The #1 Reason Real Estate Marketing Lacks Innovation

Ever wondered why real estate — one of America’s leading industries — lacks marketing innovation, or why new home sales and marketing professionals are so afraid to step outside their comfort zones?

“Hey, did you see that amazing new home builder in AdAge,” said no one ever. 

Well, the crux of the problem is that the real estate industry is light years behind just about every other major industry. And it’s not for a lack of technology, budgets, or smart, creative people.

So what’s the deal?

As an advertising professional who has spent nearly a decade building a thriving and successful marketing firm (often banging my head against a wall through the process), I’ve often contemplated why so many innovative ideas are rejected.

The only plausible answer I could come up with is: risk aversion. The real estate business is all about minimizing risk and limiting exposure. Did you hear that: Limiting exposure. That’s the antithesis of what great marketing should do. And therein lies the problem.

This inclination has stymied the tide of innovation. It has pushed creatives, innovators and big thinkers into a box, rather than challenging them to think bigger and be bolder.

Change seems to take a little longer in the home builder industry but it is possible. As marketing professionals, we must relentlessly pursue ideas that challenge convention and look for like-minded partners looking to lead the charge.

So this is a call to arms. To all the trailblazers, innovators and risk takers: Let’s shake things up. Let’s challenge ourselves and our teams to push the boundaries of marketing greatness. Let’s stop letting risk aversion be our compass and instead start focusing on surprising and delighting consumers.

“OMG. Home builder work is really dominating at this year’s Webbys. Not.”

After all, when it comes to advertising and communications, the biggest risk you can take is taking none at all.

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Robert Galletta is managing partner at Blackjet Inc., a Toronto-based, Webby award-winning digital and design agency with extensive real estate experience. The agency’s philosophy is to be fearless; and it challenges both clients and partners to do the same. Blackjet’s work recently won five Gold awards at the 2016 Nationals in Las Vegas.

Article courtesy of NAHBNow.com

Welcome to the Newest SMC Members

Your Home Builders Association of Greenville and Sales and Marketing Council of the Upstate is proud to welcome:

Kelly Backer with Ryan Homes

Lisa Corbin with Ryan Homes

Lauren Hein with Ethan Allen

Barbara Waters with D.R. Horton

Age Clearly Impacts Preferences in Home Size

Findings from the latest NAHB study on housing preferences, Housing Preferences of the Boomer Generation: How They Compare to Other Home Buyers, shows there are some similarities and differences in what home buyers of different generations want in terms of square footage and number of bedrooms in a new home.

When asked how much finished space they would like to have, home buyers in general reported wanting a median of 2,020 square feet, about 9% more space than they currently have (1,859 sq. ft.). Age plays a key role in desired home size, however. Buyers in the Millennial and Gen X generations both want homes over 2,300 square feet, whereas Boomers and Seniors would like homes under 1,900 square feet. As the figure below shows, there is a large gap between current and desired home size among the younger cohorts, while Boomers and Seniors either live in their ideal home size already or would like to downsize a bit.



When it comes to the number of bedrooms, about half of all home buyers would like to have three in a new home, while a nontrivial 30 percent would rather have four or more. The two youngest generations have strikingly different preferences when compared to the oldest two: whereas 48 percent of Millennials and 43 percent of Gen X’ers would like to see at least four bedrooms in a new home, that share is only 20 percent among Boomers and Seniors. For these generations, three bedrooms is the way to go, as half or more report that as their first preference.



This blog post is part of a series exploring findings from Housing Preferences of the Boomer Generation: How They Compare to Other Home Buyers, the first of which can be found here. A more complete article on the findings is also available here.

Applying for the Sales and Marketing Council is Easy

Applying for the Sales and Marketing Council is now easier than ever with our new online application! Click here to access the application where you can easily type in your information and then print and send it to the Home Builders Association or save it and email it to info@hbaofgreenville.com.

