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Marketing the new green tax credits
How one remodeler is using the stimulus package to build business
Jonathan Sweet, Senior Editor
March 16, 2009
Professional Remodeler
Government estimates show that the new green tax credits could add $6 billion in new activity to the remodeling market. With the tax credit increasing from 10 to 30 percent, and the lifetime credit cap increasing from $500 to $1,500, that may be enough to get homeowners thinking about energy-efficient remodels off the fence.
That’s what John Sperath, president of Blue Ribbon Residential Construction in Raleigh, N.C., hopes. He’s making the new incentives the centerpiece of his new marketing campaign.
The design/build firm has already sent out an e-newsletter to 1,200 past clients and prospects highlighting the changes and Sperath plans to promote it heavily at upcoming home shows. He also brings it up with every prospective client he talks to.
Many clients don’t know about the change, so getting the message out is important, Sperath says.
“For the most part, it’s new information,” he says. “I think there’s so much out there about all these plans that in many cases they haven’t even heard about this.”
While the tax credits alone probably won’t be enough to convince people to remodel, it’s another “tool in the toolbox,” Sperath says.
“We’re still getting a fair number of inquiries, but converting them into a sale is just a nightmare,” he says. “All these things pile up and each one contributes a little bit to the buying decision.”
Blue Ribbon has a division that had focused exclusively on the exterior envelope of the home, but had moved away from that in recent years. Sperath says the new tax credits are a good opportunity to get that up and running again.
© 2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.
