What Home Buyers Want on Builder Websites in 2019
Attract and engage more home buyers with the power of online visualization design tools and interactive floor plans
In today’s digital era, your website is a potential client’s first impression. With only 6% of buyers visiting a model home or driving by the neighborhoods before consulting the internet, a strong online presence is crucial (2018 NAR Report). There are hundreds of quality home builders in the United States. Nearly every builder expresses their commitment to quality construction, excellent service, a positive reputation, and the most beautiful homes.
With so many great options, narrowing the pool and ultimately deciding on a builder can be a daunting task. To make the selection process easier, builders need to show the qualities they embody online. The best way for builders to do this is by using online visualization design tools and interactive floor plans.
Online Visualization Tools
Customers want to see what their home will look like before they make the decision to commit. Life-like visualization tools help eliminate the guesswork from designing and speed up the process. Surprisingly, only 1% of builder websites have tools to engage prospective buyers (Statista). These tools include interior and exterior design programs that allow home buyers to see how their home will look with various features like floor styles, cabinet colors, light fixtures, and roof shingles.
An image speaks more than a hundred words and often elicits more emotion. If potential clients can personalize and visualize their home early on, they’ll become more attached and invested, resulting in higher conversion rates.
Virtual rendering of bedroom displaying various lighting options and effects
Interactive Floor Plans
You can take the online visualization tools one step further with the inclusion of interactive floor plans. Interactive floor plans allow potential clients to customize the floor plans they are considering and helps them prioritize the features that are most important to them. The added ability to visualize these changes as they take place gives clients a better understanding of how those features will look together. Once users have clicked through a few options, the house starts to really take shape and keeps users engaged longer.
In fact, 9/10 home buyers are heavily influenced by interactive floor plans (The Bokka Group). The sense of ownership goes a long way in home design and giving clients the tools to build their dream home, save the design, and then take it into the sales center is a win-win for everyone involved.
Luminosity interactive design tool (shown) allows home buyers to make selections on lot-specific plans
The most useful tools are those that seamlessly incorporate the visual design aspects with interactive floor plans. Luminosity is a virtual design program that allows buyers to see all their lighting, electrical, and home technology design options in real-time AND does so on a lot-specific interactive floor plan.
If you’re looking to increase your online presence and attract more home buyers with the addition of just one program, Luminosity could be just what you need. Contact us for a free consultation or learn more.