Mar 4 2008 9:53AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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Homebuilders are putting increasingly sophisticated, wired and stylish appliances and products in their homes. But with all of these innovative gadgets and materials, is a home necessarily easier to maintain these days? Builders should bring their homeowners up to speed with a comprehensive manual (and periodic updates) on how to run and care for the modern marvels buzzing and blinking in their abode.

A cost-effective measure builders should take is to provide homeowners with the greatest amount of information on the products used in the home in an easy and concise manner. Buildserv is among several new firms that have figured out a unique and easy way to keep homeowners informed. “Builders really aren’t selling the benefits of all the product information the homeowner first gets. What I often find is that builders are giving information to their buyers in some form or another, but never in a usable format homeowners can access and use in a proactive way,” explains Buildserv President Brad Brickman. 

 
“Builders need to make their customers aware that while their shiny new stainless steel appliances might look sharp at first, they will hardly stay pristine and unscathed,” agrees Kim Sweet, editor-in-chief of Kitchens.com. According to Sweet, not everyone wants a refrigerator that will send an e-mail to remind you to go shopping or a stove with more recipes programmed in than the family cookbook. Simply put, consumers want to be shown what these things can do before agreeing to pay extra for them.

 

The Buildserv team, shown left to right: Bob McNamee (Accounting), Kristi Schultz (Customer Support), Brad Brickman (President), Alvin Radley (Collateral Materials: CDs & Printed Manuals), Cari Drake (Database Support) and Jim Drake (Information Technology)





With all of these new products and features some homeowners may need their information quickly to avoid flaring tempers. Essentially, Buildserv serves as a conduit between the home buyer and the homebuilder to do exactly that. The company builds a list (provided by the builder) that notes every appliance and nuance inside the home. The information is aggregated into attractive electronic and/or print formats. The end product gives contact information, manufacturer warranty information, service providers and updates—so when the refrigerator starts machine-gunning ice cubes, homeowners know who to call. In a typical production home, the company tracks about 50 or more products.  

 

The 10-Year Plan

According to Brickman, builders need to handle things better on the back nine. “You have to provide that information for 10 years. You can’t just do a printed guide like some of the ones I’ve seen. Face it. The guide might be paged over once or twice and it’ll be around for the first year, but then the homeowner puts it somewhere they’ll never find it,” says Brickman. The company keeps up with homeowners down the stretch by sending periodic newsletters and hyper-targeted updates on the appliances and surfaces homeowners need to track.

 

The Secondary Quandary

In keeping with the 10-year plan, builders need to be wary of the secondary home buyer. “With secondary buyers, there’s liability for builders, too, especially if initial buyer sells the home in the first few years. And that’s where a lot of lawsuits and problems come. Continuing that relationship becomes really darn important,” explains Brickman. The company has been offering its services for five years and their first customers still receive important updates, recall alerts and other critical information.

 

“Information goes a long way in building relationships,” says Brickman, “In the homebuilding industry; we have to be more aggressive and proactive in anticipating our homeowner’s needs.”

 

Problem Products

Countertops

“With countertops, everything is marketing as being easy to clean and maintain because (manufacturers) know that’s important to people. I think that a lot of people really don’t understand…and there’s a lot of different information on how much to seal it, especially in granite countertops,” says Sweet “and lots of manufacturers purport better sealers. But I think there’s a lot of confusion.”

 

Flooring

Some installers, remarkably, don’t realize that stone tile floors have to be sealed, too. And cheaper alternative-material options are gaining popularity. “I spoke to a designer that said some of the porcelain and ceramics are more durable than the natural stone products. But there’s so many exotic species and reclaimed hardwood, even in production homes.”

 

Home Technology

“I’ve seen too many women in general—and I suppose this is being broadly stereotypical—if we say the husband is the ‘gadget person’ and anything beyond turning the TV on and off is too confusing,” says Sweet, “but sometimes its true.” It may do a builder little good to install universal home audio/video systems if they aren’t prepared to educate the homeowner on all the bells and whistles.

 

It doesn’t take much to get people comfortable with tech…when given the right information, says Jennifer Gilmer, CKD of Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Chevy Chase, Md. “Most people are just intimidated, but, once they get past that, it's not that difficult,” says Gilmer.

 

 “It’s a generational difference, of course. Some people avoid tech, some people buy everything tech. If it involves too much programming, even if the technology is supposed to be easier or intuitive to use, a lot of it just isn’t,” says Sweet. “Maybe companies should take a lesson from Apple and work on their user interface!”