2005 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION LEADERS

Homeowner satisfaction varies, depending on the size of organization, warranty service, sales staff, project super-intendent, and quality. The NRS Diamond Award in Homeowner Satisfaction winners scored the highest among their homeowners than any other production builder, no matter what their size. To reach that status, carefully study the differences between the major indicators of what will affect recommend levels listed above and what your customers are telling you. Doing so will help you reach and maintain a reputation for excellence.

The 2004 NRS Award in Homeowner Satisfaction winners are:

NRS Diamond Award in Homeowner Satisfaction/Production Builders: Cedar Knoll





NRS Diamond Award in Homeowner Satisfaction/Custom Builders: Barone Homes





NRS Award, #1 in Category, 500+ Closings: Pulte Homes Phoenix





NRS Award, #1 in Category, 100-499 Closings: Cedar Knoll





NRS Award, #1 in Category, 50-99 Closings: Trustway Homes





NRS Award, #1 in Category, Small Volume Builders: Shamrock Builders





NRS Excellence Award, 500+ Closings: Pulte Homes Tucson





NRS Excellence Award, 100-499 Closings: Greth Homes





NRS Excellence Award, 50-99 Closings: Brighton Corporation





NRS Excellence Award, Small Volume Builders: Estes Builders





NRS Excellence Award, Custom Builders: London Bay Homes

Methodology

To determine the awards, NRS surveyed 63,651 homeowners, who had closed on a new home in 2003, about their satisfaction with their home builder and the homebuilding process. They were surveyed about their satisfaction in key areas:

Home features





Floor plan/layout





Quality of materials





Quality of workmanship





Price/value





Lot and location





Sales process





Lending process





Options/upgrades/colors





Office staff





Project superintendent





Walk-through





Post-move-in warranty service





Number of items identified for correction





Time taken to make corrections





Overall recommend intentions





Actual recommend behavior

Production and custom builders were compared separately because of the unique challenges each type of builder faces and because each generally serves different market segments. Production builders typically deal with higher volumes, while custom builders typically deal with greater demands from home buyers, larger square footage, and higher price.

TOTAL RECOMMEND LEVELS BY CATEGORY

All Production Builders

• 76 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 85 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 41 percent Made one to three referrals
• 24 percent Made four to six referrals
• 7 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 12 percent Made 10 or more referrals

500+ Closings

• 73 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 88 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 42 percent Made one to three referrals
• 25 percent Made four to six referrals
• 7 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 13 percent Made 10 or more referrals

100-499 Closings

• 77 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 82 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 41 percent Made one to three referrals
• 24 percent Made four to six referrals
• 7 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 10 percent Made 10 or more referrals

50-99 Closings

• 82 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 81 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 37 percent Made one to three referrals
• 25 percent Made four to six referrals
• 3 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 16 percent Made 10 or more

Small Volume Closings

• 87 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 80 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 36 percent Made one t
• o three referrals
• 24 percent Made four to six referrals
• 6 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 14 percent Made 10 or more referrals

Custom Builder Class

• 95 percent Homeowners would recommend
• 85 percent Homeowners made at least one positive recommendation
• 42 percent Made one to three referrals
• 15 percent Made four to six referrals
• 10 percent Made seven to nine referrals
• 17 percent Made 10 or more referrals