How Olson Homes and the New Home Trends Institute Shaped Heritage Walk
When Olson Homes set out to design Heritage Walk, they didn’t just rely on gut instinct or industry convention. They did what they’ve always done: they listened. And then they took it a step further.
Olson Homes has long been known for its commitment to understanding buyers. Focus groups with previous homeowners, ongoing market research, and a deep dedication to data-driven design have been hallmarks of how the company approaches every new community. For Heritage Walk, Olson partnered with the New Home Trends Institute (NHTI) to bring an independent, third-party lens to what today’s buyers really want in a home and a neighborhood.
“NHTI has become an indispensable resource for us, providing rich insights that we utilize across the company to evaluate community designs,” said Scott Laurie, CEO of Olson Homes. “The insights and surveys from NHTI have given us a deeper understanding of buyer preferences and current trends. This has been instrumental in validating several decisions we have made.”
So what exactly is NHTI? Backed by the deep-dive research of John Burns Research and Consulting, the New Home Trends Institute pairs design inspiration with exclusive data on the “why” behind consumers’ housing choices. Through monthly survey insights reports, proprietary consumer surveys, and national networks of builders, architects, and designers, NHTI specializes in tracking what buyers want now and where housing trends are heading. For Olson Homes, that research became a blueprint.
At Heritage Walk, the NHTI partnership shaped decisions from the ground up. Community spaces were designed around survey data on how homeowners actually use common areas. Floorplans were evaluated against buyer preferences for privacy, storage, flexibility, and lifestyle. Every detail, from kitchen layouts to the configuration of primary bathrooms, was informed by research on what buyers value most and where they’re most likely to compromise.
The result is a community that doesn’t just look good on paper. It’s designed to work for the way people actually live. Whether you’re a growing family looking for room to spread out, a move-up buyer ready for something more, or an empty nester seeking comfort without compromise, Heritage Walk was built with your needs in mind.
For Olson Homes, partnering with NHTI represents the next step in an ongoing commitment to building homes that go beyond expectations. Because when you invest in a new home, you deserve more than a builder’s best guess. You deserve a home shaped by real insight, real data, and a genuine understanding of what matters most to you.
Heritage Walk is coming soon to Glendora. Stay tuned for more details.
