A little more on the homes, when I said hit their demographic, I don't mean it in a good way. I haven't see many homes decorated that way from a staging perspective. It both seemed stereotypical and heavy handed. Maybe it does reach their demo, I don't know. What I do know is that it made it really obvious that I wasn't the target demographic.
Home 1 was the Plan 2 and the only home that was completely staged. The first thing to catch my eye was the use of family photos. Not family photos but potraits and vacation shots. I don't recall that many photos in other model homes, or even, photos in other homes. What as noticeable about the photos is they were all Asian. Except the couple photo in the master bedroom of the white guy/Asian woman.
In the dining room and living room were quite generic with just photos setting tone. The living room was small and frankly other than glancing at it, I paid it no more attention as I walk in through the front day since it was obviously a space that would never be used. It's small enough to turn into an optional den, which I'm surprised it isn't although that would require a window where the optional fireplace goes. The den is actually another optional bedroom off of the great room. Both frankly, unremarkable and unmemorable.
The great room begins the kitschish asian motif. Other than the motif, it's too is unremarkable. It should be note that the quasi-grand staircase ajoins the entry hall that connects the living room, dining room, great room. It's not a foyer and not hallway, but yet another wasted space that is larger than a hallway and two small to be useable. The stairway is double wide to the hall and single width split to the kitchen and up to the 2nd floor. Yes, the stair comes down to a small landing where it splits and room to different directions. Can you say dead space?
The kitchen... I don't know what to say, my wife pointed out that the coat closet is next to the stairs in the middle of the kitchen and the pantry is around the corner of the hall next to the garage.
Upstairs, they have it configured for three bedrooms and a loft. The media room is an optional bedroom/bath combo. Again unremarkable except for the issue that the loft is open on two sides so any activities are going to echo throughout the house, however I suspect it won't be an issue since there isn't a decent wall to mount an LCD on. The loft ajoins the smallest bedroom and of the two walls that the loft has, one is exterior with a small useless window imbedded in the middle and the 2nd all is a zigzag caused by the punch in space for the bedrooms closet. In media room mode, the closet for the bedroom is centered in the media room which is places it adjacent to the entry door which opens and blocks part of the closet slider.
The first and smallest bedroom was configured in Hannah Montana lunatic mode. Bright lavender shag rug, complete Montana bed sheeting, wall with Montana guitar, and ... asian portraits...
The 2nd bedroom is a bit larger and probably teenager livable. In fact, it had enough space the teenager would probably disappear and only be seen raiding the refrigerator after a steathy sprint down the stairs directly into kithchen. The motif was generic nascar.
The Master bedroom featured, you guessed it, more asian portraits! The master is configured with a hanging red velvet wall to wall, floor to ceiling covering behind the master bed. I didn't bother to pull the whole thing up to see what if flaws they were obscuring with it. The side tables had a pair of huge dominating circle lamps on them. By circle lamp, I mean the base, then a big circular "O" and then little leg up and the light and shade. The walk-in closet and master bath are connected via a mini circular foyer. The master bath is unremarkable and sadly, the least wasteful of space and functionality of the master baths in the three models. A fairly straight forward rectangle layout with split sinks separated by the giant tub with the commode and shower on the other wall.
The master closet deserves special mention, as I mentioned, a hoarder's dream. In each house, they are literally half the size of the master bedroom which is as large as you would expect in a McMansion. The closets are perforated with one or more small windows. What is the point of the windows in the closets? Is it merely to maintain the elevation appearance? They are too small to be used as an escape route. Is their a legal/regulatory requirement? I first notice the windows appearing in closets in Phoenix about three/four years ago and frankly, I suspect this floorplan is a reused floorplan from Phoenix.
