Head of the Class.

Home electronics give big builders an edge.

N A BID TO DIFFERENTIATE THEIR PRODUCT FROM COMpetitors, home builders have tried everything from revamping their model homes to adding new elevations to debuting new materials and options. Now, structured wiring packages are gaining in popularity as a savvy way to differentiate product.

Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates predicts that by 2004 more than 40 percent of new homes will be equipped with structured wiring. That promising statistic is validated by high levels of consumer interest. In fact, according to a study by the Consumer Electronics Association in Arlington, Va., more than 50 percent of consumers expressed the likelihood of buying a $5,000 wiring systems for new homes.

But cabling isn't the only technology home builders offer. Security systems, entertainment systems, and home automation devices are creeping into upgrade packages. Some of the nation's top home builders are leading the charge. Here's what they're offering.

PULTE HOMES

Pulte is among the most aggressive builders when it comes to technology The Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based company intends to outfit every home it builds with a structured wiring system from Leviton Manufacturing, which is based in Little Neck, N.Y. "In joining with Leviton, we are transforming the home into a high-tech environment," says Alan Laing, Puke's vice president of e-business development.

Pulte follows the ANSI-TIA-EIA-570-A standard (Residential Telcom Standard), which specifies that every room have at least two telephone/data jacks and two coaxial jacks. The Leviton Integrated Networks System includes those jacks and other future-ready components. For instance, Pulte offers an optional faceplate with four Category-5 outlets and two RJ-45 jacks in the family room, where home theater equipment would likely reside. This …