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2026 Outlook: The Year of the “Smart Pivot” for Home Builders

Tabitha Warren · 01/19/2026 ·

3D Rendering of a transitional home

As we look toward 2026, the home building industry is entering what experts are calling a “transition to growth” period. Following the volatility of the mid-2020s, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is signaling a shift where cautious optimism meets a tech-driven evolution.
For builders, 2026 won’t just be about building more; it will be about building smarter. Here are the four key predictions for 2026, and how Outhouse is helping our partners stay ahead of the curve.

  1. The “Rate Relief” Rebound
    According to NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz and the latest NAR forecasts, mortgage rates are expected to settle into a more stable range (averaging around 6.0%) throughout 2026. This stability is predicted to unlock a “long-awaited surge” in activity, with new home sales projected to rise by 5% and overall home sales potentially jumping by double digits as buyers finally move off the sidelines.
    • The Prediction: Competition for these new buyers will be fierce. Builders who provide the most transparent and engaging digital experiences will win the “early bird” buyers of 2026.
    • The Outhouse Edge: With buyers ready to jump back in, your digital footprint is your first model home. Our Interactive Floor Plans allow buyers to “lock in” their dream layout before they even set foot on your lot.
  2. AI & The Digital Sales Center
    A central theme for the 2026 International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the “AI & Tech Studio.” The NAHB highlights that technology is no longer optional; it is a differentiator. Specifically, the industry is moving toward “Lead-Converting AI” tools that leverage data and visualization to accelerate a prospect from a click to a contract.
    • The Prediction: In 2026, the traditional sales office will be secondary to the Virtual Sales Center. Builders will use AI-driven tools and high-fidelity renderings to pre-sell communities before the first shovel hits the ground.
    • The Outhouse Edge: We specialize in Photo-Realistic Renderings and Virtual Reality that serve as the backbone for these AI-driven sales journeys. We don’t just show a house; we sell a lifestyle.
  3. “Right-Sizing” and High-Performance Design
    NAHB’s latest research on “What Home Buyers Really Want” shows a continued shift toward “right-sizing.” Buyers in 2026 are looking for smaller, more efficient footprints that don’t sacrifice luxury. Key design trends include “garden rooms” for indoor-outdoor living and a focus on “Healthy Homes” (superior air quality and energy-efficient building).
    • The Prediction: Homes will get smaller, but the details will get richer. Builders will need to prove the value of every square inch through better design and performance metrics.
    • The Outhouse Edge: Smaller spaces require better visualization. Our Animations and 3D Virtual Tours help buyers visualize how “smaller” can actually feel “better” through smart design and multifunctional spaces.
  4. Labor Realities Drive Off-Site Innovation
    Labor shortages remain a persistent challenge in the NAHB’s 2026 forecast. As a result, 2026 is expected to be the “tipping point” for off-site and panelized construction. Builders are moving toward predictable, repeatable systems to reduce on-site dependency and cost volatility.
    • The Prediction: Systematized building means your marketing must be systematized, too. As construction speeds up, your ability to update and pivot your marketing collateral must keep pace.
    • The Outhouse Edge: Our CRM integration tools are designed for the modern, fast-paced builder. If you are a CAD Client, when your building systems change, your interactive assets can be updated seamlessly, ensuring your sales team always has the most current data.
Interactive floor plan

Preparing for 2026 Today

The NAHB’s outlook for 2026 is clear: the builders who thrive will be those who embrace the Digital Pivot. By combining economic stability with cutting-edge visualization and AI integration, you can ensure that 2026 isn’t just a recovery year: it’s your best year yet.
Ready to visualize your 2026 success? Contact Outhouse today to see how our tools can bring your future communities to life.

If you need help preparing your strategies for 2026.

Contact Outhouse

Link to these blogs for more reading: All-in on Digital Marketing

Good, Better, Best: What Home Builders Can Learn from the Auto Industry

Tabitha Warren · 12/08/2025 ·

picture of 3 different houses in order from worst to best quality. with good better best under them.

If you’ve ever shopped for a new car, you know how the game goes. You walk in thinking you’ll drive home in the base model. But then you see the “better” version: leather seats, Apple CarPlay, maybe even a moonroof calling your name. Before long, you’re test-driving the fully loaded edition, grinning from ear to ear, convincing yourself it’s totally worth it. That, my friends, is the “Good, Better, Best” strategy in action, and it works just as well for home builders as it does for car manufacturers.

Why the “Good, Better, Best” Approach Works

People love choices, but not too many. When you present clear tiers (good, better, best), you help buyers make confident decisions without confusion or overwhelm.

Home builders already use this psychology every day:

  • Standard finishes (good)
  • Designer upgrades (better)
  • Custom luxury features (best)

So why not apply that same logic to your digital marketing tools?

The Digital Marketing Version of “Good, Better, Best”

At Outhouse, we help builders of every size and price point choose the tools that fit their goals, just as you would pick the right trim level on a car.

GOOD: The Reliable Workhorse

Best for: Builders who want quality visuals and efficiency.
Includes:

  • 2D floor plans
  • Basic static renderings
  • Standard community maps

This is your “base model”: straightforward, affordable, and professional. It gets your homes online quickly with clear, accurate visuals that attract buyers.

BETTER: The Performance Upgrade

Best for: Builders who want to boost buyer engagement.
Includes:

  • Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs)
  • Enhanced 3D renderings with realistic lighting and textures
  • Custom-branded community brochures

Now you’re adding some horsepower. Buyers can click, explore, and visualize, creating an emotional connection before they ever visit your model home.

BEST: The Fully Loaded Experience

Best for: Builders selling high-end or design-driven homes.
Includes:

  • Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs)
  • Immersive 3D tours and virtual reality walkthroughs
  • Option visualizers and customization platforms
  • Interactive site maps and lot selection tools

This is the premium package, all the bells and whistles. Buyers can “drive” through your community online, walk inside virtual homes, and fall in love before the slab is even poured.

Match the Tools to Your Market

Just like car shoppers, not every builder needs the top-of-the-line model.

A regional builder focused on affordability doesn’t need VR goggles in every sales office, but they do need clean visuals that communicate trust and professionalism.

Luxury builders, on the other hand, can’t afford to cut corners. Their audience expects a polished, immersive experience to match the price tag.

The key? Know your audience, then choose digital marketing tools that meet them where they are.

The Bottom Line: Be Strategic, Not Flashy

At Outhouse, we don’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Our team helps builders find the perfect mix of tools to fit their goals, budget, and buyer expectations. Just like cars, not everyone needs a convertible, but nobody wants to drive a lemon. So what’s your version of leather seats and a moonroof? Let’s find out.

Ready to Choose Your Perfect Fit?

Not sure which digital marketing tools fit your business best?


Contact your Outhouse account manager or reach out to our team.

Contact us


We’ll help you build a “Good, Better, Best” strategy that drives results and turns browsers into buyers.