Why should you join the SMC? Read our last blog post to see why the sales skills of those in the housing industry affects the housing market as a whole. Also be sure to visit the SMC web page for testimonials, benefits of membership, and more.

The Importance of Sales and Marketing

The article below details the importance of constantly improving your sales and marketing skills and consistently evaluating the housing market of your area. If these are skills you are looking to improve on, consider joining the Sales and Marketing Council of the Upstate, a council under your Home Builders Association. If you'd like current information on the Greenville housing market, look no further--every year your Home Builders Association of Greenville partners with GGAR and UMLA to host the Housing Market Forecast, where a national economist explains the figures of the current market in Greenville and shares their forecast for the upcoming year. That data is then compiled by your Home Builders Association and the shared with our members. You can find that document here.

From NAHBnow.com:

Many economists and industry pundits agree that for the foreseeable future, the housing market will continue to improve. But, there’s no doubt that home builders will still have to navigate fierce competition and deal with cautious buyers.

David Levitan, MIRM, CSP, CMP, and CEO of Levitan & Associates, said that although most housing markets are now performing well (compared to recent years), he has been asked to evaluate several communities across the country that are still not performing up to par.

What he found — almost across the board — was home builders and developers who have been doing business in their markets for years without having conducted any market research or developed a marketing strategy.

“The reason for the lack of sales was crystal clear, and not surprisingly, consistent throughout most of these communities,” he said.

Among the greatest offenses:

• Stale home designs that had not been changed for the past five years or more;
• Product lines that failed to provide a full spread of designs, styles and pricing;
• Less-than-ideal, non-competitive locations;
• Communities built within a short distance of four or more competing builders/developers with almost identical product offerings and more attractive incentives;
• Sales and marketing staff who had no training and minimal management support or supervision over the years;
• Outdated advertising, promotional strategies and budgets (e.g., referencing a 10-year-old budget, creating only minor changes to the company website, making feeble attempts at social media).

Because today’s market conditions and buyers are completely different, he said, leaning on the same old strategies has hindered their ability to grow, prosper and be profitable. To get back on track, Levitan recommends the following five steps:

Step 1: Do your research. For every new community you plan to build, analyze the market and determine the local economy and market conditions, examine site conditions, and investigate current and future competition. Doing this type of analysis helps define the playing field, and from there a realistic sales and marketing strategy for success can be developed, Levitan said.

Ask yourself the following questions: What is the quantifiable demand for the location, design and price? What portion of the demand is already being met? What is happening with the resale market – remember it is an integral component of the demand quotient. Where are the holes in the market?

Step 2: Review your own properties, products, company and brand identity. What are the comparative strengths and weaknesses of your location? How does the marketplace perceive your company? What impact do those perceptions have on your ability to do business? Have you created an identifiable unique selling proposition that is meaningful to the consumer? If not, you are simply another seller of the same product, probably offered at similar or higher prices.

Step 3: Use your research and review or SWOT analysis, to develop housing products that satisfy the needs of the market and are noticeably better in some way than competition.

Step 4: Create and implement a sales and marketing strategy for every new community BEFORE development starts. Use tools that will get your message to your target market in a cost-effective way.

Step 5: Take Step 4 further and create a new sales and marketing strategy that reflects current market conditions for every existing community you have in your portfolio.

While it may take a little time and effort to properly create a development and marketing strategy that will maximize sales and profitability, Levitan believes that the value of doing so is immeasurable.

Get Verified on Houzz with Our New Alliance

NAHB has formed a strategic alliance with HouzzInc., the online platform for home building, renovation and design, to help home buyers easily identify and connect with NAHB expert home builder, remodeler and trade partner members.

As part of the alliance, Home Builders Association of Greenville members in good standing will have membership badges added to their Houzz profile. The 35 million monthly visitors to Houzz will have more confidence that they are working with Home Builders Association members who have specialized expertise, many of whom have received additional education or professional designations to further their proficiency.

“This strategic alliance will give our members more exposure as well as access to the technology and tools they need to succeed in the 21st century,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods in announcing the agreement.

