8 best-selling home designs

Even in a difficult market, good design rises to the top. These homes have what it takes to make customers sign on the dotted line.

By Susan Bady, Contributing Editor

April 16, 2011

What makes a home a best-seller? Price, location, and amenities are important, but design can make or break a sale. Buyers can tell if a floor plan flows well and takes advantages of views and sightlines. They’re turned off by wasted space — rooms that will never be used and volume ceilings that squander energy. Bigger isn’t necessarily better; it’s more important that spaces can flex with changing needs.

Home builders have to listen to what their customers are saying and respond as quickly as possible, but that doesn’t always mean reinventing the wheel. One of the biggest sellers featured here is a plan that has been modified on numerous occasions over the years. In fact, many perennial best-sellers have been tweaked and updated to reflect the home buyer’s changing requirements.

Here are eight best-selling home designs from around the country:

1. Room to Grow	2. Small House, Big Value
3. No Wasted Space	4. Loft-Like Living
5. Starter-Home Appeal	6. Nothing But Blue Skies
7. Moving Down Made Easy	8. Family Friendly Plan