Keep Learning: How Strong Visuals Drive Builder Success

If you liked this article, you’ll love our post on Why Your Home Building Brand Needs a Strong Visual Identity.
It digs into how powerful visuals shape buyer perception, and how consistent, high-quality imagery can elevate your brand just as much as the tools that deliver it. Because at the end of the day, great marketing isn’t just about what you show: it’s how you show it.

New Homes Are Cheaper Than Resale 

Tabitha Warren · 09/22/2025 ·

Here’s How Builders Can Use This to Win Buyers 

Surprised women in front of new home.

For years, buyers have assumed that new construction means paying a premium. Not anymore. According to Zillow, resale home prices have surged 52% since 2019, while new home prices have increased by only 26%. In fact, new homes are now selling for $3.50 less per square foot on average than resale homes, and in some markets, like Raleigh, NC, they’re even 2% cheaper overall. 

This change in market dynamics is an opportunity builders can’t afford to miss. The message is simple: new homes are not only brand-new; they’re often the more affordable choice. 

The Cost Advantage 

  1. Lower purchase price per square foot (new: $161 vs resale: $164). States where homes can still be purchased this low are in the South and Midwest and include: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
  2. Fewer hidden costs: buyers avoid roof replacements, HVAC failures, and aging appliances. 
  3. Energy efficiency: modern codes mean savings on monthly bills. 
  4. Builder incentives: mortgage rate buydowns, upgrades, or closing cost help make new builds even more attractive. 
Sources: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/energy-saving-homes-buildings-manufacturing-fact-sheet-office-energy-efficiency-and
https://www.energystar.gov/about/impacts
https://www.zillow.com/research/new-con-existing-price-34235/
https://homelight.com/blog/average-home-maintenance-costs/
https://www.angi.com/research/reports/spending/

Total 5-Year Ownership Costs 

Here’s a breakdown of what buyers really spend over the first 5 years: 

Cost CategoryNew Home (avg) Resale Home (avg) 
Repairs & Replacements$2,500$12,500 
Energy Bills$9,000$12,000 
Maintenance $3,000$7,500
Warranty CoverageIncludedBuyer pays ~$2,000
Total (5 years)$14,500$34,000
Result: New construction saves the average homeowner nearly $20,000 in just 5 years. 

How All of Us in the Building Industry Can Market This 

  1. Lead with affordability: Position new homes as the smarter financial choice. 
  2. Educate buyers: Provide total cost of ownership comparisons in sales centers and online. 
  3. Show it visually: Use infographics, calculators, and virtual tours to make the data relatable. 
  4. Highlight incentives: Show how buydowns, upgrades, and warranties reduce risk. 

At Outhouse, LLC, we help turn data into powerful visuals, including interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, and branded marketing that clearly and compellingly highlight affordability. 

Let’s help you capture more buyers by showcasing why new construction isn’t just beautiful. It’s the best value in the market.

Contact us

Know Your Homebuyer Audience

Jim Sorgatz · 06/30/2025 · Leave a Comment

Are you surprised by new home construction trends in your own city?

Guess which house is the newbie?!

Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, it is not often that I am surprised by trends in new home construction. The goal is to sell to anyone who financially qualifies. But, I had to laugh when I saw the email announcing the New American Home that is being built for the 2026 NAHB International Builders Show. It has basement space for up to 17 cars! I’ve known a number of people over the years with impressive car collections, but how wide is the audience that has more than a dozen?

In these times of elevated interest rates and sky high home prices there is much buzz about affordability, which theoretically implies to smaller homes. So, I am shocked to see the newest homes being constructed in my “affordable” neighborhood are 50%+ larger and significantly more expensive than my home that was built in the fall of 2022. The families shopping for homes right now are, apparently, looking for space, and they have the means to afford a bigger house. I guess that makes sense. Although there are genuine efforts by cities and builders to create affordable housing, the median price of $409,000 nationally per Zillow (down from $430K last year), doesn’t offer many options for typical first-time homebuyers, or families looking to move up a rung. This “affordability” paradox hammers home the importance of knowing your core audience, building for them, and marketing to them appropriately.

There are many builders who do this well and adapt to the changing environment. One example is Arizona based Meritage Homes whose mission today is, “To design and build homes that are innovative, built with care and superior craftsmanship, which deliver enduring value.” Contrast that with their mission a few years back, “To build move-in-ready affordable homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers,” and you can see the evolution to better reflect the current new home market.

Another builder to successfully navigate trends is Scottsdale-based luxury builder Camelot Homes who have retooled home designs and marketing from an elegant old world look and feel to a vibe that is much more contemporary to attract younger yet still well-heeled homebuyers.

How can you be sure you are targeting the right audience? Begin with a review of your overall marketing strategy. Do your website, sales offices, and print marketing appeal to the potential buyers you are attempting to attract? Although first-time and luxury home buyers are both seeking out their dream homes, the marketing for these two distinct groups looks very different. This is where consultation with marketing experts like Blue Tangerine, Denim Marketing, Group Two, Bokka Group, and Meredith Communications, to name a few, can be highly beneficial.      

Next, review your digital marketing tools, and upgrade them if necessary. If you are still using static floorplans and stick renderings, think again. Interactive floor plans, 3D renderings, virtual tours, animations, and visualizers all play an integral role in engaging homebuyers and selling homes.

Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs) have universal appeal, and every builder website should feature them. Buyers of all demographics love to select structural options and customize their living spaces with the interactive furniture planner. 

Interactive floor plan with furniture.
Outhouse’s colorized Interactive Floor Plan

Quality 3D renderings are essential for all builders as well. Black and white stick drawings are never a good option, even for the simplest of homes. Standard 3D (Outhouse Bronze and Silver) renderings are perfectly acceptable for most homes, especially those at lower price points. For move-up and luxury homes, you may want to consider 3D photoreal renderings (Outhouse Gold). Luxury and custom builders may want to opt for Platinum renderings that can be further customized.

Should your budget for digital marketing tools be a bit larger, investing in animations and virtual tours pays off in two significant ways. First, they enable homebuyers to digitally explore your homes from anywhere. Second, both are available at a fraction of the cost of constructing a model home. Your target buyer should be the top consideration when choosing which format to offer. Younger buyers prefer user-controlled virtual tours. Buyers over 50 often gravitate towards video format animations.

Visualizer showing a before and after kitchen
Visualizer’s allow home buyers to customize interiors and exteriors

Another online tool appealing to home buyers at all price points is the Visualizer. With both interior and exterior versions available, buyers can mix and match colors and finishes to achieve the desired look and feel. The visualization process is so much easier than making selections for an entire house based on one-inch paint chips and tiny floor, counter, and cabinet samples. It also removes some of the pressure and stress from the design center visit.