Home Builders Association members can visit the Houzz NAHB member portal to create or update their free professional profiles, which include their verified NAHB national badge, as well as state and local association badges if those HBAs also have a Houzz page. Members can also access the Houzz concierge for assistance and read this NAHBNow post for additional ideas.

Visit the Home Builders Association of Greenville's Houzz page by clicking here.

MORE from IBS: Explore Buyer Preferences and Sales Success

In the last five years there has been a dramatic shift in what customers expect from their home shopping experience. That is why it is so important that your online and onsite sales programs work hand-in-hand. If you’re interested in learning more about how to do this, the 2016 International Builders’ Show is your one-stop-shop for all things sales and marketing.

This year, the show is offering several in-depth, three-hour intensive education sessions that dig deep into specific sales and marketing niches. For example, the session From Online to Onsite: Mapping Out Sales Success in 2016 & Beyond 

provides insight on how to build a sales machine that is 300% more effective when sales and marketing roles are united. During this session, participants get an in-depth look at the strategies used to build cohesive online and onsite programs. They’ll also learn how to create a structured online sales program that results in higher prospect engagement and increased appointments.

Another key session, Who (Really) Are Your Buyers? Leveraging Demographics & Personalities to Deliver What Buyers Crave, provides a deeper understanding of consumer science in home buying. Because no two people are exactly alike — we all act, think and communicate in unique ways — it can be a challenge when it comes to making a sale. This session gives builders key insight into consumer behavior and how that translates into more sales.

Don’t miss out on these opportunities to discover how to take your sales to an entirely new level. A real understanding of the people who will be living in your homes, can make a significant difference in your business.

Avoid These Deal-Breaking Mistakes

At a Jan. 22 International Builders’ Show seminar in Las Vegas, John Palumbo, CEO of The Sterling Group based in Jacksonville, Fla., provided several strategies to help builders to seal the deal more often than not by demonstrating the biggest and most common negotiation deal breakers:

No Differentiation. Most small builders are not doing research that shows why they are better than their competitors, said Palumbo. “If you do what everyone else is doing, you are missing sales.” One example he cited that makes a community stand out is a food truck that comes three days a week to serve the local residents.

Negotiating With Your Customers. “Consumers don’t like ‘aggressive’ salespeople but they love ‘assertive’ salespeople,” said Palumbo. The most successful are those who use information, charm and the power of persuasion to maximize sales. Make the customer feel like they made the right choice in their home purchase without being talked into it.

Treating All Sales the Same. Salespeople who sound automated and like they are reciting from a script come off as insincere to the customer. The most successful, he said, are “unsalespersons” who are spontaneous, casual, authentic and relaxed and who use their own words and stories. They are able to observe, uncover and predict their prospect’s behavior, thereby evoking emotion and communicating more effectively.

Not Using Third-Party Endorsements. Companies that properly use third-party endorsements can increase their sales by 25% to 30%, said Palumbo. When it comes to the bottom line, customers who have seen written correspondence, videos and social media endorsements are better positioned to buy your products with less negotiating and feel as though they have not been persuaded at all.

To make the endorsement process easy, ask a satisfied customer for a few short words or sentences on why they were happy with their home purchase and then write it up yourself and get it signed off by the customer.

Not Hypnotizing the Customer. Customers don’t want to be informed, they have already done their homework on the Internet. They want to be guided and given a reason to feel good about their purchase so that when they go home at night, they are thrilled about the decision they made earlier in the day with you.

Quitting too Soon. “Call me if you have any questions, here’s my card, let me grab a brochure.” These are all examples of salespeople who quit too soon and never make it across the finish line. Don’t throw in the towel on your next customer so soon. Do not let “feeling pushy” stop you from making one more call or letting your customer walk out the door without a contract in hand.

Being a Good Listener. The ability to interpret what you hear from the customer is vital. Most deal breakers occur because of a disconnect between what the customer is actually saying and what the salesperson thinks they are saying. By honing in on the customer’s needs and desires, you can use that information to initiate a solid purchase decision.

