Investing In Basswood Shutters
It is commonly accepted among real estate investors and professionals that, given a choice, buyers will choose to be surrounded by natural materials. As income levels and education rise, homebuyers increasingly invest in hardwood, bronze, marble and granite over laminated MDF (wood/glue slurry), plastic; Linoleum and Formica (take our materials test to see if you agree). According to most real estate experts, the relevant issue is not whether buyers are willing to spend more for natural materials over synthetics, but when and how much more they will invest.
Housing development builders are a proxy for this kind of decision-making both in terms of value and target audience. As a group, they spend millions in market research, focus groups and real world testing to isolate what customers value. Their collective goals are to determine the most important and cost-effective features to attract home buyers. This information is used to guide their investments to acquire those features. In Southern California today, shutters are the dominant window covering offered in the middle to upper middle class and upper class development market. Within this builder market for shutters, basswood shutters are the fastest growing segment. By proxy then, home builders are voting with their investment dollars that basswood shutters are the most attractive window covering investment in the upper half of the market today.