Here are a couple more ideas to help you connect with your appropriate audience:

Elevate your brand with distinguished print marketing. Consider the hotel industry when investing in print—the swankier the property, the more excellent the print collateral. The manager of the high-end hotel presents you with a “folio” at checkout in lieu of a bill. Although print appeals greatly to buyers in the luxury home market, even younger homebuyers like to walk away from the sales center with a brochure featuring their preferred floor plan and elevations, at a minimum. In today’s digital world, consumers still appreciate a tangible marketing piece when making one of their biggest life purchases. Why not present them with something sophisticated or fun, and memorable?         

Printed brochure showing families participating in various activities
A great print piece makes a lasting impression!

Today, the most progressive builders are transforming their websites with artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand and target their audience. Like that provided by openhouse.ai, AI offers home buyers a personalized shopping experience and predicts where your unique market is going with more accuracy.

So take some time during this evolving housing market to understand your homebuyer and determine if your current marketing strategy is meeting their needs. If not, consider working with online marketing experts to determine which digital and on-site tools will move the needle most with your target audience to increase your new home sales.   

Dip Toes or Dive In? The Case for Going All-In On Digital Marketing

Jim Sorgatz · 06/01/2025 ·

Lady diving into a pool with Kitchen image in the background

A phrase we frequently hear following a demo of our digital marketing tools is, “We’d like to dip our toes in the water.” While this may be a good idea in some instances, say testing the water temperature before stepping into a hot shower, it doesn’t make sense when it comes to your website.

In today’s technology-driven world, your website is the front door to your business. So it is imperative to have one that is attractive, cohesive, easy to navigate, and COMPLETE. With many smaller builders competing in markets dominated by big public builders, professionalism is critical. So, if your website still mainly features black and white drawings and you are gradually replacing them with 3D renderings from random providers, and/or photos of built homes taken with a cell phone, you may want to reconsider that process. Black and white stick renderings captivate no one, and photos, unless professionally shot like ones by Chad Davies, rarely do your homes justice, especially when new landscaping consists of a few small shrubs and twigs for trees. Buyers are looking for their dream home, not one that screams, “weekend projects ahead!”

3D photoreal rendering. Nothing says “dream home” more than a sultry in dusk shot.

Think Like the Big Builders

To see what homebuyers expect when they visit your website, it pays to look at what the bigger builders are doing. A few of the top sites like Toll Brothers and Taylor Morrison include an abundance of professionally shot photographs and videos to create visual interest, meanwhile the individual model pages feature 3D photoreal renderings for consistency. Their sites also include interactive floor plans allowing potential homebuyers to select structural options and oftentimes space plan with a furniture planner.

The top digital lead generator: An Interactive floor plan with elevation previews and furniture planner.

The Small Builder Advantage

Where you can stand out from the big guys is by personalizing and streamlining. Even the most thoughtful big builder sites are rather convoluted due to an excess of homes and communities. With fewer homes to showcase, smaller builders have a distinct advantage. Professional renderings and virtual tours need not break the bank, and they allow homebuyers to explore your homes from anywhere in the world.

View of desert valley from living room of a home on a hill
Still image taken from a virtual tour. The view outside the windows is real.

Smaller inventory encourages deeper exploration of your models, especially when they feature engaging virtual tours, visualizers, and interactive floor plans. And studies show the more time spent customizing a home with digital tools, the more likely the prospect is to purchase that home.

The Best Time to Upgrade a Website is…

NOW is the perfect time to add digital assets or make other upgrades to your website. Yes, the market is down and budgets are stretched, but we know housing will come roaring back at some point – it always does – and builders need to be prepared. Website upgrades also have a small price tag compared to other marketing ventures like building a model home, or even TV ads. So, take some time during this downturn to be thoughtful, strategic, and intentional about website upgrades that will attract homebuyers and generate solid leads as the housing market begins to turn.

Laying Out The Welcome Mat

In summary, as your website is your online front door, be sure to lay out the welcome mat. Draw in prospects with a clean, easy to navigate site, with stimulating imagery and engaging interactive tools. Remember, consistency is critical. Get all renderings from the same provider. Ditto for interactive floor plans. Better yet, use the same vendor for all digital marketing assets for peace of mind and the best results. Hence the reason Outhouse offers CAD services . For all-in clients, assets are automatically updated across all digital product lines when a change is made in the CAD files. This not only ensures accuracy and consistency, but also reduces costs. And, finally, check out big builder sites for inspiration, but be sure to keep an open mind on ways to make your site easier to navigate and more compelling.

TikTok’s Blueprint

Tabitha Warren · 04/21/2025 ·

Viral Trends Forcing a Rethink in New Home Design

A split screen of classic, slow to produce, blue prints vs TikTok's constantly evolving word of trends
A split screen of classic, slow to produce, blue prints vs TikTok’s constantly evolving word of trends

Remember when home design trends evolved over years, maybe decades? Then, BAM, in comes the hit platform TikTok, where a 60-second video can launch a design craze overnight. From hidden pantry doors going viral to the sudden ubiquity of “cloffices,” the social media giant isn’t just for dance challenges anymore. It’s becoming a powerful, if sometimes unpredictable, force shaping buyer expectations and, consequently, influencing the very blueprints of new construction homes. For builders and designers, understanding this rapid shift is key to staying relevant.

Split screen of TikTok trend video & a dated kitchen created in Canva Pro
Split screen of TikTok trend video & a dated kitchen created in Canva Pro

Open Concepts & Flexible Spaces a Layout Revolution?

The desire for open-concept living isn’t new, but TikTok has amplified it, showcasing seamless flows between kitchens, dining areas, and living rooms perfect for entertaining and family life. Videos often highlight the airiness and connectivity these layouts provide. Beyond just openness, there’s a growing demand for flexible spaces. A room might need to serve as a home office during the week, a homework station in the afternoon, and a yoga spot on weekends. Builders are responding by designing floor plans with bonus rooms, lofts, or dens explicitly marketed for their adaptability, moving away from rigidly defined room purposes.

Home office & Yoga Gyme hybrid space generated by Adobe Firefly
Home office/Yoga Gym hybrid space generated by Adobe Firefly

The Rise of Hyper-Specific Room Requests

TikTok thrives on showcasing unique and aspirational home features, often turning niche ideas into mainstream demands. Dedicated home offices became essential during the pandemic, but TikTok introduced us to the “cloffice,” a cleverly converted closet space, appealing to those needing a compact workspace. Elaborate, hyper-organized pantries (sometimes with secondary “prep kitchens” or coffee bars hidden within) are another viral hit. Mudrooms with custom built-ins for coats, shoes, and even pet supplies are frequently highlighted. While not every buyer needs these specific features, their visibility on TikTok means builders are increasingly fielding requests and considering incorporating them as standard options or upgrades.

