CARY, N.C. – John Deere and St. Lawrence Homes, a premium North Carolina homebuilder, have partnered on a pilot homebuyer incentive program: The John Deere Signature Community located in Durham, N.C. This marks the first time John Deere has partnered with a homebuilder. As part of the program, John Deere will provide custom landscape packages, standard plant warranties, irrigation systems and top-quality John Deere equipment with every home in the new community.
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"The St. Lawrence Homes/John Deere partnership goes beyond simply breaking ground on a new home-buying concept - it actually creates a new way of living for people who appreciate the beauty of nature at home," said Tosh Brinkerhoff, customer integration manager, small property owner, John Deere. "Our partnership with St. Lawrence enables homeowners to connect with their property from the moment they move in, and provides the tools and services to cultivate this passion."
Homebuyers in the John Deere Signature Community will have the opportunity to choose from among three distinct John Deere landscaping packages – the Charleston, the Prairie and the Coastal – when they choose from the available 32 home plans. In addition, they will have the ability to upgrade and customize their landscaping package, tailoring their landscaping plans to reflect their individual preferences and tastes.
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Brinkerhoff told Lawn & Landscape that the concept for the John Deere/St. Lawrence Homes partnership began when the two companies participated in an event for the Carolina Hurricanes. “We’ve been working on the idea for about a year,” Brinkerhoff says. “It began when our President John Jenkins was at a sponsor event for the Hurricanes and St. Lawrence homes President Bob Ohmann was at the event, as well. In speaking with each other, they realized that these were two great brands that could create a unique opportunity for homeowners.”
While the John Deere Signature Community leans strongly toward putting the John Deere brand in front of homeowners, there are benefits for the commercial side of the business, as well.
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“There are a couple of different components to the program,” Brinkerhoff told Lawn & Landscape. “The main idea is that we wanted to be a one-stop-shop for new homeowners. They have a lot of needs and put a lot of emphasis on the area outside of their homes and John Deere is uniquely qualified to provide those services. If the homeowner decides to enhance the landscape design, we’ll be able to put them in touch with the landscape architect and work out those plans. From there, St. Lawrence Homes contracts with contractors that use John Deere equipment who can come in and customize the landscape.
“Additionally, all the landscape materials, irrigation, shrubs, trees, etc., will be provided by John Deere Landscapes,” Brinkerhoff adds. “And, upon moving in, a John Deere dealer will visit the new homeowners for an hour of training on their new equipment and to set up a preventive maintenance schedule for all of the products. This program is really developing a synergy within several areas of our company.”
St. Lawrence homes notes that the storng relationship between homes and their surroundings make the John Deere Signature Community program a logical partnership. “A recent study on the Campaign Leverage Research Web site showed that new homeowners will spend a projected average of $24,000 during the first 18 months of new homeownership,” said Rich Ohmann, vice-president of marketing and sales, St. Lawrence Homes. “Knowing that landscaping and yard improvement projects top the list, our team began discussions with John Deere, to create the first community of its kind to deliver value-added, turn-key landscaping solutions to customers and a truly unique place to live and grow.”
Along with the landscaping, homebuyers will receive a John Deere Outdoor Living Package to maintain their yard upon moving into their home. The package will include a riding lawn tractor, a handheld blower, trimmer, garden tools, cleaning tools and two years of preventative maintenance performed by a local John Deere dealer.
Home sites, ranging in size from ½ acre to 1 acre, will be accented by a John Deere landscaped entryway and an entry gate with John Deere and St. Lawrence signage. The community, called Trenton, has 62 lots, and prices for the homes start in the high $300s.
Brinkerhoff says early responses to the program are good and foreshadow success for the community. “Already, the model home has been finished and seven lots have been sold to new homeowners,” he says. “One of the key success factors is the sales rate of homes and then the feedback from customers. A driving idea behind the community is that these homeowners already have a strong interest in having great-looking landscapes and in this community they know they’re neighbors will respect that as well. The home design and landscape design, in combination, will heighten the curb appeal of the community and give neighbors a common interest from the start.”