AVID Publications
Recent articles

When Less Means More "How downsized homes can delight buyers" Gone is the age of extravagance, where supersized floor plans and expensive amenities abound. Instead, many builders have changed their tact to reengineer smaller product lines to appeal to today's credit-strapped customers. KB Homes began downsizing some of its homes in 2007. A 3,400-square-foot home that sold for $450,000 became a 2,400-square-foot home selling for $300,000. This year, KB launched a line of homes that start at 1,230 square feet and sell for just over $200,000. Other builders have taken similar steps. Read more

2008 AVID Award Winners "AVID Award winners for 2008 leverage customer loyalty in home building to survive the housing slump" Whether you're selling more homes than you can reasonably build or struggling to get rid of high inventories, nothing sustains a business better than a cadre of delighted customers who loyally send new home buyers your way. Industry research proves that it's twice as hard to sell a home to a regular prospect as it is to sell one to a referred home buyer. Read more

Avalon Makes Winning Easy Still wondering if green construction can lead to greater customer satisfaction? Look no further than Avalon Central Alberta - this year's AVID Diamond Award winner for best customer experience in Canada - for proof. Founded by CEO Ryan Scott's parents in 1983, the company has seen a positive growth in its client feedback since making green building a trademark of every home it builds. In fact, the company's goal is to build only net-zero homes at no additional cost to consumers by 2015. Read more

Success Stories "It's time for some good news. Here are a few examples of home builders who thrive amid and industry in crisis" There's a lot of bad news about our industry and the economy, and the casual observer might assume the majority of home builders are headed for bankruptcy protection. While that is indeed happening, most builders aren't hitting the bottom. Read more

Past articles

"Going Forward, It's All About Market Share for Homebuilders"
Professional Builder, August 2008

"Why It Pays for Homebuilders to Work With Their Toughest Customers"
Professional Builder, July 2008

"How to Get the Survey Right"
Professional Builder, May 2008

"Can You Relate?"
Home BUILDER Magazine, May 2008

"Improve Homebuilder Brand equity for Long-Term Success"
Professional Builder, April 2008

"Homebuilders Can Benefit From Guerrilla Marketing"
Professional Builder, March 2008

"How Homebuilders Can Attract First-Time Homebuyers"
Professional Builder, February 2008

"Building a Solid Base"
Constructech - CT Today Residential, February 25, 2008

"Using a Customer Loyalty Metric to Your Advantage."
Professional Builder, January 2008

"Are You Following These Tips To Survive The Housing Downturn?"
Professional Builder, December 2007

"2007 AVID Award"
Home BUILDER Magazine, November 2007

"Legions of Loyalists"
Home BUILDER Magazine, November 2007

"The True Value of Loyalty"
Professional Builder, November 2007

"Homebuilder Customer Loyalty Begins With Trust"
Professional Builder, October 2007

"Homebuilders Shouldn’t Sacrifice Company Culture for Bottom Line"
Professional Builder, September 2007

"Are Your Customers Happy?"
Constructech - CT Today Residential, September 4, 2007

"Lesson for Homebuilding Executives: Have Fun"
Professional Builder, August 2007

"Five Tips to Reduce Homebuyer Cancellations"
Professional Builder, July 2007

"Front & Center: Veridian Design Studio Demonstrates Both Style and Substance"
Builder Design Center Magazine, First Quarter 2007

"Florida Homebuilder's Closings Soar"
Professional Builder, May 2007

"Referral Marketing Tips for Home Builders"
Professional Builder, April 2007

"Top Designs for Customer Satisfaction"
HGTV Pro, March 2007

"The Green Company Becomes 1st Builder to Win Three of the Home Building Industry's Most Coveted Awards in One Year"
PR Newswire, March 2007

"Home Builders Cater to Cultural Differences"
Professional Builder, March 2007

"Home Builder Customer Loyalty"
Professional Builder, March 2007

"Aiming for Satisfied Customers Is Not Good Enough"
Nation's Building News, February 2007

"Home Builders Deliver Personalized Service"
Professional Builder, February 2007

"Aim for Avid Buyers"
Professional Builder, January 2007

"Process Improvement Leads to Satisfied Customers"
Professional Builder, December 2006

