“Builders who ‘tap into’ enhancing garage space to allow for storage solutions can make more money. They will bond with their buyers and stand out against their competition.” The garage may be considered the last “frontier” that home builders need to conquer. Thinking about 2020 and beyond, Proslat president Eric Letham identifies garage organizational trends that are good for builders’ business. The garage offers builders a way to offer buyers a solution to maximizing the space in a home as well as a way to connect with male homebuyers.

As the size of homes gets smaller, space in those homes becomes more valuable. That includes the garage. “It’s more important than ever for builders to turn garage space into efficient space for the home,” says Letham. “The reduction of size in the home makes the garage an even more important part of the ‘realty’ of the house.” The 2019 “What Home Buyers Really Want” report had almost 4,000 consumers rank 175 home features they believed were essential to their home purchase decisions. Garage storage ranked at 85% importance --- tied for fifth place.

 According to Letham, it’s easy to see that the home buying experience is mostly geared to women. Tile selection, kitchen appliances, and faucet design --- it’s all about what women want. So, where do the men fit in and how can builders appeal to them? “The garage is the only part of the home that is truly ‘his’ when a couple gets a new home,” says Letham. “Builders too often leave this valuable space completely blank instead of turning it into a feature the male buyers connect with instantly.” If the garage storage solution starts with slatwall and extends to storage cabinets, racks and lifts, the man touring the house will envision himself, his tools, his hobbies and his equipment all filling that garage space,” says Letham. “By focusing more on him, he feels more connected to the house and will likely be more involved in the purchasing process.”