Apr 26 2007
PEARL Protected®, creators of the patented Permanent Escape And Rescue Ladder (PEARL®) for two-story homes, today announced that De Young Properties is one of the pioneering homebuilders in California to offer PEARL in newly-constructed and existing Brentwood homes. The PEARL permanent escape ladder is available for installation in the builder's three popular Brentwood communities located in Fresno and Clovis. De Young Properties will also offer PEARL to its existing homeowners for retrofit installation.
As one of the largest homebuilders in the region, De Young Properties has delivered advanced innovation, customer service and quality to more than 7,000 families in central California. In 2007, the company continues this legacy by adding PEARL to its home safety upgrade package as well as adding three new communities to its portfolio: Brentwood on the Green (northeast Fresno), Brentwood Ranch (northwest Fresno) and Brentwood Loma Vista (in Clovis). De Young Properties also offers alarm systems, fire resistant roof tiles and fully fenced yards as part of its home safety package, in addition to many other features.
"Our homeowners deserve superior protection in case of a residential emergency, including a safe way to escape from upstairs rooms," said Jerry De Young, president of De Young Properties. "Giving consumers the option to include PEARL is just one of the ways we're exceeding customer expectations."
According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 16,000 people were injured or killed by residential fires in 2005. Many of these casualties are the direct result of not being able to escape from upper-story bedrooms. Because PEARL can be permanently installed into the interior wall space below second and third-story windows, homebuilders like De Young Properties are closing this deadly gap in residential fire safety by including an "always there" means of escape.
De Young Properties joins a list of approximately 60 builders who are making home safety a priority by including PEARL in new home construction. According to a recent online survey, more than 80 percent of respondents "strongly agree" that homebuilders have a social responsibility to offer innovative home safety features - either as upgrade options or standard features (Source: Zoomerang on behalf of PEARL Protected, December 2006). De Young Properties is one of the only homebuilders in the state of California to fulfill this by offering comprehensive home safety packages that include the PEARL permanent escape ladder.
PEARL Protected CEO David Duley believes tapping into these consumer insights will not only help save lives, it can also help builders enhance their credibility and increase sales - despite the current housing market slump.
"Nearly 90 percent of our survey respondents said they are more likely to choose a builder with a reputation for making home safety a priority versus an equally qualified builder," said Duley. "This demonstrates a widespread consumer preference for homebuilders to elevate standards of safety."
Since its October 2005 debut, PEARL has become one of the most recognized home safety products in the marketplace. PEARL received the 2006 Product Innovation Award from the Home Safety Council as well as several other building product awards. PEARL has also been featured in two different episodes of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and has been showcased on NBC's "Today" and CBS's "The Early Show."
Current and prospective homeowners in the Central Valley Region of California can visit the Brentwood Model Home Center at Millbrook to see the installed PEARL permanent escape ladder.