This week on The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast, Arthur Chapin of Move, Inc., operator of realtor.com joins Greg and Kevin to discuss how home builders can better educate home buyers about new home construction.
The home builder industry can further improve home buyer education in the new home space. Arthur explains,
“I really don’t think that the consumer base is educated in the home buyer world. I see that as a huge opportunity, taking an audience who’s struggling, especially right now where inventory is really, really low, rates are really high, and people are struggling to find the right home for them, and educating them around the benefits of new construction. And maybe they’re willing to take a slight sacrifice on location for a nicer, newer place that will have a lower total cost of ownership, and in many cases includes incentives to help them actually get into that home.”
Helping potential home buyers understand the differences between resale homes and new construction homes could possibly expand the options that home buyers think are available to them. Arthur says,
“Right now, it’s interesting because of such a low level of houses on the market, new construction makes up a big percentage now of what’s available within the realtor marketplace or any marketplace. I see it as not only just education about the community itself or the house itself but also education to help people make those comparisons. So, they’re not thinking apples to apples when they look at cost per square foot…but really helping to educate them through that search process. Which will hopefully open up the number of things that they are willing to consider.”
Digital experiences can dramatically enhance the educational resources home builders have to inform home buyers, which will then lead to better customer journeys overall. Arthur says,
“We can use technology to significantly increase the information that people have, the confidence that they have, and hopefully create smoother, faster journeys to home ownership where that’s right for somebody.”
Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about the benefits of home builders providing better information to new construction home buyers.
About the Guest:
Arthur Chapin currently serves as Chief Growth Officer of Move, Inc., operator of realtor.com®.
Prior to joining Move, Arthur spent 21 years at Expedia Group in a variety of technical, product and executive management roles. Most recently, Chapin served as SVP and General Manager of Lodging, with overall accountability for strategy, product and technology for the Lodging line of business across a travel portfolio that includes more than ten global brands.
Prior to his career at Expedia, Arthur attended Western Washington University where he pursued his passion for engineering. As a Pacific Northwest native, Arthur is an outdoor enthusiast, an avid skier, mountaineer, and hiker. Recently, he has combined his craftsmanship knowledge with his enthusiasm for the outdoors, spending many hours restoring and sailing his boat throughout the Pacific Northwest.