Glenn Renner Discusses Adapting to Digital Tools in Builder and Developer

Adapting to digital tools for selling homes has been a necessary step for home builders as they weather the impact of COVID-19 on the housing industry. HomeSphere’s CEO Glenn Renner recently discussed this trend in an article for Builder and Developer magazine.  

As Renner acknowledges in the piece, nothing has propelled technology usage in the industry quite like the pandemic, but builders are moving quickly to respond. And for builders who still haven’t made the necessary changes, there’s no time like today. 

Renner writes: 

Smart builders can capitalize on potentially pent-up demand by meeting customers where they are — in the cloud, on smartphones, on video chat and stuck at home. Many of our builders are on their way. In a survey about technology usage that we conducted on April 29, 70 percent of our builders said they plan to implement new tools that will help them sell homes in the future. Now is the time to get that number up to 100 percent. 

Those tools include: 

• Online tours through special software and casual video calls  
• Virtual open houses 
• Self-guided tours that can be accomplished safely and hygienically  
• Increased use of virtual design centers 
• Electronic signings and other safety measures.  

“We have catapulted into a new world, one that is uncertain and a little bit scary,” Renner writes. But there’s also opportunity to pivot and take advantage of pent-up demand, low mortgage rates and changing homebuyer interests.  

Read the article in full at Builder and Developer.