Strategies for Selling Green

According to Michelle Desiderio, most buyers interested in high-performance homes are motivated not so much by energy efficiency, but rather by personal interest in making the world a better place to live.

Desiderio, who serves as vice president of innovation services for Home Innovation Labs in Upper Marlboro, Md., spoke at the 2015 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas about strategies to sell high-performance homes, including which audiences to target.

“You want to make sure you’re really speaking to things that motivate them,” she said. “If you’re only selling energy efficiency, you’re missing the big picture, and even alienating the young buyers.”

For Millennials especially, a message about saving money is a little offensive. “They’ll choose a high-performance builder simply because it’s the right thing to do, not just to save money,” she said.

Desiderio said that today’s high-performance home buyer is looking for a sustainable lifestyle that is healthier, efficient and better for the world at large. And 61% of builders say customers will pay more for a home that meets these criteria.

There are four groups of buyers that are particularly inclined to purchases high-performance homes:

The Persuadable Middle, a.k.a. The Mainstream Consumer
Desiderio pointed to research which showed that 16% of consumers are super green and “out to save the earth,” while another 18% have completely rejected the idea. This leaves 66% of consumers in the middle, most of whom have “good, green intentions,” she said. “They worry that they’re being excluded from the green movement a little bit. So make it real for them with what motivates them, like lower operating costs and walkable communities,” she said.

Women
Women lean green across all areas of the country, income levels and ethnicities. In many households, women are the primary breadwinner and decision maker for the home. “They are interested in the health and safety of the family, not so much what they’ll save on energy bills. And they’re willing to pay a little bit more for the things that will make their house healthier and better for the family,” Desiderio said.

Millennials
This group of home buyers really cares about the environment and the world. They’re socially responsible, globally-oriented, environmentally conscious savers, who are renting and living in green apartments right now. Ninety-three percent of them expect to own a home and don’t want their parents’ home. But they do want a tech-equipped home that is both good for the environment and their wallets.

Aspirationals
“Granite and green will win over this new group of home buyers,” Desiderio said. They are focused on style, social status and sustainability, and desire construction and design that lends to less consumption in trendy ways.

The best overall strategy in catering to these groups, Desiderio said, is to demonstrate that the home is a better product and better value for the consumer, and that sustainability is about better quality of life.

Jenn Nowalk, director of sales and marketing for Homes by Dickerson, which sells high-performance green certified custom homes, provided some tactics, stressing the importance of educating staff and making sure they attain green designations.

“It provides proof to consumers that the company and its employees are experts in green and that your homes meet certain criteria,” she said.

Nowalk also recommends spending time building up your online presence so that consumers, who are spending an increasingly large amount of time shopping online, can see that you are a leader in high-performance home building.

“Blog or tweet pictures of your finished and unfinished homes. Use Pinterest; especially to attract women. It gives people the ability to go and dream,” she said. Infographics are another fun and fairly simple way to show consumers what interior and structural features to look for in your homes.

All of Dickerson’s homes display signs that showcase the builder’s name, designations and any certifications that are underway for the property, she said. In addition, each home also has small touch points inside and out, driving home important messages.

For example, Dickerson uses prominent vinyl wall decals that peel on and off to highlight certain features and provide key talking points to customers.

Participating in local green-related events also helps them get in front of consumers and demonstrate how they are experts in the field.

For Homes by Dickerson, the effort has paid off tremendously. In 2014, the company closed 96 homes at an average sales price of $510,610, leading to revenues of about $48.5 million.

Engaging Realtors is also a key step in reaching green consumers. Annette Bubak, a green-designated Realtor and regional builder sales manager at SolarCity, said that only 3-5% of high-performance homes are properly identified as such within local Multiple Listing Services.

Because agents really depend on builders to provide signage and information, videos and other marketing materials to sell their homes, she said its critical that builders add comments to their listings highlighting the benefits; upload their homes’ certificates; and provide professional-quality images.

