IRVINE, CA-The homebuyer's part in choosing design elements has come a long way from the 1970s, when the toughest decision was whether to go with avocado green or harvest gold kitchen appliances. Today's consumers (influenced heavily by beautifully designed images on HGTV, interior-design websites and smartphone apps, as GlobeSt.com recently reported) expect and are demanding more in home design: more choices, more customization, more price points and more convenience—and builders are beginning to deliver via updated, sophisticated design centers in locations that are convenient to the consumer.

“Buyers are starting to understand that one of the big value-adds between a resale and a new home is they can pick certain features and options they might not normally be able to do,” Rick Fletcher, VP sales and marketing for MBK Homes here, tells GlobeSt.com. “Builders get that. There are a lot of different things they look at, and that selection of finish is right up there.”

Fletcher adds that builders and their designer partners can address buyers' needs in many ways: the traditional design center, a centrally located facility where buyers within a 20- to 30-mile radius can come and look at all the finishes; and onsite design centers, which are located at the community where the consumer is buying. “If I'm selling homes in Gardena, buyers have to only walk about 10 steps to the onsite design center to make their design selections. That buyer never has to leave the community to have a great design experience.”