"NRS 2006 Customer Satsifaction Award? Winners"
Professional Builder, November 2006

"Boost Your Resources"
Professional Builder, October 2006

"Leading the Way to Better Customer Service"
Professional Builder, September 2006

"Turning Home Buyers Into Partners"
Professional Builder, August 2006

"Maximizing Referrals"
Professional Builder, July 2006

"How Do You Spell Team?"
Professional Builder, June 2006

"Customer Loyalty Rally"
Professional Builder, May 2006

"Customer Satisfaction: Builder SWAT Team"
Professional Builder, April 2006

"Hostile Customers"
Professional Builder, March 2006

"The Test Kitchen"
Professional Builder, January 2006

"Finding Your Path to Customer Satisfaction Success"
GIANTS, December 2005

"Do You See What I See?"
Professional Builder, December 2005

"Recipe for Success"
Professional Builder, November 2005

"Wow with a Button"
Professional Builder, October 2005

"If You Can't Give Me All 6's"
Professional Builder, September 2005

"Setting a New Customer Standard"
Professional Builder, November 2004

"Cedar Knoll: Anticipating Buyer Behaviors"
Professional Builder, November 2004

"Smooth Sailing"
Professional Builder, August 2004

"Manage the Expectations"
Professional Builder, June 2004

"A Dose of Reality"
Professional Builder, May 2004

"Can You Relate?"
Professional Builder, April 2004

"Develop Your Wow! Factor"
Professional Builder, March 2004

"Satisfaction Begins Before the Sale"
Professional Builder, January 2004

"Customer Satisfaction Ratings: Does Your Score Really Matter?"
BuildTopia eBulletin, December 2003

"Referral Factors"
Professional Builder, September 2003

"Customer Service Standard Setters"
Professional Builder, September 2003

"Satisfaction Guaranteed"
Professional Remodeler, September 2003

"History Maker Measures Up"
Professional Builder, October 2002

"Measuring Quality to Keep Fine-Tuning"
Professional Builder, October 2002

"Partnering Pays Off in Trade Relations"
Professional Builder, October 2002

Results: The 2002 National Homeowner Satisfaction Remodeler Study
Professional Remodeler, September 2002

"NHST Award Results: Remodelers"
Housing Zone, September 2002

"Your No. 1 Asset"
Professional Remodeler, September 2002

"How to Change the Satisfaction Equation"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"Extra Eyes, Ambassadors Everywhere"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"Even-Flow, Measurement Key Results"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"The Raving Fan Rate"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"Cementing Relationships"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"A Study of Exceptional Standards"
Professional Remodeler, September 2002

"Where Leaders Stand Out"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"Staffing Is the Key to Happy Buyers, Sales"
Professional Builder, September 2002

"Devoted to Doing It Right"
Professional Builder, September 2002

Results: The 2002 National Homeowner Satisfaction Builder Study

"Home Buyer Stats: Number of Homes Purchased"
Professional Builder, August 2002

"Home Buyer Stats: Buying Decision,"
Professional Builder, July 2002

"Home Buyer Stats: On-Time Closings"
Professional Builder, June 2002

"Home Buyer Stats: Corrected Walk-Through Items at Move-In"
Professional Builder, May 2002

"Home Buyer Stats: Walk-Through Items"
Professional Builder, April 2002

"New Does Not Mean Perfect"
Realty Times, March 2002

"Buyers Relentlessly Pursue Big Homes"
Detroit Free Press, March 2002

"Home Buyer Stats"
Professional Builder, March 2002

"Soliciting Satisfaction"
Professional Builder, February 2002

"Home Buyer Stats: Intend to Recommend"
Professional Builder, February 2002

"Claes Fornell: Customer Science"
Professional Builder, February 2002

"Customer Satisfaction"
Nation's Building News, February 10, 2002; Reprinted with permission.

"Home Buyer Stats: Walk-Through Resolution"
Professional Builder, December 2001

"Home Buyer Stats: Number of Referrals 30-60 Days After Closing"
Professional Builder, November 2001

"Satisfied Customers Mean More Closings"
Professional Builder, July 2001

"Quality Enabled E-Home Sales,"
Professional Builder, August 2000

"Measuring Customer Satisfaction"
Builder Magazine, December 1997

   Return to Top