By Eileen Dallabrida

Business Ledger Contributing Writer

In addition to new homes, builders are structuring packages to attract buyers in a challenging real estate market. They're cooking up custom kitchens and serving up hardwood floors, on the house. Most of all, they're making it easier for consumers to pay their mortgages.

In a market where sellers are competing for buyers, builders also are emphasizing features that set the new home market apart from resale properties.

Wayne Megill of Megill Homes, a West Chester-based builder of luxury homes in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, says there's a growing trend toward making energy-efficient amenities standard, including insulated-glass windows and tankless hot water systems.

"You aren't going to find those features in resale homes," he says. More...