I hate when people try to “sell” me anything!

Whether it’s the late night infomercial trying to sell me a ’sure thing’ in real estate . . . or the guy at the door trying to convince me I need another magazine . . . or the interrupting phone call during dinner trying to guilt me into more life insurance . . . I HATE being “sold” anything.

So what do we do, now that we are “selling” homes?

Well, we believe the process needs to be more authentic . . . less pressure . . . more of a journey of discovery together.

So, we are trying lots of new things, but here’s the latest. It’s a humorous video highlighting some of the features of our homes without being in your face.

Let us know what you think.

-Mike

BUILDER Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews Mike Maples about how Trumark has used the current state of the home building industry to create an opportunity to find a niche and succeed.

Principal Michael Maples talks about the company’s philosophy of Creating New Traditions and how those traditions come to life to Wyeth Cove.

Note: Traditions Park at Wyeth Cove is not more than ‘178 feet’ from any front door.

We’ve all been there – someone hands you their “prized” company shirt and you graciously take it while thinking, “Why would I ever willingly wear such an ugly piece of ridiculous, self promotional, waste of material?”  The shirt stays in the trunk of your car until a Saturday when you decide to detail it and you find the shirt AND its intended purpose – a wax remover.

Our company is about “Creating New Traditions,” so as we started this new company I made a vow to America to never produce an ugly company shirt. Instead we wanted to have company shirts that people would actually like to wear.  So we contacted Jake Weidmann www.JakeWeidmann.com, a gifted young artist who works in several mediums and has produced many popular shirts sold at Nordstrom and other high-end retailers.

We told Jake not to worry about our color palette or logo, but to create something that “expressed” our company and our passion; not something that “promoted” us.

This is what Jake says about the design: “In the process of designing the artwork for these t-shirts I wanted to capture all that Trumark Homes stands for and seeks to accomplish in building homes. With “Creating New Traditions” as their credo, I used the bald eagle as symbolic life force for such an ambition. The eagle is revered not only in the United States, but in many countries for its power and foresight. While it is the symbol of the traditions of our forefathers, it is the embodiment of progress and the inspiration for new traditions. To emulate the name “Trumark” I used the essential tools of measurement in building, which date back before Egyptian times. The compass, which defines true circles; the square, which defines right angles and linear measurement; and the plumb line, which defines genuine direction with gravity as its constant force. Thus showing that while it is a bold endeavor, Trumark is after what is true, what is right and what is genuine in their purpose of “Creating New traditions.”

The result?  Shirts we actually like to wear . . . in public.

-Mike

Tom Martin, Mike Maples, Carina Hathaway

-February 10, 2010

Tonight I attended the SMC LAV/SC dinner. The room was full of very talented people who are deeply passionate about the home building industry. I had the privilege of participating on a panel of four new home building companies. The panel was hosted by Carina Hathaway of Brookfield Homes.  She has a great personality for asking questions, balancing fun with real information and keeping us on task. The panel included Tom Martin of Five Point Communities, Doug Bauer of TRI Pointe Homes, Larry Webb of The New Home Company, and me of course, with Trumark Homes. We had a great time talking about “rising up out of the ashes” of this crazy recession/depression.

We actually sold land to Doug when he was working for William Lyon Homes. He is very sharp and I believe that his company will be a great success. Larry Webb is a legend in the industry and I was pleased to meet him because six of our key people once worked for Larry at John Laing Homes and we appreciate the values, market insight and passion for building homes that he instilled in all of his team. I think tonight we saw the new generation of home builders who will shape the future of home building.

At one point Carina went rapid-fire through twenty questions that had to be answered quickly and she asked me to finish the sentence, “In two years I hope…” Caught off guard I quickly said, “I hope we are making a profit.” And do I hope that is the case! However, after the panel was over and we had a chance to meet so many of the fine people in the room, I was struck by how many great people are without work. Then I remembered a statistic from the BIA that says two to three jobs are created for every home that is constructed. And I thought about our business plan that calls for building 300 homes in 2012.  And then I found myself thinking, “In two years I hope… we are creating 600 to 900 jobs for fine people who deserve to demonstrate their talents.”  With that thought I think I will sleep well tonight.

-Mike

…January 23

What a crazy week!  Our first models as a ‘new’ home building company are opening to a VIP select group today at Wyeth Cove and Southern California has blessed (ok, blasted) us with record rain fall, flooding and high winds all week.  We have our good weather plan, our dizzily day plan and our “I can’t believe it won’t stop raining plan.”  So we have sunscreen, umbrellas and small row boats all lined up.

Our team has been amazing.  All our trade partners have lived up to our new tradition of “Blending the efficiencies of today’s technology with the honor of old-world craftsmanship.”  The result?  We beat the schedule by two weeks and were able to get the furniture in and the landscaping finished before the rain even started.  Thanks team!

So, as the Wyeth Cove models open I find myself full of HOPE and full of FEAR.

The FEARS . . .

*What if the record rain storms don’t stop?

*What if no one comes?

*What if people spill food all over the new models?

*What if no one sees and appreciates all the extras we have included?

The HOPES . . .

*That people will see the little things that we care so much about like lights in the stair well and recessed thermostats and even carefully placed plugs.

*That the open floor plans will resonate with future home buyers as much as they do with us.

*That the expensive pavers in the courtyards (which they won’t find elsewhere) will be appreciated.

*That the place to gather (our Traditions Park) will be seen as an extension of their living space.

I guess we’ll know in three hours when we open the doors.

Wyeth Cove's Model Homes

UPDATE:  I just got back from our VIP event and our list of hopes won out.  There were far more people than we expected and the comments were amazing.  The rain stopped and the partially cloudy sky allowed peeks of the snow covered mountains from our Traditions Park.  Marty, Marianne and I were very satisfied by two conversations we overheard.  One was a wife telling her husband, “I love the little lights in the stairs.”  And the other was a husband telling his wife to look at the stone pavers in the courtyard.  She said, “Oh that is just for the models.” And he replied, “No, I think they are included.”

. . . They are.

Well, this weekend we have the public grand opening and we go to sale on Saturday, February 6^th.  Thanks for following us.

A company with a soul…hmmm.  This question, really this idea, was something we often pondered as we set out with the formation of Trumark Homes.  What is that ‘thing’ that will make us get up in the morning and, WITH EXCITEMENT, head out the door to work?  Of course, money matters, but in the grand scheme of things, we have plenty.  It has to be more than that, for us.  We began to deeply discuss whether a company can make a difference in the lives of people.

The result?  Well, we decided that we needed multiple bottom lines to measure our efforts, not just financial.  Ideas flew up on the flip charts as they developed.  Maybe we could have a social impact…or create communities where people will really care for AND look out for each other…perhaps we could help them transform a house into ‘their home’…what if we could be part of or help them in ‘creating new traditions.’

When all was said and done, this is where we stood.

Maybe we really can have a purpose that is greater than (but includes) financial success.