From Modern Farmhouse to Maximalist Flair Aesthetics and Finishes are Key

Visual trends spread like wildfire on platforms like TikTok, influencing homeowner preferences at an accelerating pace. While the enduring appeal of Modern Farmhouse persists, we’re also witnessing significant interest in aesthetics like Maximalism, with its bold embrace of colors, patterns, and textures; Biophilic Design, emphasizing natural light, indoor plants, and earthy materials; and the allure of moody, dramatic interiors. Specific finishes, as noted by industry observers such as Coldwell Banker, are also gaining viral traction, with “Bold Wallpapers” emerging as a popular choice for creating striking accent walls or transforming entire rooms, often inspired by online showcases.

Builder Kitchen, plain colors, easy for a lot of people to like
Sego Homes Rendering, follows classic concepts of design, but also on trend: healthy, green, available smart technology.

However, builders often navigate different landscapes. While customization remains a powerful tool for showcasing possibilities in model homes and catering to pre-sale buyers, the need for broad market appeal in spec homes often necessitates a more neutral foundation. Color palettes leaning towards versatile browns and grays, along with universally accepted tile and fixture choices, provide a safe harbor, ensuring a wider range of potential buyers can envision themselves in the space should a deal fall through. This doesn’t negate the influence of trending aesthetics but rather highlights the strategic balance builders must strike between capturing current design enthusiasm and ensuring long-term marketability.

Smart Homes are Non-Negotiable

Smart home technology is frequently featured in TikTok home tours and gadget reviews. Integrated lighting controlled by phone, smart thermostats learning preferences, keyless entry systems, and whole-home audio are becoming baseline expectations for many tech-savvy buyers. Green Builder Media writes about tech mega trends and the evolution of technology in building regularly. The advances and demand are astounding. Builders at all levels are increasingly integrating robust Wi-Fi infrastructure and offering smart home packages as standard or easily accessible upgrades, recognizing that a “connected home” is now a major selling point fueled by online visibility.

Balancing Trends and Timelessness

TikTok’s influence on home design is undeniable, pushing builders to innovate and adapt faster than ever. The challenge lies in balancing fleeting viral trends with timeless design principles that ensure a home’s broad appeal and long-term value. While incorporating a trendy feature might attract buyers today, core elements like a functional layout and quality construction remain paramount. The blueprint for new homes is indeed being sketched by social media, but savvy builders will use the eraser wisely, blending the best of the ‘now’ with designs built to last.

At Outhouse.net, our highly customizable interactive floorplans can help builders showcase their flexible options. We can help builders give homebuyers the home of their TikTok fantasies. Contacts us now to find out how.

Contact Us

Don’t Retire Print Marketing – Reimagine It

Jim Sorgatz · 02/24/2025 · Leave a Comment

Brochure of a K. Hovnanian Homes house

People often ask us why a print company specializing in print for home builders is necessary. Heck, today, builders sometimes ask us if print marketing is still a valuable sales tool! The answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!” We explain why in this post.

The Role of Print in New Home Sales

In a recent episode of the Digital Velocity Podcast, co-hosts Erik Martinez of Digital Velocity and Tim Curtis of NaviStone talk with Alex Kupski and Jake Hoffman, co-hosts of the Millennials in Print Podcast, about the Power of Print in the Digital Age. They conclude, “The more channels you’re present on and the more channels you’re marketing to people on, ultimately, the more effective you’re going to be. Print, just like social, just like email, just like your website, just like a commercial on TV, is a channel for you to market on. It’s another arrow in the quiver. It’s another way to reach people you might not have before.”

…the ubiquity of digital media has given print media a strange new power.” –Brandon Ortiz, Salesforce.com

Print marketing works best when paired with digital marketing. Digital marketing is often the most effective way to draw people in. With interactive site plans, interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, visualizers, and Matterport tours, your website is arguably a home builder’s most potent marketing tool. But it is only effective for a home buyer’s few precious moments on your website. Print collateral, on the other hand, has a much longer life span. Brochures and floorplan/elevation minis often sit on a potential buyer’s countertop or table for weeks or months, a lasting reminder of your homes and communities. Not every prospect immediately purchases a home, so print is a great way to keep them focused on yours. 

David Weekley Homes brochure with cactus front cover, and homes on the back

Data shows that print used in tandem with digital marketing is one of the most effective sales strategies as the two mediums strengthen and reinforce each other. A study by InfoTrends found that 66% of direct mail is opened, and 56% of consumers who respond to direct mail go online or visit a physical store. A recent article in SFGate offers some great tips to sync your print and digital marketing efforts:

  • Place QR codes on print materials.
  • Provide digital opt-ins for direct mail.
  • Include social media reviews and comments on print materials.
  • Include hashtags and calls to action on print materials.

Although digital and print marketing take different forms, They work together to engage customers and keep your brand at the top of their minds.

It isn’t game over for print marketing. The game has only changed.”

The game has changed regarding print marketing strategies. When you discover the power of fusing “low-tech with high-tech,” you will separate yourself from the homebuilders who made the mistake of transitioning to 100% digital marketing.

Print is particularly effective where there is a physical customer presence – In industries where customers interact in person, such as model home sales offices, print materials provide tangible takeaways. Homebuilders can leverage brochures, direct mail, and high-quality printed floor plans to keep their homes top of mind for buyers who may not be ready to purchase immediately.

Print Remains Relevant in the Digital Age – As digital marketing becomes more saturated, print marketing offers brands a way to cut through the noise. As digital marketing becomes more easily ignored, physical marketing materials command attention, creating a lasting impression.

Moreover, print campaigns should be fully integrated with digital efforts. Rather than treating print as an afterthought, homebuilders can maximize impact by designing campaigns that blend the strengths of both mediums. Brochures, mailers, even print ads should include QR codes, personalized URLs, or augmented reality elements that direct potential buyers to interactive experiences online. Instead of evaluating print and digital separately, builders should use KPIs that measure how both contribute to lead generation and engagement.

Why Use a Builder-Specific Printing Company?

The challenge builders face that is unique to our industry is the weekly sales cycle. From week to week, home prices may change, lot availability changes, and options may vary. The typical strip-mall printer is not equipped to automate this process. Outhouse built their business to serve a single industry – HOME BUILDING. We do all work in-house, from CAD for your construction documents to print materials for your sales centers. This allows all teams, including architectural, rendering, graphics, interactive, and print, to work in tandem. By doing so, we create accurate, up-to-date print materials that are consistent and coordinated with your digital marketing assets. Utilizing the latest technologies, we print and deliver materials on time every week, on the builder’s schedule. Challenge solved – you send us your edits, and we coordinate these changes across all platforms.  

Professional Artwork Creation: Outhouse provides clients with the considerable advantage of having drafting and rendering services on-site, allowing coordination with the development of their artwork for all printed materials. This coordination offers clients superior accuracy, faster turnaround times, and lower overall costs.

Coordinated File Management:  Another advantage is the ease of managing and coordinating all created artwork with professional digital file and asset management. All artwork is kept up-to-date, consistent, and coordinated between city design reviews, printed sales materials, large format displays, and interactive web products and services.  

