Vinings Builder Wins J.D. Power & Associates #1 Ranking for Customer Satisfaction
Sep 14 J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Ashton Woods Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Atlanta Builders for a
Second Consecutive Year
Venture and Centex Round Out the Top Three Performers
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 14 September 2005 — Ashton Woods Homes ranks highest in home buildercustomer satisfaction in the Atlanta market for a second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and
Associates 2005 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM released today.The study, which measures customer satisfaction with new-home builders in 30 of the largest U.S. homebuilding
markets, is based on 10 factors that drive overall satisfaction. They are, in order of importance: builder’s
warranty/customer service; home readiness; builder’s sales staff; construction manager; quality of
workmanship/materials; price/value; physical design elements; builder’s design center; recreational facilities; and
location.
Competition among builders in Atlanta is fierce, with the top three builders scoring within three index points of
each other. Roswell, Ga.,-based Ashton Woods Homes ranks highest, scoring highest in sales staff, quality of
workmanship/materials, price/value, physical design elements and location.
Following Ashton Woods in the rankings are Venture Homes and Centex Homes, respectively. Venture performs
particularly well in home readiness and design center, while Centex leads the market in the builder’s
warranty/customer service and construction manager.
The overall average customer satisfaction index score in Atlanta is 108—four points below the 30-market average
of 112.
Other interesting findings about the Atlanta homebuilding market include:
• The average price paid for a new home in Atlanta in the study is $252,000—up from $239,000 in the2004 study.
• Compared with the other markets surveyed, Atlanta has a relatively high proportion of first-time buyers(39% vs. the study average of 27%).
Among the drivers of overall customer satisfaction, a factor for the construction manager has been added to the
study for the first time, reflecting the more visible role builders have begun giving construction managers. The
study finds that construction managers are nearly as important in influencing customer satisfaction as the builder’s
sales staff.
“This is the one of the biggest purchases most consumers ever make, and new-home buyers today tend to be
highly informed and want to be involved in the building process,” said Paula Sonkin, executive director of the real
estate industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Builders are finding that having construction managers
proactively communicate with owners during the building phase puts them in a unique position to help build
strong relationships with owners. This can ultimately lead to higher customer satisfaction with the finished
home.”
The study also finds that truly delighted home buyers (those rating their builders a 10 on a 10-point scale)
recommend their builder to nearly twice as many people compared to the average new-home buyer.
To be included in the 2005 study, Atlanta-area builders must have closed 150 or more homes in the market in
2004. The new homes are located in Barrow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, Dekalb, Douglas,
Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton counties.
The 2005 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 73,353 buyers of newly
built single-family homes who provided feedback after living in their homes from four to 18 months, on average.
There were 3,147 respondents in the Atlanta market. For more comprehensive builder ratings, visit the J.D. Power
Consumer Center at www.jdpower.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing
information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting,
training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from
millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
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