographic, working with local real estate and sales professionals to get the most buyer eyes on the development.

Why a New Home Strategists / West Coast Homes collaboration?

This moment in the market calls for innovative solutions. A collaboration between New Home Strategists and West Coast Homes allows for a speedier development and delivery system which will allow for a community to be finished up sooner than traditional developments. Imagine it – while the horizontal work is being done by New Home Strategists and the developer, West Coast Homes can be creating the modular components in their facilities and once the horizontal work is done, the modular components can be installed on-site in a matter of days, not months. More modular units can be under construction and ready for fast delivery when the buyer is ready. It used to be that developments could take years to build out and be riskier for the developers. Utilizing a modular assembly process, the buyer still gets a quality stick-built unit built to the same regulations as a site-built home.