Superior Print Quality:  Superior brand standard quality and consistency every time on every product is only possible with the coordination, color calibration, and production of all graphics, printing, and display under one roof. Unlike a mass-market printer like Vista Print, Outhouse is not a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) printer. We believe that good enough is never good enough, and we have the magnifying glasses to prove it! On rare occasions when colors are incorrect or print quality is not up to snuff the first time off the press, we recalibrate and rerun the job.

Builder-Specific Delivery:  Unlike many industries, home building has a weekly sales cycle, and having your print delivered on time is critical. Outhouse understands this. We meet your deadlines your way on your weekly sales cycle.

Woodside Homes brochure with three homes

The bottom line is print marketing still plays an integral role in new home marketing and sales. There’s a reason the Outhouse Interactive Floor Plan has a save button. It allows prospective homebuyers to save their customized floor plans and print them out for further review. 

What about younger generations? Retail Focus Magazine tells us that print is 30% more memorable than digital. This applies to all age groups. You need look no further than nightclubs which hand out leaflets advertising upcoming events, and university welcome packs to know that print still appeals to young people. The magazine also notes the best campaigns are when print and digital work alongside each other instead of trying to compete. A younger audience may be digitally savvy, but they still appreciate a well-thought-out hard copy campaign.  

Although any printer can give you a halfway decent brochure, only a company like Outhouse coordinates your CAD, rendering, and interactive projects with your print materials and sales office displays. Even if our print pricing is a bit higher, you will save significantly more overall through efficiencies in coordination.     

Woodside Homes floor plan
When you update a plan, Outhouse coordinates the changes across CAD, print, and all digital marketing assets.

Strategies for Staying on Top of Home Builder Software Integration: With Insights from Kevin Weitzel

Jim Sorgatz · 07/22/2024 · Leave a Comment

Outhouse Partner Shares Game-Changing Approaches for Streamlining Operations and Enhancing Customer Experience

In the rapidly evolving world of home building, integrating cutting-edge software solutions has become crucial for success. Kevin Weitzel, a partner at Outhouse, brings his expertise to the forefront, highlighting three key areas where technology integration can significantly impact a home builder’s operations and customer experience. From streamlining lead management to revolutionizing visual asset presentation, Weitzel’s insights offer valuable strategies for home builders looking to stay competitive in today’s market. This blog post explores three critical areas of software integration that can transform how home builders operate and interact with potential buyers.

The CRM Conundrum: Automating Lead Capture

If you have more than a couple leads coming in each day, importing them directly to your Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) is essential… why would anybody want to clerk the consumer given information into their CRM, again, from whatever platform is generating your leads.

–Kevin Weitzel, Outhouse Partner

This is an important point that highlights a critical aspect of efficient lead management and customer relationship management in the home building industry. Here’s why it’s so significant:

Efficiency and Data Integrity: Automatically transferring leads directly into a CRM eliminates the need for manual data entry. This saves time and reduces the risk of human error in transcribing information.

2. Speed of Response: Immediate lead import allows sales teams to respond quickly to potential customers. In the competitive home building market, rapid response times can be crucial in securing a sale.

3. Resource Allocation: By eliminating the need to “clerk” or manually enter consumer information, staff can focus on more valuable tasks like follow-ups and relationship building.

4. Customer Experience: Consumers expect a seamless experience. Having to provide information multiple times can be frustrating and may negatively impact their perception of the builder.

5. Data Consistency: Automated lead imports ensure that all leads are handled consistently, regardless of their source or the time they come in.

6. Scalability: As a home builder’s business grows, manually entering leads becomes increasingly time-consuming and impractical. Automation is essential for scaling operations efficiently.

7. Analytics and Reporting: Direct lead imports allow for more accurate tracking of lead sources and conversion rates, which is crucial for optimizing marketing strategies.

8. Integration Benefits: When leads automatically flow into the CRM, it’s easier to integrate with other systems like marketing automation tools, further streamlining the sales process.

9. Competitive Advantage: Builders who can quickly and accurately process leads are better positioned to outperform competitors who rely on manual processes.

In essence, the statement underscores the importance of streamlining the lead capture process in the home building industry. It emphasizes that in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven market, manual data entry is an unnecessary and potentially detrimental step that can be easily eliminated with proper system integration.

The ERP Challenge: Overcoming Obstacles to Real-Time Pricing

Integrating your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system with your interactive floor plans to achieve real-time pricing is a great idea.  Often easier said than done, the lynch pin in this process is almost always the ERP.  The desire from the home builder is there, but far too often, the ERP itself is intentionally lacking in the ability to feed the data, via an Application Programming Interface (API), into other platforms.  Once implemented, the biggest issue is the ERP provider breaking the feed connections; sometimes regularly.”

Kevin Weitzel, Outhouse Partner

The importance of ERP data for real-time pricing in home building cannot be overstated, and the challenges Kevin highlights are significant. Here’s why his point is crucial:

1. Accurate and Dynamic Pricing: Real-time ERP data enables home builders to adjust pricing instantly based on current costs, market conditions, and inventory levels. This ensures competitive and profitable pricing strategies. [6]

2. Customer Satisfaction: Up-to-date pricing information allows sales teams to provide accurate quotes to potential buyers, improving customer trust and satisfaction. [7]

3. Efficient Resource Management: Real-time data helps with better resource allocation and inventory management, reducing waste and improving profitability. [6]

4. Informed Decision Making: Access to current data allows management to make quick, informed decisions about pricing, promotions, and product offerings. [8]

5. Competitive Advantage: Builders who can offer real-time pricing are better positioned to respond to market changes and competitor actions swiftly. [9]

These issues underscore the need for home builders to carefully evaluate ERP solutions, prioritizing those that offer robust API capabilities and reliable data integration. It also highlights the importance of ongoing dialogue with ERP providers to address these challenges and push for more open, flexible systems that truly support the needs of modern home builders.

Revolutionizing Visual Assets: The Power of Integration

“An easy integration for any homebuilder website is to put all visual home assets on one web page. Why have various assets for a particular home/plan on separate pages?  It is quite easy to integrate all of the home’s assets onto a single page.  As an example, images and/or virtual tours can be linked as hotspots on both Interactive AND static floor plans.  When not linked, a menu of a gallery accessible on a floor plan is easy and garners engagement.”

