How Insearch helped Signature Homes increase profits up to 15%

Signature Homes’ sales process was time-consuming and incomplete. “In the past, we had a website with just a static, frontal hand sketch of the home,” Tyler explains. “There was no interactive floor plan or website showing available options. If customers wanted to extend a patio or enlarge a shower, they didn’t know if the option was available or whether the cost would fit in their budget unless they traveled to Birmingham and sat down with a realtor. Even then, it was hard because we had so many options. Sales might be able to tell them about 20 of them, and the customers couldn’t view them without going to a site where one existed. Also, because the drawings were static on paper, customers couldn’t see all the outside elevations, like landscaping and driveways, which make homes look real and bring them to life.” 

According to Tyler, the company knew people liked to shop online to see what sites and options were available to decide if they wanted to physically visit a development. Top management agreed Signature needed a more interactive website. What they didn’t realize, however, was just how much the current static site was costing them in terms of high conversion times, lost add-ons, change orders, variances, and overall fewer home sales.

The Signature Homes team researched several software programs, but Insearch caught its eye. “We saw a demonstration at the Homebuilder’s show and did some research and liked what we saw,” Tyler says. “ECI has a great team, the cost is reasonable, and they are willing to work with us to do what we need. It’s not a take it or leave it; ECI is willing to innovate.”

According to Tyler, Insearch has paid off in many ways, all of which point to increased sales, revenue, productivity, and profits. “One of the main key areas where Insearch helped was its interactive floor plans,” Tyler says. “Insearch allows customers to see the options. With a click, they can see what a covered porch is and looks like and usually the pricing. They can design their home within their budget in a near infinite number of ways. If they have a house with a budget of $500,000, they can decide if they want to spend $5,000 for a porch or a bigger bathroom. They are getting more of what they want, and they can do all at their convenience and not have to meet with a realtor each time.”

In addition to the homes themselves, Insearch’s interactive site maps allow potential customers to see what the communities look like, which means faster conversions. The Insearch program also provides interactive renderings of front elevations, allowing customers to envision the home with exterior features like landscaping and driveways. Insearch has also significantly reduced change orders and customizations since customers can now view all the pre-existing add-ons and their pricing. Together, these Insearch features culminate in shorter build times. 

“Let’s say, hypothetically, that it takes 180 days to build a house, and a builder can handle 10 houses at a time,” Tyler explains. “That means that a builder can build 20 houses in a year. But with these Insearch features, that builder can reduce the build time to 120 days—or four months instead of six. That means a builder can make three turns a year overseeing the same 10 houses. That’s 30 houses a year instead of 20 [a 50% increase] with no increase in overhead.”