Idyllic names strengthen home sales

BY DONNA BALANCIA and JAVIER MOLINARES
FLORIDA TODAY

When Del Ramage bought her house in Baytree 10 years ago, she knew from the name of the development that her home had to be set in an idyllic surrounding.

"I imagined it was called 'Baytree' because of the trees and the lakes," Ramage said. "But, really, what I found was it was a small, gated community, and that's what ended up selling me. There are people who have bought in here and built because of the name. It's the best place to live."

Generally, names like Four Winds or Solana Lake conjure up powerful and attractive images. But names that convey gorgeous pictures do more than give a distinct flavor to a development. They sell homes.

Marketing and advertising specialists say the name is one of the most critical of sales tools. It also is among the first considerations in building a community.

In Brevard County, $1.08 billion worth of new homes, condos and apartments were built last year, representing a key sector of the local economy.

"A name is a perfect opportunity to begin to sell a story that is meaningful and marketable, whether your product is coffee or real estate. Every part of 'the story' plays a part in the potential customer's decision-making process," said Ryan Brandt, an account manager with Melbourne-based advertising company Brandt Ronat & Co., which specializes in real-estate branding.

"I wouldn't give any potential customer a reason to even consider a different product than my own," he said. "In order to accomplish that, you need to consider the impact in every detail of your product wherever possible. A name is an opportunity to do so."

The power of images
Real-estate professionals know the power of using an alluring name. Heron Crest, Majestic Oaks and Waterford Lakes are among some of the creative monikers Coy Clark, a Melbourne-based developer, has used for his developments.

"When I initially put a property under contract, I look around the area and I try to identify the property with an area if possible," said Clark, a developer of Baytree, located between Viera and Suntree. "I was up there in Viera one day looking at the property, and there were these bay trees. They have big, beautiful flowers and they're gorgeous. It struck me right then: That's a pretty name and it's a pretty flower. So we used the name and the symbol of the bay-tree flower."

Clark is in the midst of building Four Winds, a six-unit luxury condominium complex complete with boat docks by the Chart House restaurant on a peninsula in Melbourne.

The name Four Winds was an easy one, he said. When you go out to the peninsula, you can feel the ever-shifting wind, coming from four directions.

Millie Wasdin is director of sales and marketing of Homes by Towne on Merritt Island. Her company represents properties with names like Solana Lake in Cape Canaveral and Whitley Bay West in Cocoa.

She said the names of her properties are not the stuff of fiction; Solana Lake is really on a lake and Whitley Bay -- while not exactly on a bay -- is situated on the Indian River.

"I think condominium buyers recognize when false marketing is taking place, and it sets a bad tone for the whole experience," Wasdin said.

Sometimes, condominiums and subdivisions are built based on Mediterranean styles, so it's a natural to name these projects in languages of that region. Solana Lake is an example.

" 'Sol' translates to 'sun' in English and 'Ana' gives a feminine touch to the development," Wasdin said.

Franck Kaiser Jr., executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Home Builders & Contractors Association of Brevard, said it is critical for a community to have a unique name.

Kaiser said developers usually select names that reflect the nature or locations of a community. That includes the characteristics of the development; the history of the area; and special surrounding features, such as the ocean, a public golf course, important roads or a river.

"The No. 1 rule is not to duplicate an existing name in the county," Kaiser said. "Developers usually select names that reflect the nature of the community. Also, there are legal reasons that names are not duplicated. For example, there is the legal recording of plats and so forth. They can't have the same name."

Kaiser said the trend toward putting a fancy name on a development is a relatively recent trend in Florida.

"Many times, they name a development after cities in California," he said. "Or they'll find something that illustrates the mood of the community or the style. A lot of this started in California, probably in the 1970s."

Get the feeling
But there are other important reasons that a community should have a unique name, said Clark, whose Four Winds condominiums are selling in the $1.5 million range.

Clark said, while some may disagree, the name of a place can have appeal, even if it's on a subconscious level.

"It may be just my opinion, but I think people react to names," Clark said. "They like a subtle name, a meaningful name and it has to feel right to them. It may appeal on a subconscious level."

Clark said one of the reasons his upscale condominium development was named Four Winds was because it had a powerful image.

"I think people look at a catchy name, and they notice something pleasing to them," he said. "I feel that Four Winds has an upscale connotation to it and it is certainly an upscale project."

He also noted that another one of his buildings, Reflections on the River, an office building on U.S. 1, has an all-glass front to reflect the oak trees.

Some developers, however, do not consider a name a significant influence in the buyer's decision. Among those is David Barin, division president of Mercedes Homes.

"I don't think the name has any influence in the buying process, but it could be a deterrent if the development is named wrong," Barin said. "If you pick a name that might offend somebody, people don't buy."

Barin said a clear name that is easy to pronounce and easy to remember can help the marketing and advertisement process, which is the starting point of the buying process.

Contact Balancia at 242-3647 or dbalancia@flatoday.net