15. Follow Up
Repeat business and referrals are the lifeblood of any home building business. The best way to achieve them is through excellent service before, during, and after the sale, say Realtors.
Fields says many of her clients have heard warranty nightmares about lingering issues in new homes. “Not having a strong system in place will lead to lost referrals and angry customers,” she warns. “If there is a problem, builders need to take ownership of issues and repair them immediately.”
Manage buyers’ expectations with a follow-up service schedule for the first year. Benson recommends that builders check in with homeowners 90 days and 330 days after closing. “The first visit is to check in and make sure that all of the expectation of the homeowner have been met. The second visit is just prior to the end of the typical one-year warranty and goes a long way toward referrals and ensuring the builder can use his past homeowners as references,” he says.
These visits can be helpful for builders, too, as they are a chance to receive feedback on the design and livability of the home to alert them to the need for any changes in future homes, he adds.
Kudos
Most experienced real estate agents feel a kinship with their builder peers, especially after having weathered the down years of the Great Recession together. They understand the stress and challenges of making a living in the volatile U.S. housing industry.
“The shortage of labor and capital, increased land cost, excessive government regulation, elevated taxes and impact fees all make the job of being a builder and developer very difficult,” says Brown.
In spite of the challenges, Realtors say they are impressed with builders’ devotion to their craft. As Parker says, “Truly, they are doing a great job!”
