New Home Builders Increase Customer Satisfaction & Quality

Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Award

The J.D. Power and Associates 2009 New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study was released yesterday and according to the results, home buyer satisfaction increased in nearly every market when compared to 2008. In addition, new home builders increased the quality of their new homes and decreased the number of problems reported per home.

In 2008, out of 1,000, home builders overall received 779 points on the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey; in 2009, the overall score increased to 811. The 32 point jump shows that efforts made by home builders to increase customer satisfaction during the housing downturn have been largely successful. Real estate markets with the highest levels of overall satisfaction include Orange/San Diego, California, Sacramento, California, Inland Empire, California, Tampa, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona. The report showed that overall satisfaction increased in 22 of 23 markets, which is an amazing accomplishment.

J.D. Power and Associates also tracks customer-reported problems in an effort to help score new home quality. The survey results showed that new home quality increased from an average of 799 in 2008 to an average of 825 in 2009. The survey also showed that customer reported problems decreased from 11.51 problems per home in ’08 to 9.55 problems per home in ’09. The increase in the overall new home quality index score, and the decrease in reported problems per home, represent a huge year-over-year improvement. In 2009, Home builders were able to decrease the problem rate in 23 markets.

The New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study uses nine factors to grade builders on customer satisfaction, the nine factors are: workmanship/materials, builder’s warranty/customer service staff, price/value, builder’s sales staff, construction manager, home readiness, recreational facilities provided by the builder, builder’s design center, and location.

Pulte Homes‘ brands ranked highest among new home builders in customer satisfaction in 13 markets; they ranked highest in new home quality in 5 markets.

Customer Satisfaction Award Recipients by City

Atlanta – Pulte Homes
Austin – Pulte Homes & David Weekley Homes
Charleston (SC) – Centex Homes
Charlotte – Standard Pacific Homes
Chicago – Pulte Homes
Columbus (OH) – M/I Homes
Dallas/Fort Worth – Darling
Denver – Shea Homes
Houston – Ashton Woods & Village Homes
Inland Empire (CA) – Del Webb
Jacksonville – Lennar Homes
LA, Ventura, Bakesfield (CA) – Pulte Homes
Las Vegas – Pardee Homes
Northern New Jersey – K. Hovnanian Homes
Orange, San Diego – Brookfield Homes
Orlando – Pulte Homes
Philadelphia – Pulte Homes
Phoenix – Shea Homes
Sacramento – Pulte Homes
San Antonio – Pulte Homes
San Francisco – Shea Homes
Tampa – Pulte Homes
Tucson – Pulte Homes
Washington D.C. – Pulte Homes