2014 Bridge Awards Coming March 2015! Get your entry form today.

As a way of recognizing the best craftsmanship and professionalism in the industry, The Home Builders Association would like to present the Second Annual Bridge Awards. This Awards ceremony will recognize the best and brightest of the categories, outlined below.

·         New Homes

·         Full Home Remodel

·         Partial Home Remodel

·         Green Building

·         Special Feature

·         Sales and Marketing

o   Web-Based Marketing Program

o   Community Promotion (Community of the Year)

o   Special Promotion

o   Individual Sales Achievement (Million Dollar Circle)

·         Individual (in addition to HBA recognition)

o   Builder of the Year

o   Associate of the Year

o   Remodeler of the Year

o   Sales Agent of the Year

-  Unit Volume

-  Dollar Volume

o   Sales Executive of the Year

-  Unit Volume

-  Dollar Volume

o   Lender of the Year

The New Home, Full Home Remodel, Partial Home Remodel, and Green Building Categories will be broken down into price after all entries are received.

For more information on entry and sponsorship opportunities click here. Entries will be judged February 2015 and the winners will be recognized at the 2014 Bridge Awards Ceremony on March 19, 2015. Don’t miss your opportunity to showcase the craftsmanship and professionalism you put into your projects, enter today!  

For a peak at the fun click here to view last years awards.

Managing Online Leads Through Marketing Automation

When the home building market was struggling, most chose to take advantage of as many lead opportunities as possible. Now, as the market rebounds, record numbers of new leads are coming through the pipeline.

And it should come as no surprise that more than 90% of home shoppers begin their search online. So, in an upswing market, how do you find time to deal with the onslaught of new leads?

Enter Marketing Automation: A Smart Way to Manage Leads
Marketing automation offers an answer to this problem with ready-made, analytic information on lead quality and customer profiles, as well as automated methods to prioritize and nurture leads based on where they are in the home buying process. Using this type of software gives you the ability to capture online leads with little effort, and spend less time qualifying prospects and more time closing sales.

How Marketing Automation Works
Marketing automation works with your existing customer relationship management software, and scores leads based on their browsing habits and other customer profile information. It then generates and distributes tailored, valuable content to prospects through your website, social media and email marketing — all designed to nurture consumers through the buying process.

Automated analytics allow you to spend more time developing high-quality content, while the software progressively scores, profiles and prioritizes leads. With that information, you can ramp up your marketing efforts in a calculated way, providing useful, well-timed content and interaction to your customers.

The Benefits of Marketing Automation for Home Builders
For most home builders, automated scoring and categorization of leads is a huge breath of fresh air. There are plenty of tire kickers out there anxious to learn every detail of every floor plan with absolutely no intention of buying. Automation allows you to focus only on the leads worth the effort, saving yourself time and money.

Consumers don’t want their time wasted either, and will appreciate original, relevant content and outreach. A customer just beginning the research phase may not respond well to an immediate, head-on sales approach, when they simply need more information about a particular plan or feature.

Through the methodical process of progressive profiling, you learn whether a contact is a qualified prospect, and if so what makes them tick. And then you can provide them information of real value through relevant event invitations, personalized email content, graphics or other important communications.

This article originally appeared in the May/June issue of Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine. 

NAHB: New Home Sales Surge in May

New single-family home sales reached the highest pace in six years in May.

New-home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000 in May, a gain of 18.6% over a slightly downwardly revised April (425,000), according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the highest rate since May 2008 and is a significant increase from the winter low point for sales in March (410,000).

“These numbers are in line with our recent builder surveys, which indicate that more consumers are getting off the fence and coming back into the marketplace,” said NAHB Chairman Kevin Kelly.

NAHB is forecasting that single-family new home sales will total 515,000 in 2014, a nearly 20% year-over-year gain.

