Latest Posts

The Keys to Post Pandemic Multifamily Comeback

At the end of 2019, Multifamily was on the rise in growth as more people wanted to live near where they worked and played–in fast-paced cities bustling with activity and nightlife. However, things changed quickly with the introduction of COVID and there was a shift toward outer-suburban single-family home ownership. What impact will this have...

A New Way for Builders and Multifamily Companies To Make Extraordinary Progress on Tech

150+ vendor sponsors will dynamically present products, services, solutions and proven processes builders need to win more business with tech at new Online Summit, September 29-30, 2020 TecHome Builder is bringing builders, multifamily companies and their tech trade allies together September 29-30 for its inaugural Online Summit. The event features: the broadest and deepest collection...

Outmaneuvering the Elephant in the Room

For about six months now, COVID has been the sometimes-ignored, sometimes-omnipresent elephant in the room. We adjust our business models and activities. We try to pursue business as usual with new tools and techniques. We go into denial. We try to cope. And we just freak out every now and then about all of the...

Is Now the Time for Digital Finished Home Sales?

by John Galante I’ve just put the finishing touches on our Quarterly Housing Stat Pack a compilation of government and association market reports and forecasts. The numbers tell the story of the pandemic’s impact on the new home market. Starts are projected to be down about 10% in 2020, but up about the same amount...

Selling Tech via Lifestyle Personas – Compelling but Risky

Establishing stock personas is a common business planning and marketing technique. It helps businesses think deeply, personally and emotionally about buyers and their core values, priorities and typical activities. Personas can help builders ideate tech packages as part of their merchandising process and can be used to hook buyers on extensive home tech options packages,...

Home AV Resurgence & The Builder’s Play

There’s been a pretty massive reordering of application priorities for new homes in the wake of the COVID pandemic. For the previous 3-5 years, there had been a decided shift from AV and Networking to Smart Home Security as top of the list. Now the tables are turned. Homeowners are stuck at home, sometimes using...

Selling Tech Room-by-Room

Presenting home tech options room-by-room is one of the easiest and most intuitive ways of achieving great sell-through. Buyers evaluate homes room-by-room, thinking about what they are going to do and experience in specific rooms. With a little knowledge, builder sales staff can walk through the tech products and applications that go with common activities...

Change is the only Constant

On lucky 7/7 we announced the postponement of our TecHome Builder Summit Spring (originally scheduled for May 2020 in Orlando, then rescheduled for August 2020, then relocated to Kansas City) to May 4-6, 2021 in Louisville. We have been simultaneously monitoring the waxing and waning of COVID across the nation, gathering information on preventative measures and...

Savant Acquires GE Lighting: A Big Deal for Builders!

I sat down with Savant president, JC Murphy, to discuss Hyannis, MA-based manufacturer Savant Systems’ pending acquisition of GE Lighting and its implications for builders and multifamily companies. Announced on May 27 and set to close June 30, the deal combines Savant’s smart home control and AV product expertise with GE Lighting’s product portfolio of...

The Untapped Synergies of Home Tech + Builder Tech Solutions

  When TecHome Builder launched in 2001, its dual mission was to help builders make strong progress on incorporating technology into their homes and applying technology to their business processes and operations. The latter we call the Solutions side of our business. TecHome Builder went on hiatus 2008-2013, but when we relaunched it in 2014...

Gain $220K for Every 100 Homes Built

The construction industry has only had one way to control power – installing boxes, wiring, and switches in the walls. Levven two-component smart switching now gives builders and trades a choice on how to control power. Using wireless radio frequency, Levven switches send on, off, and dim commands to relays that switch the power to...

Get Going on Working & Learning from Home

You’d have had to be on another planet to not see that video conferencing is on fire as a top application. The market for video conferencing gear and services is projected to double to nearly $12 billion  annually by 2027 by TechRepublic, and I think that underestimates attachment sales like mounts and large screen displays,...