Kevin Weitzel, Outhouse Partner

Interactive floor plans, renderings, visualizers, and virtual tours for a single home should all be on one page of a homebuilder website for several key reasons:

1. Improved user experience: Combining these elements on a single page allows potential buyers to easily access and navigate between different visualization tools without leaving the page. This creates a seamless, intuitive experience that keeps users engaged. [10][4]

2. Enhanced information retention: By offering multiple visual representations in one place, homebuyers are more likely to retain information about the home. This multi-faceted approach caters to different learning styles and preferences. [10][12]

3. Increased engagement and time on site: Interactive elements like floor plans and virtual tours are known to keep visitors on a website longer. Grouping these features on one page encourages extended exploration, increasing the chances of conversion. [12][13]

4. Streamlined communication: Having all visual tools in one location simplifies the process of sharing information with potential buyers. It reduces the need for multiple meetings or explanations, saving time for both builders and customers.[13]

5. Competitive advantage: Offering a comprehensive, interactive experience on a single page demonstrates a homebuilder’s commitment to innovation and customer service. This can set them apart from competitors and appeal to tech-savvy buyers. [13]

6. Personalization opportunities: Integrated interactive elements allow for easier customization. Buyers can explore different options and visualize changes more effectively when all tools are accessible in one place. [12][13]

By consolidating these features on a single page, homebuilders can create a more effective, engaging, and user-friendly online experience that better serves potential buyers and increases the likelihood of conversions.

Conclusion: Embracing Integration for Future Success

Kevin’s insights underscore the importance of embracing integrated software solutions in the home building industry. By addressing challenges in CRM lead capture, ERP data integration, and visual asset presentation, home builders can significantly enhance their operations and customer experience, positioning themselves for success in an increasingly competitive market.

Citations:

[1] https://subcusa.com/5-reasons-why-construction-companies-need-a-crm-today/

[2] https://blog.velocity23.com/blog/making-home-builder-crm-plan-nhbj

[3] https://www.builderdesigns.com/resources/blog/maximizing-roi-why-a-reliable-crm-system-reigns-supreme-for-homebuilders

[4] https://www.motionops.com/blog/importance-of-crm

[5] https://info.builderfunnel.com/what-is-the-best-crm-for-home-builders

[6] https://www.priority-software.com/blog/how-does-an-erp-real-time-data-support-business-growth/

[7] https://www.silkcommerce.com/epicor/maximizing-the-use-of-erp-data-for-real-time-pricing-for-quotes/

[8] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/improve-your-reporting-real-time-erp-data-sagesoftware

[9] https://www.vialaurea.com/en/blog/blog-posts-3/the-power-of-real-time-data-in-erp-systems-21

[10] https://truplace.com/real-estate/3-reasons-floor-plans-are-great-virtual-tours/

[11] https://rextheme.com/real-estate-floor-plans/

[12] https://graphiclanguage.net/blog/benefits-of-interactive-floorplans/

[13] https://www.ecisolutions.com/blog/residential-construction/revolutionizing-home-buying-the-power-of-interactive-floor-plans/

Know Your Homebuyer Audience

Jim Sorgatz · 05/31/2024 · Leave a Comment

Are you surprised by the new home construction trends in your own city?

Two homes, one much bigger than the other.
Guess which house is the newbie?!

Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, it is not often that I am surprised by trends in new home construction. The goal is to sell to anyone who financially qualifies. And, in these times of elevated interest rates and home prices the buzz is all about affordability, which typically translates to smaller homes. So, I am shocked to see the newest homes being built in my “affordable” neighborhood are 50%+ larger and significantly more expensive than my home that was built in the fall of 2022. The families shopping for homes right now are, apparently, looking for space, and have the means to afford a bigger house. And I guess that makes sense. Although there genuine efforts by cities and builders to create affordable housing, with a median price of $430,000 nationally per realtor.com, there really aren’t many homes that are affordable right now for first-time homebuyers. This hammers home the importance of knowing your core audience, building for them, and marketing to them appropriately.

There are many builders who do this well and adapt to the changing environment. One example is Arizona based Meritage Homes whose mission today is, “To design and build homes that are innovative, built with care and superior craftsmanship, which deliver enduring value.” Contrast that with their mission a couple years back, “To build move-in-ready affordable homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers,” and you can see the evolution to better reflect the current new home market.

How can you be sure you are targeting the right audience? Begin with a review of your overall marketing strategy. Do your website, sales offices, and print marketing appeal to the potential buyers you are attempting to attract? Although first-time and luxury home buyers are both seeking out their dream homes, the marketing for these two distinct groups looks very different. This is where consultation with marketing experts like Denim Marketing, Blue Tangerine, Adlanta Creative, and Bokka Group to name a few, can be highly beneficial.      

Next, review your digital marketing tools, and upgrade them if necessary. If you are still using static floorplans and stick renderings, think again. Interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, animations, and visualizers all play an integral role in engaging homebuyers and selling homes.

Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs) have universal appeal, and every builder website should feature them. Buyers of all demographics love to select structural options and customize their living spaces with the interactive furniture planner. 

Interactive floor plan with furniture.
Outhouse’s new colorized Interactive Floor Plan

Quality renderings are essential for all builders as well. Black and white stick drawings are never a good option, even for the simplest of homes. Standard 3D (Outhouse Bronze and Silver) renderings are perfectly acceptable for homes at lower price points. For move-up and luxury homes, you will want to implement 3D photoreal renderings (Outhouse Gold). Luxury and custom builders may want to opt for Platinum renderings that can be further enhanced and customized.

Should your budget for digital marketing tools be a bit larger, investing in animations and virtual tours pays off in two significant ways. First, they enable homebuyers to digitally explore your homes from anywhere. Second, both are available at a fraction of the cost of constructing a model home. Your target buyer should be the top consideration when choosing which format to offer. Younger buyers prefer user-controlled virtual tours. Buyers over 50 typically gravitate towards video format animations.

Visualizer showing a before and after kitchen
Visualizer’s allow home buyers to customize interiors and exteriors

Another online tool appealing to home buyers at all price points is the Visualizer. With both interior and exterior versions available, buyers can mix and match colors and finishes to achieve the desired look and feel. The visualization process is so much easier than making selections for an entire house based on one-inch paint chips and tiny floor, counter, and cabinet samples. It also removes some of the pressure and stress from the design center visit.

Here are a couple more ideas to help you connect with your appropriate audience:

Elevate your brand with distinguished print marketing. Consider the hotel industry when investing in print—the swankier the property, the more excellent the print collateral. The manager of the high-end hotel presents you with a “folio” at checkout, not simply hands or emails you a bill. Although print appeals greatly to buyers in the luxury home market, even younger homebuyers like to walk away from the sales center with a brochure featuring their preferred floor plan and elevations at a minimum. In today’s digital world, people still appreciate a tangible marketing piece when making one of their biggest life purchases. Why not present them with something sophisticated or fun, and memorable?         

Printed brochure showing families participating in various activities
A great print piece makes a lasting impression!

Today, the most progressive builders are transforming their websites with artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand and target their audience. Like that provided by openhouse.ai, AI offers home buyers a personalized shopping experience and predicts where your unique market is going with more accuracy.

So take some time during this evolving housing market to understand your homebuyer and determine if your current marketing strategy is meeting their needs. If not, consider working with online marketing experts to determine which digital and on-site tools will move the needle most with your target audience to increase your new home sales.   

