Martha Stewart to build houses with KB Home
edonline
Martha Stewart to build houses with KB Home
Wed Oct 12, 2005 09:50 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Martha Stewart has struck a deal with builder KB Home
that extends the lifestyle expert's housewares brand into the houses
themselves.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. and KB Home said on Wednesday that the
first model homes imprinted with Stewart's style sense will be completed in
2006.
The first group to go on sale will include 650 houses in Cary, North
Carolina, under the name "KB Home Twin Lakes: Homes Created with Martha
Stewart," the companies said.
The houses will be "inspired" by Stewart's homes in New York and Maine, the
companies said in a statement. Stewart will also select flooring, faucets,
cabinets and other fixtures for home buyers to choose from at a KB Homes
showcase.
Prices of the homes will range from the low-$200,000s and the mid-$400,000s
for 1,500 to 4,100 square feet of space.
The agreement, whose terms were not disclosed, reflects a move toward
higher-end customers for KB Home. The average selling price for its houses
was $219,900 in 2004, according to the company's annual report.
KB Home said it selected Cary for the first homes because of its proximity
to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, which houses several
multinational companies and 100 firms involved in research and development
work. As a result, the homes will be near higher-end customers.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has accelerated its efforts to get its
founder's brand into the spotlight and regain earnings momentum since she
completed a prison term in March for lying to investigators about a stock
sale.
Stewart is on two television shows -- her prime-time spin-off of "The
Apprentice" and her daily talk show -- and is launching a Sirius Satellite
Radio channel and how-to videos.
Even so, shares of her namesake company are down about 40 percent since her
release from prison, and ratings of her prime-time reality show have been
lower than hoped.
In early New York Stock Exchange trading, KB Home shares slipped 66 cents,
or 1 percent, to $63.84, while Martha Stewart stock rose 26 cents, or 1.2
percent, to $21.76.
E Varden
"edonline" <edonlineSPAMOUT!@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:75SdnVo2frpDvNDeRVn-
> Martha Stewart to build houses with KB Home
>
> Wed Oct 12, 2005 09:50 AM ET
>
>
> NEW YORK (Reuters) - Martha Stewart has struck a deal with builder KB Home
> that extends the lifestyle expert's housewares brand into the houses
> themselves.
>
> Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. and KB Home said on Wednesday that
> the first model homes imprinted with Stewart's style sense will be
> completed in 2006.
>
> The first group to go on sale will include 650 houses in Cary, North
> Carolina, under the name "KB Home Twin Lakes: Homes Created with Martha
> Stewart," the companies said.
>
> The houses will be "inspired" by Stewart's homes in New York and Maine,
> the companies said in a statement. Stewart will also select flooring,
> faucets, cabinets and other fixtures for home buyers to choose from at a
I don't dispute Martha's good taste, BUT I'd be embarrassed to have anyone
know I spent a quarter mil on a MS home. To me that would say "I have no
taste myself; I'm one of those sorry bastards wearing designer logo'd
handbags, Tommy Hilfiger tees etc.etc. - I don't have an original thought
in my head, so I'll buy someone else's."
How fucking pathetic.
Pe (BTW, I live like a pauper in a flat in an area where semi-detached
houses average nearly $400K...) (Yes I lucked in, over 25 years ago.) (Ha
ha.)
Foxglove
>
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=9900982&src=rss/Entertainment
>
> Martha Stewart to build houses with KB Home
>
> Wed Oct 12, 2005 09:50 AM ET
>
>
> NEW YORK (Reuters) - Martha Stewart has struck a deal with builder KB Home
>
KB Homes? They're worse than crap.
maryanne kehoe
And KB has been sued in several states for unethical sales practices.
E Varden
"maryanne kehoe" <atl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:1234-434...@storefull-3256.bay.webtv.net...
> >KB Homes? They're worse than crap.
>
>
>
> And KB has been sued in several states for unethical sales practices.
>
You'd think Mothra Stewart would have done some serious homework before
aligning herself with a shady outfit...
Pe
maryanne kehoe
A lot of those people that sell in subdivisions aren't required to have
real estate licenses. I remember when I was first temping, I was sent to
Beazer Homes. I saw a copy of the sales manual on my desk that someone
left and started reading it. One of the things I remembered was that
their sales agents (at the time) were not required to be licensed and
some of the tactics used in the manual to effect sales bordered on
high-pressure.
The laws may have changed in this state since then, but several years
ago, I recall seeing ads for subdivision agents and no license required.