Regionally, new-home sales were up across the board. Sales rose 54.5% in the Northeast, 34% in the West, 14.2% in the South and 1.4% in the Midwest.

The inventory of new homes for sale held steady at 189,000 units in May. This is a 4.5-month supply at the current sales pace. Total inventory levels have remained in the 183,000 to 190,000 range since September 2013.

Sales+Marketing: 10 mistakes Home Builders Should Avoid

In a recovering market, most builders find themselves with too little time and too many tasks that need to be completed. Normally you can get a great return on investment when you focus on the best way to implement the strategy and tactics of running a great homebuilding company.

Noelle Tarabulski, CEO of Builder Consulting Group, Inc., outlined the top practices of successful builders in Sales+Marketing Ideas magazine.

1. Have a clear understanding of strategy and tactics and the importance of timing their implementation in the current cycle as well as your current fiscal year.
2. Understand the important metrics of your housing market and submarkets.
3. Watch and understand trends at the global, national, regional, state, and county level.
4. Three-month, six-month, one-year and up to three-year trends of supply and demand must be monitored.
5. Primary research requires driving of all neighborhoods that are in your local submarket.
6. Design trends matter and can be an opportunity to win a competitive advantage.
7. Develop and perfect the process of new product development.
8. Perfect process flows, so they are done well and are repeatable.
9. The use of an operational summary, or dashboard, to understand the key metrics of a firm are very helpful and worthy of the effort to understand your weekly and daily operating results.
10. Be thoughtful of what suggestions can be implemented quickly, easily and will give you operating improvements immediately.

Try these practices, and maximize your bottom line. Read more here.

Building a Quality Home Does not Always Equal Running a Sound Business

During the 2013 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Tom Stephani, MIRM, president of Custom Construction Concepts Inc. based in Crystal Lake, Ill., outlined the following 10 business mistakes builders typically make and how to avoid them:

1. Fail to see a collapse coming. All markets are local, and they all go through an up-and-down cycle, Stephani said. He said builders need to keep tabs of warning signs by monitoring the number of starts in their area, being prudent with their specs and examining fluctuations in the cost of land.

2. Don’t ask for help. Too often, builders stubbornly cling to the notion that they have all the answers and that the competition is their enemy, said Stephani. The best way for builders to find answers to improve their business is to become actively involved in their local and national builders associations. Some of the benefits of membership include advocacy, education, networking and joint marketing resources, he said. “Through NAHB, I have a network of hundreds of people I’ve met over the past years,” said Stephani. “That knowledge sharing is immense. The 20 Clubs provide that opportunity as well.”

3. Alienate Realtors. The purpose of Realtors is to sell home, and builders are being penny wise and pound foolish when they try to work around them and avoid the commission fee because Realtors will often bypass the builder’s properties when showing prospective clients homes to sell. Stephani said it is wise to use Realtors because they are professional at marketing and sales, provide better access to pre-qualified clients and can help to manage client expectations.

4. Fail to set realistic expectations. To remedy this, Stephani said that the builder must make it clear to their clients that they are in charge of the project. The customer must make selections on time, be able to afford what they want, and must not attempt to supervise subcontractors or suppliers. The builder must communicate to the client that changes to the job require time and money, that delays during construction are common and that workers will not necessarily be on the job eight hours every day. “Let the client know there could be bumps in the road but that they will be happy in their home when they move in,” he said.

5. Ignore customer service. Those who ignore this item because there is no money in it, or because they are too busy, do so at their own peril. Good customer service is essential, Stephani said, and the best way to provide it is to see issues from the customer’s perspective. Builders who have a willingness to exceed customer expectations and to do what is promised often reap great rewards through word-of-mouth referrals.

6. Fail to price for profit. Builders often fail to price their homes properly due to competition, market conditions, inaccurate appraisals and pressure from Realtors. As a result, their cash flow becomes critical and they try to compensate by increasing volume. To fix this problem, Stephani suggests that builders better manage their specs, tighten financial controls and reporting, and develop a pricing approach based not just on cost but also on location.

