Paramont Homes Differentiates with Sony WallStation
Building a New Development, Constructing a New Relationship
Only a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area is a new development project called Bella Vista in Manteca, Calif. This residential community features 134 homes ranging in size from approximately 2,500 square feet to more than 3,500 square feet.
Leading the charge on this new development is Paramont Homes, a regional home builder that builds 400 homes per year. Paramont Homes is dedicated to the assurance that homes are built to exacting standards through a commitment to innovative design, quality construction, and superior craftsmanship.
Paying attention to the needs of prospective homebuyers, Paramont strives to provide homes that offer outstanding value by including typical upgrade options as standard features. In doing so, Paramont streamlines the overall buying experience reducing the consumer cost of outfi tting the new house with particular entertainment and lifestyle amenities. One of the ways Paramont has been able to achieve this is by working with a like-minded partner – Interactive Home, located in Livermore, Calif.
With similar ideals, particularly a focus on the individual homebuyer, Interactive Home was a natural choice for Paramont. Interactive Home provides low-voltage, security, and audio/video electronics products to builders such as Paramont, which increase the value of the home without passing a cost on to the consumer.
Gaining a Competitive Edge, Bringing Homes into the 21st Century
Residential home builders looking to differentiate their homes are constantly looking for new technology products. In the past, Paramont Homes offered A/V receivers, stereo components, speakers and other audio/video products as upgrade options only. Finding only limited success with these products; Paramont was searching for ways to provide the same type of A/V experience with greater appeal, easier installation and at a lower cost. They wanted to utilize products with a reputation for excellence and longevity; fortunately, Interactive Homes came knocking on their door.
Interactive Home contacted them last September and presented Sony’s products for inclusion in the Bella Vista development. Without significantly affecting the overall cost of the home, Interactive Home detailed how Paramont could provide a technologically advanced home with new options prospective buyers might never have imagined – whole home entertainment at their fingertips.
One of the major successes for Interactive Home has been the Sony WallStation line of products. Sony’s brand name, combined with the products’ attractive consumer benefi ts, appeals to builders and home buyers alike. Of the Sony Wallstation line, Greg Barker, vice president of Interactive Home, said, “Sony is the only electronics company around that provides a limited warranty focused on the needs of the builder. With a 12 month in-home service, our customers do not have to worry if something goes wrong.”
Paramont understood that Sony’s WallStation products are easy to install and cost effective. They also knew that prospective home buyers appreciate unmatched brand image and demand the best name in home electronics.
&ldIn light of Sony’s innovation, style, and ease of networking, we chose to use the Sony WallStation line as a standard to attract homebuyers and dramatically increase our options program,” said Dan Valencia, purchasing manager for Paramont Homes.
Sony Wallstation Line Brightens Up Bella Vista
Paramont Homes had Interactive Home install one room with a Sony CD WallStation unit as a standard in all their homes. The Sony WallStation unit was packaged with in-ceiling speakers and comes with a remote control. The CD WallStation unit features a CD player, tuner, intercom, room monitor and it can be connected to a PC for access to MP3 files.
Sony WallStation CD and DVD units, a 2005 Electronic House Magazine “Product of the Year,” make up a whole house entertainment system that allows users to play their favorite CD, DVD, AM/FM radio station, or MP3; connects to their home PC and controls their Sony TV, all at the touch of a button. By adding additional WallStation CD or DVD units, homebuyers can add either stereo audio or 5.1 surround sound audio/video to virtually any room during the build process. And once installed, homebuyers can share music through the convenient “party mode” for whole house music distribution. A WallStation unit also doubles as an intercom, allowing homeowners to call from room-to-room, and can be used as a room monitor to listen in to a child.
Paramont also felt another major benefi t of Sony’s CD Wallstation unit is the aesthetic and safety aspect of zero exposed wires. With the installation of the WallStation product, all of the cord clutter normally associated with a home entertainment system vanishes into the walls, ceilings and fl oors of the house itself.
For Paramont, this fusion of entertainment and lifestyle convenience differentiates Bella Vista in the eyes of prospective buyers.
Fruits of Labor
The Bella Vista development project is still underway and slated to be complete by September 2007. Eighty seven homes are being outfitted with WallStation units. “Over 60% of Paramont’s customers are adding additional WallStation units to their homes and 30% are adding Sony’s HDTVs” said Dave Loetz, president of Interactive Home.
Due to its work with Interactive Home and Sony, Paramont has enjoyed a significant increase in profit margin for upgrades purchased by their Home Buyers.
&ldOur low-voltage option sales have dramatically increased from a previous average of $1,000 to a present average of $14,000 per home with Interactive Home,” said Dan Valencia, purchasing manager for Paramont Homes.
Sony’s WallStation line offers prospective Bella Vista homebuyers a unique opportunity to enjoy entertainment they never dreamed was possible.