The Importance of a Digital Marketing Ecosystem: A Lesson from Tesla

Jim Sorgatz · 09/18/2023 · Leave a Comment

 Blue Electric Vehicle charging at Tesla Station.
Tesla Image Adobe Stock

When you think of leaders in the electrical vehicle movement, I believe even the Elon haters would have to give props to Tesla. They have moved into a position of power that is rare. One of the chief reasons for this is their self-contained ecosystem. From batteries to auto parts to charging stations and software, Tesla is in control. There is little that is outsourced. 

This streamlined approach makes them significantly more profitable than other auto manufacturers. They also have one of the most powerful computer systems in the world, enabling drivers to control everything from a sleek touchscreen. Tesla also gathers data from their vehicles. Paired with AI, the data from every mile driven gives them the lead in autonomous driving. No one knows when robo taxis will make their grand entrance, but the probability of it happening in my lifetime is exciting!

Tesla Touchscreen Controls
Tesla Touchscreen Controls Adobe Stock

The Ecosystem

What does all this have to do with homebuilder sales and marketing, you ask? It all comes down to the ecosystem. While some builders use individual vendors for renderings, interactive floor plans, print materials, etc., savvy builders understand the benefits of working with a full-service provider like Outhouse. In addition to digital marketing assets like interactive floor plans (IFPs), interactive site plans (ISPs), renderings, virtual tours, visualizers, animations, and digital kiosks, we also have an in-house print and signage shop and a full-service computer-aided design (CAD) department. Clients who use all our services benefit from significant time and cost savings. When you make changes in CAD, those edits carry across our entire ecosystem.  

Our “Touchscreen” – the Interactive Control Center

Like Tesla, Outhouse now has a slick “touchscreen,” our new Interactive Control Center. With the launch of this intuitive administrative back end for our interactive platform, we are setting the stage for a new future in interactive control. A few of the features include:

  • A new look with upgraded graphics for ease of use and improved navigation
  • A clean template with easy-to-see project permissions
  • Choice between light and dark themes, similar to our IFPs
  • The ability to personalize by setting your home page – perhaps a specific community or your interactive floor plan list
  • No more pagination. The plan list is fluid. While not a huge issue for builders with only a few IFPs, builders with dozens will appreciate this time-saver
  • Seamless movement between IFPs and ISPs in the same community. No more toggling between lists of IFPs and ISPs
  • Simplified self-serve reports and the ability to export data in Excel, CSV, JSON, and XML
  • A search box and filters to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

Also coming soon to the Control Center are a dashboard, and everyone’s favorite – widgets. Everything is designed to simplify the management of your interactive tools and data collection from potential clients. 

Tesla’s Super Chargers in a line Adobe Stock

Integration

Integration makes life easier. Ask the owners of EVs manufactured by companies other than Tesla. There’s a reason the most prominent auto manufacturers are signing contracts to access Tesla’s Supercharger network. Constructed in secret, Tesla unveiled their first six Supercharger stations in 2012. From there, they have continued building a Supercharger network nationwide. They understood the need for a strong network of Superchargers for EVs to compete with gas-fueled vehicles. Tesla also fixes and improves their cars simply by issuing a software update. Their ecosystem is fully integrated, from construction to batteries to software to charging stations.

In recent years, Outhouse has enhanced our interactive products to achieve full integration with each other. Starting with our interactive site plan, your home buyers can click on a lot to reveal renderings of the available homes. Click on a rendering, and it opens an interactive floor plan. While engaging with the IFP, home buyers can also view virtual tours and select colors and finishes with interior and exterior visualizers. All of our interactive tools can be neatly packaged into an interactive kiosk for potential homebuyers to peruse while at your sales center.

Outhouse Interactive Site Plan

Before you start your next community, consider how your company might benefit from implementing a complete interactive ecosystem rather than just a few pieces and parts. Today’s home buyers are shopping online; your website should make it easy for them to decide your homes and communities are the right fit for their families. As the EV market grows, you may also want to consider where to place a Supercharger!

How Photoreal Renderings & Virtual Tours Sell Homes

Jim Sorgatz · 04/23/2023 · Leave a Comment

Marketing insights from photos of an expedition to Antarctica

Black and white photo of two sets of jagged rocks forming a saddle.  Old fence posts in the foreground.   Reminiscent of a moonscape.
Deception Island – the caldera of an active volcano. Although taken in black and white, this photo accurately represents the starkness and other-worldly feel of the island.

With even the smallest home builders moving heavily into 3-D photoreal renderings, virtual tours, and animations, I thought it might be interesting to revisit this post from a year ago. This update includes additional information on rendering and virtual reality (VR) tools, plus new images of the latest photoreal renderings, and links to virtual tours. This also is one of my favorite posts, combining my career with my favorite pastime – travel.

A bucket-list trip to Antarctica is one of the most incredible and inspirational journeys. Seeing thousands of penguins and other animals, yet not a single plant anywhere is mind-boggling. The football field-sized+ icebergs, especially the tabular varieties, are astounding. And the monochromatic landscape is other-worldly. I came away with a desire to take better care of our planet, a greater appreciation of finding peace in solitude (this place is desolate!), and the realization I can enjoy summer when the high is just above freezing.

Colorful kayaks and kayakers in water with floating bits of ice, and dark clouds overhead.
Kayaking in Neko Harbor.
Penguins surrounding bright orange duffel bags on a large rock, set on a rocky beach with snow in the background.
The inquisitive penguins.

I also gained some key marketing insights. A recent post, Rules of Engagement, discusses the powerful lesson we learn from penguins, who are the stars of the Antarctic show. They captivate visitors as they gather stones to build nests, guard their chicks, run en masse along the beach to dive for food, and shuffle around checking out us humans. Likewise, digital marketing tools, including Interactive Floor Plans, Interactive Site Plans, and Visualizers, play a starring role on builder websites and are integral to the new home journey. Captivating and engaging homebuyers, digital tools create strong emotional connections and lead to an increase in closing sales.

A lesson also came on the importance of color and texture and how it relates to visual marketing tools like renderings, virtual tours, and animations. Against a backdrop of grey and white, the most captivating photos include glimpses of vivid color, most often provided by humans. Pops of red, orange, and yellow on ships, clothing, and kayaks look stunning in the barren landscape.

Bow of a ship with red trim cracking a giant ice sheet.
Cracking a massive ice sheet in Wilhelmina Bay. Note the power or red.
An expedition team, wearing bright orange and yellow jackets, on an inflatable Zodiac boat cruising through water with chunks of ice
Traveling by Zodiac in the Antarctic Sound.

Colors from nature include teal from glacial ice; clear blue skies; orange, pink, red, and purple emanating from the stunning midnight sunsets; bits of orange and yellow on penguin beaks, necks, and feet; and an occasional rainbow. That’s about it! What really makes Antarctica so dramatic are the textures. Smooth snow, jagged rocks, fluffy clouds. Constantly changing due to weather, they overwhelm the senses.

