From the President’s Desk: Reflecting Back on 2021 & Looking Forward

As a homebuilder, I’ve always understood that homes are important — a space for living, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones. The importance of our homes was amplified in 2020, as all of us stayed home much more than usual. Though many of us returned back to the office and classroom in 2021, our homes remained a source of comfort.

Here at StyleCraft, 2021 has been a year of growth, innovation, and overcoming obstacles. With the importance of home as clear as ever, we redoubled our focus on the StyleCraft homeowners. There’s always room to refine and improve our processes, and we worked to finely tune the homebuilding experience for every person joining the StyleCraft family this year.

This time of year provides a unique opportunity to look back on the successes and challenges that we’ve had over the last twelve months, and to set our sights on the new year and all that’s yet to come.

We regularly check in with homebuyers and we pride ourselves on keeping our finger on the pulse of the housing market. A theme we started to notice? Homebuyers wanted the flexibility of self-guided tours. We responded by partnering with UTour to launch self-guided home tours at select Model Homes — allowing people to tour before or after our standard Model hours. This provided some much-needed flexibility for busy homebuyers and was a great option for those seeking no-contact or private touring experiences. In fact, we were the first homebuilder in Richmond to offer this service! We’re thrilled that hundreds of homebuyers have taken advantage of this feature this year. They’ve been able to see homes on their schedule, and at their pace — an important step to imagining Living Up in their new home.

It’s no secret. 2021 made housing market history. With a record number of homebuyers entering the market, low interest rates, low inventory, and bidding wars — chaos ensued in the resale market.

The new construction industry didn’t make it through entirely unscathed. We faced labor shortages, material shortages, price increases, supply chain disruptions, and delays that were out of our control. We responded to the obstacles as quickly as possible and were transparent with our customers along the way. Our homebuyers experienced the challenges alongside us, and we appreciate their understanding and patience as we all navigated unchartered waters together.

The past two years have been unprecedented, to say the least, but we’ve come out on the other side better because of it. We’re prepared to continue to learn, grow, and innovate to manage whatever curve balls might be headed our way.

Over the past year, a key initiative for the StyleCraft team was to continue investing in digital tools that create a more seamless homebuying, building, and ownership experience for our customers. With the launch HomeWise and E-Bill Express programs, we’ve put convenience at our homeowners’ fingertips.

• HomeWise: Thanks to our partnership with HomeWise, which kicked off in September 2021, many of our homeowners can now easily access key HOA & condo documents digitally. The implementation of this new program ensures homeowners can access the up-to-date version of these key documents at any given time, while also streamlining the process of sending and receiving.

• E-Bill Express: With the launch of E-Bill Express in November 2021, homeowners can now make deposits and payments electronically — no need to go searching for your check book anymore! By partnering with Wells Fargo’s E-Bill Express program, our homeowners can easily and securely enter their bank information and create an account for future payments. It’s a win-win for both StyleCraft and our homebuyers!

Even with supply chain challenges, delays, and shortages – our StyleCraft family still grew in 2021! This year, we’re proud to have opened two new Gateway communities. These new communities are located in convenient spots throughout Greater Richmond and have helped us welcome many first-time homebuyers through our doors.

Village at Millers Lane 

• We kicked off 2021 with the opening of our newest townhome community in Henrico, VA. Our VIP list was met with record-breaking response as folks showed interest in Living Up in this community. We sold over 50 homesites in Village at Millers Lane, highlighting the popularity of the Raleigh floor plan. Plus, we found that homebuyers were drawn to the desirable location near shopping, dining, and downtown Richmond. We’re excited to open a new section in this community in 2022 to welcome even more homeowners to the Village at Millers Lane.

Kennington and Kennington Townhomes 

• StyleCraft Homes made our debut in King William, Virginia this year with our Kennington Townhomes community. Our Model Home featured our Maple floor plan and the convenient location, beautiful curb appeal, and sought-after amenities proved to be attractive to homebuyers. We didn’t stop there though, we also added a single-family section in October 2021. When we released the first Quick Move-In, single-family home in our Kennington Community, we were met with a flurry of interest. We’re excited to continue developing this section of the community in 2022.

We’re celebrating the successes and learning opportunities that 2021 presented, and we’re excited to carry the momentum into 2022. With new communities already in the works and new sections planned for several established communities — we’re excited to welcome even more homeowners to the StyleCraft family in the coming year.

We’ve already opened the VIP list for The Outpost at Brewers Row, our newest condo community located in the desirable Greater Scott’s Addition area. Here, homebuyers will enjoy two-story condos with modern design features and 1-car garages — all while being just steps from some of Richmond’s most popular breweries, restaurants, and shops. Our VIP list is already building — so we recommend adding your name to be among the first to secure your new home in The Outpost at Brewers Row.

We’ll be sharing more information on additional new communities in the coming weeks and months — so keep an eye here on our website and our social media pages for updates!

As this year comes to a close, I want to thank each of you. I’m grateful for our team here at StyleCraft, who together, with our Trade Partners — have worked to overcome the obstacles this year has presented. And of course, thank you to every StyleCraft homebuyer who trusted us to build a home for you this year. It’s an honor, and we hope you and your family Live Up in your new home for years to come.

If 2022 is the year for you to purchase a new home, we invite you to call our dedicated sales team at 804.523.HOME or visit stylecrafthomes.com to start your homebuying journey.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year.

Live Up,

Richard Kuhn
President, StyleCraft Homes