Marketing Strategies Archives - Residential Contractor

Native Landscaping Sells Houses

Increase the value of a home with environmentally-friendly natural landscaping By Kitty Connolly This past April, the American Society of Landscape Architects released its 2018 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey, a members’ annual rating of the expected popularity of design elements. For the sixth year in a row, native plants were top of the list (either #1 or #2). Southern California real estate listings often call out yards as “water-saving” or “native landscape,” whether or not the description is accurate. In stark contrast, the National Association of Realtors 2018 Remodeling…

Transition from Witnessing Change to Effecting Change

Improving your management style can mean improving the success of your project By NORB SLOWIKOWSKI I get asked a lot of questions in the construction industry. You would be surprised how much the same commonalities emerge from different parts of the country. They often revolve around questions about management, leadership, and skills training. Everyone wants to run their operation in the best way possible to attract the best people possible. This takes having the best possible management team in place. One trend that I have noticed over the last decade…

The Path to Growth for Builders

Construction technology is transforming productivity in the industry By KYLE SLAGER As a trade, building hasn’t changed that much over the years. Productivity growth has remained stagnant compared to other industries that have continued to reinvent themselves through innovation. The construction industry has often been disinterested in adopting technological advances. This has started changing in recent years as long-term skilled labor shortages force builders to find ways to increase productivity with smaller crews. All these years after the housing market crash, the skilled construction labor pool has still not recovered. As…

God-Made Versus Man-Made Stone

Who will win the great man-made vs. natural stone debate? By Scott Harris We continue to see choices for building materials, and especially hard-surface options multiply like rabbits. So which is the right one? Every sales professional we lend our ear to has a script expressing why their product or material has superior virtues over the competition. Listening to everyone can be confusing, so how do you fairly find the unbiased truth? Ladies and Gentleman, please take your ringside seat. The 16-time, welterweight, national champion: Man-Made is challenging, the undefeated,…

High-Performance Homebuilding and Weatherization

By Glenna Wilson As California builders gear up for the changes in Title 24, builders across the country can improve the efficiency and performance of their builds with these strategies. Many homebuilders assume that high-performance homebuilding is too expensive to be a good investment, but it can be a huge advantage for both homebuilders and homeowners. If you research the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS programs, you’ll see that high-performance homebuilding is not much more expensive for the rate of return, and it allows the builder to…

West Villages Florida Continues Strong Sales Pace

West Villages, FL — The eight home builders in West Villages Florida sold 71 homes in October, putting the master-planned community well on its way to a record-setting year. West Villages continues to attract buyers from throughout Florida, the region and the U.S. “Buyers are choosing West Villages for our location, amenities and excellent value of the new homes,” said West Villages President Paul Erhardt. “They are also looking forward to both the West Villages Marketplace and Atlanta Braves Spring Training facility opening next year.” Homeowners are also pleased to…

Olive Groves Planted at Palm Springs Agrihood

Miralon is Transforming Former Golf Course into Groves and Gardens for Mid-Century-Inspired Homes and Resort Amenities Freehold Communities has announced that Miralon, the sustainably designed community emerging in Palm Springs, California, is now planting its unique olive groves. One of the largest new “agrihoods” in the U.S., Miralon will offer 1,150 Modernist-inspired residences to harmonize with the Coachella Valley’s architectural heritage. A highlight of Miralon’s 300 acres is its transformation of a previously constructed 18-hole golf course into working olive groves, community gardens and walking trails. Fruit from more…

Join Mosaic

Mosaic is a rapidly growing provider of consumer financing for the modern home. We empower contractors with the option to offer their customers financing for home improvement projects. The net gain is a win-win for both the contractor and the customer. Mosaic makes financing home improvement easy and affordable for homeowners with the simplest borrower experience available. As the market leader in solar lending, Mosaic has originated more than $2 billion in loans to date and works directly with leading home energy companies and contractors to make solar, high-efficient windows,…

Generate Leads with Community Outreach

Using unique and interesting marketing tactics in your surrounding neighborhoods can create new leads and drive business. By Morgan Zenner For years, contractors have found ways to make their presence known in neighborhoods with yard signs and logoed trucks. However, there are more direct ways to say hello to the neighbors and create goodwill with potential clients. Generally speaking, if you’re already working in an area, there’s a good chance the homeowners nearby could use your services. Grocery lists stick “Everyone grocery shops,” is a revelation that Larry Dorfman, MCR, CKBR and…