A black ship with red and white trim next to a giant, triangular, blue-tinted iceberg.
Our ship, anchored next to a massive, blue-tinged iceberg.
Blue icebergs floating in front of a rocky mountain with snow. Clouds overhead, and reflecting in the water.
Cool blue on an iceberg and purple-tinged skies add rare bits of natural color in Neko Harbor.
Bright orange sunset over the ocean against a backdrop of grey clouds.
The most color at any one time, a vibrant sunset, sometime around midnight.

And that brings us to the importance of photoreal renderings, virtual tours, and animations in new home sales. Colors and textures appeal to everyone. They move and motivate us, playing an essential role in marketing strategies. Photoreal imagry brings colors and textures to your pre-built homes. It gives potential buyers a realistic view of your homes, often generating sales before a model is ever built. 3-D Renderings are the first place to start. We still see builder websites with flat, black/white stick drawings. Yuck! These in no way engage the senses like a proper photoreal rendering.

Photoreal rendering for Winslow Homes – daylight.
Same elevation for Winslow Homes – a dramatic dusk shot.

Even more engaging are virtual tours and animations. What’s the difference? Virtual tours, like the ones for DeLuca Homes and KLMR Homes shown here, are user-controlled. Viewers click into a room and then turn the image for a 360° view. Animations, on the other hand, are video tours. Both bring your “model homes” to buyers around the world. Virtual Tours tend to be the most popular as they are more cost-effective, and most users enjoy the hands-on experience.

Invite your buyers to discover your homes with virtual tours. Click the DeLuca Homes kitchen to explore their Mayfair plan.
A stunning home with spectacular views. KLMR Homes Bellos at the Summit.

People love to explore and engage. These are the reasons many of us enjoy discovering the world. When it comes to purchasing a new home, your buyers also want to personalize. By implementing digital and visualization tools on your website, you invite homebuyers to do all three. Contact Outhouse today to learn more about our interactive floor plans, interactive site plans, virtual tours, animations, visualizers, and renderings, plus our interactive kiosks, which incorporate all.

Clouds and a rainbow between two jagged hills straddling a channel with water.
A rainbow – the perfect ending to a storm in the Lemaire Channel.

Print Marketing Sells New Homes

Jim Sorgatz · 03/08/2023 · Leave a Comment

Brochure of a K. Hovnanian Homes house

People often ask us why a print company specializing in print for home builders is necessary. Heck, today, builders sometimes ask us if print marketing is still a valuable sales tool! The answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!” We explain why in this post.

The Role of Print in New Home Sales

In a recent episode of the Digital Velocity Podcast, co-hosts Erik Martinez of Blue Tangerine and Tim Curtis of CohereOne talk with Alex Kupski and Jake Hoffman, co-hosts of the Millennials in Print Podcast, about the Power of Print in the Digital Age. They conclude, “The more channels you’re present on and the more channels you’re marketing to people on, ultimately, the more effective you’re going to be. Print, just like social, just like email, just like your website, just like a commercial on TV, is a channel for you to market on. It’s another arrow in the quiver. It’s another way to reach people you might not have before.”

Print marketing works best when paired with digital marketing. Digital marketing is often the most effective way to draw people in. With interactive site plans, interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, visualizers, and Matterport tours, your website is arguably a home builder’s most potent marketing tool. But it is only effective for a home buyer’s few precious moments on your website. Print collateral, on the other hand, has a much longer life span. Brochures and floorplan/elevation minis often sit on a potential buyer’s countertop or table for weeks or months, a lasting reminder of your homes and communities. Not every prospect immediately purchases a home, so print is a great way to keep them focused on yours. 

David Weekley Homes brochure with cactus front cover, and homes on the back

Data shows that print used in tandem with digital marketing is one of the most effective sales strategies as the two mediums strengthen and reinforce each other. A study by InfoTrends found that 66% of direct mail is opened, and 56% of consumers who respond to direct mail go online or visit a physical store. A recent article in SFGate offers some great tips to sync your print and digital marketing efforts:

  • Place QR codes on print materials.
  • Provide digital opt-ins for direct mail.
  • Include social media reviews and comments on print materials.
  • Include hashtags and calls to action on print materials.

Although digital and print marketing take different forms, They work together to engage customers and keep your brand at the top of their minds.

Why Use a Builder-Specific Printing Company?

The challenge builders face that is unique to our industry is the weekly sales cycle. From week to week, home prices may change, lot availability changes, and options may vary. The typical strip-mall printer is not equipped to automate this process. Outhouse built their business to serve a single industry – HOME BUILDING. We do all work in-house, from CAD for your construction documents to print materials for your sales centers. This allows all teams, including architectural, rendering, graphics, interactive, and print, to work in tandem. By doing so, we create accurate, up-to-date print materials that are consistent and coordinated with your digital marketing assets. Utilizing the latest technologies, we print and deliver materials on time every week, on the builder’s schedule. Challenge solved – you send us your edits, and we coordinate these changes across all platforms.  

Professional Artwork Creation: Outhouse provides clients with the considerable advantage of having drafting and rendering services on-site, allowing coordination with the development of their artwork for all printed materials. This coordination offers clients superior accuracy, faster turnaround times, and lower overall costs.

Coordinated File Management:  Another advantage is the ease of managing and coordinating all created artwork with professional digital file and asset management. All artwork is kept up-to-date, consistent, and coordinated between city design reviews, printed sales materials, large format displays, and interactive web products and services.  

Superior Print Quality:  Superior brand standard quality and consistency every time on every product is only possible with the coordination, color calibration, and production of all graphics, printing, and display under one roof. Unlike a mass-market printer like Vista Print, Outhouse is not a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) printer. We believe that good enough is never good enough, and we have the magnifying glasses to prove it! On rare occasions when colors are incorrect or print quality is not up to snuff the first time off the press, we recalibrate and rerun the job.

Builder-Specific Delivery:  Unlike many industries, home building has a weekly sales cycle, and having your print delivered on time is critical. Outhouse understands this. We meet your deadlines your way on your weekly sales cycle.

Woodside Homes brochure with three homes

The bottom line is print marketing still plays an integral role in new home marketing and sales. There’s a reason the Outhouse Interactive Floor Plan has a save button. It allows prospective homebuyers to save their customized floor plans and print them out for further review. 

What about younger generations? Retail Focus Magazine tells us that print is 30% more memorable than digital. This applies to all age groups. You need look no further than nightclubs which hand out leaflets advertising upcoming events, and university welcome packs to know that print still appeals to young people. The magazine also notes the best campaigns are when print and digital work alongside each other instead of trying to compete. A younger audience may be digitally savvy, but they still appreciate a well-thought-out hard copy campaign.  

Although any printer can give you a halfway decent brochure, only a company like Outhouse coordinates your CAD, rendering, and interactive projects with your print materials and sales office displays. Even if our print pricing is a bit higher, you will save significantly more overall through efficiencies in coordination.     

Woodside Homes floor plan
When you update a plan, Outhouse coordinates the changes across CAD, print, and all digital marketing assets.
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