7. Don’t update the business plan. “If you don’t put a plan in writing it can guarantee you won’t reach your goals,” he said. Builders should update their business plans on an annual basis, he added.

8. Fail to manage conflict effectively. Too often, builders do not recognize the emotional state of owners during construction and are not committed to win-win agreements with them, Stephani said. Most builder/client conflicts arise from disagreements about what was promised and what was delivered. Clear and concise wording of the contract; a complete set of plans and specifications; and good documentation of all communication are essential.

9. Don’t manage design and budget. Too often, builders fail to properly manage their clients’ expectations, fail to control the architect and let clients take control over their subcontractors and suppliers. Builders need to be up front with their clients, let them know what to expect during the building process and work in tandem with the architect.

10. Take on the client from hell. A true client from hell often displays wild mood swings; obsesses over minor details; invites conflict; demands perfection but is not willing to pay for it; creates problems for subcontractors and employees; berates, belittles and badmouths the builder; refuses to pay until sued; and is never happy. To avoid this situation, Stephani recommends that builders go with their gut feeling when interviewing a client, evaluate their personalities and traits, take note of their occupation and observe whether a husband and wife are openly arguing – which can be a warning sign.

Source: National Sales and Marketing Council eNews

Atherton Announces New Sales Subsidiary

Atherton Company has announced a new subsidiary that will specialize in new home sales and marketing: New Home Star.

"We have affiliated with a national group to give our company the tools to help builders and developers in the Upstate the tools they need to market new homes without the need of hiring a dedicated sales team," Atherton President Barbara Ryan said.

Ryan serves as Chairman of the HBA of Greenville Sales and Marketing Committee.

ABCs of New Construction Held at the Cove at Butler Springs

Rick Quinn, Quinn Satterfield, LLC

This week 25 HBA members visited The Cove at Butler Springs to learn about modern construction techniques and how to apply that knowledge to selling new homes.

The event was sponsored by Quinn Satterfield and New Home Star. Rick Quinn led a tour of two new homes in the community and discussed the latest trends and technology for energy efficiency, site development, and construction techniques.

ABCs of New Construction at the Cove at Butler Springs

Your HBA of Greenville has partnered with Quinn-Satterfield to offer ABCs of New Construction at the Cover at Butler Springs.

• Tuesday, November 9, 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
• The Cove at Butler Springs

To Register for the ABCs of New Construction, click here.

ABCs of New Construction is your opportunity for you and your sales staff to learn hands on about new construction in a way that will improve your sales team's ability to sell new construction. ABCs of New Construction features two new homes in different stages of completion. Home Building professionals will guide you through each home and teach you about the construction techniques and features of a new home in a manner that will provide you with the information you need to effectively sell new construction. Don't miss this no-cost opportunity to improve your selling skills.

How to Reach the Buyer's of Today

Builderonline.com recently interviewed market researcher Barb Nagle Statler on how today's homebuyers are different than those of just two years ago, and how to reach them.

Today's housing market is dominated by nondiscretionary homebuyers, unlike during the housing boom when most homebuyers were discretionary. During the boom, most homebuyers already had a house that met their needs and were buying move up homes or second homes. Today's homebuyer must have a home, and the largest segment of them is first-time home buyers.

Demand in today's housing market is smaller, and Statler says it will not rebound until the discretionary homebuyers return to the market.

You can watch a video of an interview with Statler, President of Marketscape Research:

Click here to watch the video

Greenville home sales outperform neighboring counties

Home sales rose in Greenville during August compared with July, but declined in Spartanburg, the Tri-county area of Anderson, Pickens and Oconee, and also shrank statewide, according to new data from the South Carolina Association of Realtors.

Unit sales were up 18 homes in Greenville to 607, while Spartanburg home sales declined by eight units to 217; and sales in the Tri-county area were down 41 units to 213. Statewide, sales were down 241 units from July to 3,952. Read More.

Source: GSA Business