Choosing the right kitchen or bath remodeler can be a very stressful experience for your clients. If planned properly it can also be one of the most exciting times of their lives. They are entrusting a stranger with the safety of their money, home and family. Making the right decision can be the difference between a seamless and satisfying experience and a remodeling nightmare. Take the time to educate your clients to help them choose a remodeler who understands their needs, speaks their language and respects their lifestyle. The following are summarized points from the NAHB pamphlet “How to Choose a Remodeler” that can help your clients go through the process of choosing a remodeler: Before you meet with a remodeler develop an idea...

As daylight dwindles and temperatures drop, it’s easy to let these changes in nature affect your mood. It always takes me a few days to mentally adjust to the end of summer and the beginning of another winter. But, remodelers have much to feel good about, so I am listing a few here to help make you feel better about the cold, dark days ahead.   1) You’re always learning. With an endless stream of new products entering the market, you must remain educated about each of them to best serve your clients, and to build the best possible homes. New software such as BIM products are changing the way homes are built, as they maximize efficiencies and profit. Wise remodelers are learning how to use these tools to sharpen their...

If your clientele is made up primarily of baby boomers, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that, as a group, these consumers tend to have money to spend on their homes, and many are looking to upgrade, having had their fill of “waiting ‘til things get better.” Baby boomers also tend to favor luxury: While “trophy” spaces may have fallen out of favor, these clients are still more than willing to invest in luxury features and amenities if they believe they will enhance their quality of life.   The bad news is that baby boomers tend to demand a greater attention to detail, and often have higher expectations for service than either older or younger buyers. That means you can expect to spend more time closing the...

Years ago when I was starting out and in a slow period I received a call from someone that was building a new home. They wanted me to give them a price on a kitchen, which of course hit me as odd because if they were building a new home why wasn’t the contractor doing it? But being that times were slow I decided to go and see what they wanted and maybe find out why their contractor wasn’t doing it.   When we got together they explained that the contractor wasn’t fulfilling his duties in a way they wanted and so they wanted to get someone else to finish the kitchen which was one of the last things to be done. They also had a few other things that needed doing so I proceeded to listen. The clients also informed me that they were...