Lessons in Seduction

Nothing is done by accident in a builder's model home.

From the color of the paint to the books stacked casually on the bedside table, it's all calculated to appeal to those people the builder's marketing department has deemed most likely to buy that house.

They don't even call it decorating. It's "merchandising," the same technique that Bloomingdale's and Wal-Mart use to highlight their goods in the most compelling light.

Ever wonder why the only appliance you see on display on the kitchen counter is a chrome Waring blender? They're aiming for mid-life adults who like to entertain. (Look for the plastic cocktails on display nearby.) Is there a $300 KitchenAid stand mixer instead? Now they're aiming at a woman (most likely) who enjoys cooking for her family. (Don't be surprised to see a plate of luscious-looking plastic cupcakes, too.) Is there an open cookbook and an array of rustic pastas and olive oil bottles? They're targeting young folks looking for their first home.

Bonnie Hale, director of design services for Beazer Homes, said that even within the region, Beazer will furnish models differently to appeal to different buyers. In parts of Maryland that are closer to the water, they will pare back on window coverings to show off the outdoors. "Maryland homes are more coastal, lighter and airier," she said. "Virginia tends to be a little more traditional market, with darker colors."

While furnishing an entire home from the drywall up is a luxury that's unavailable to people trying to resell their existing houses, there are some practical tips sellers can pick up from the pros. And buyers can learn to see through some of the seduction so they can better judge whether a particular house will work for them.

For the Buyer: It's an Appeal to Your Heart

For would-be home buyers, the thing to understand is that you are being seduced. Tens of thousands of dollars have gone into creating a lifestyle that the builder hopes will resonate with you so strongly that you must have that home.

After all, it's tough to size up white-walled rooms full of nothing but the echo of your footsteps and the lingering aroma of drywall mud. Can the bedroom accommodate a king-size mattress? Will the rec room hold a pool table? Who knows, unless you see a furnished model that demonstrates how the space can be put to work.

Touring a decorated model townhouse in Ballston with Phyllis Ryan, president of the model-home division of Interior Concepts, the Annapolis design firm that dressed it up for buyers, revealed a few lessons that buyers should remember when they tour any new model:

• Look for what you don't see. Often in a small bedroom, you may see a double or queen bed with room for only one side table. It looks attractive, but if two people will share the bed, odds are they each would want their own table and lamp.

In the Ballston townhouse, the formal living room was long and narrow -- a challenging shape for laying out furniture. Ryan's firm solved the problem by installing deep bookshelves at the far end, which helped shorten the space. And they placed a full-size sofa across the narrow dimension to prove the room could handle it.