HBWeekly

Regional Spotlight: Southwest Florida Construction – November 2022

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Erika Carruth

An overview of new swimming pool and home construction permit data for the southwestern region of Florida during the month of November 2022

If you have been following the HBW blog, then you are already aware of how Southwest Florida has and continues to be a hot spot for new construction. Month after month the region is positioned at the top of leaderboard out of the five regions regularly reviewed (Southwest, Tampa, Orlando, Southeast, Jacksonville) for both new home and new swimming pool construction.

With the help of HBW’s construction data reports, we were able to identify and isolate areas across the Sunshine State where new permitting activity levels are on a high, and the result for the southwestern regions is as follows:

New Home Construction

During the month of November, there were more than 1,500 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $488.3 million added to the HBW database for Southwest Florida; this figure represents more than 30 percent of all new permits added to the HBW database statewide during the one-month period.

From the five counties that make up the area, nearly 60 percent of all new construction took place in the two counties of Sarasota and Lee where there were 460 and 435 new permits respectively, and out of the 270 home builders that pulled new permits in the area last month, the following ranked as the top five for total new permits on record with HBW for the month November:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Pulte Homes	174	$227,879
2-Lennar Homes	160	$268,350
3-D.R. Horton	152	$199,624
4-Neal Communities of SW FL	67	$249,437
5-Mattamy Homes	50	$389,647

New Swimming Pool Construction

Last month, there were approximately 630 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value in excess of $40 million accounted for in the southwestern region of Florida; this figure ranked the area as #1 for new pool construction out of the five regions reviewed. From the five counties in the area, the bulk of new pool construction took place in Lee (180 permits) and Collier (159 permits), and out of the more than 155 pool builders with new construction activity on record for the month, the following ranked as the top five for total new permits:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Pinnacle USA	46	$55,304
2-Waterscapes Pools & Spas	32	$51,807
3-Trusted Pool & Spa	22	$81,432
4-Contemporary Pools	22	$75,800
5-Coast to Coast Pools	22	$45,917

To gain more information on the builders, homeowners and permits for the construction activity above, check out HBW for your copy of the latest construction data reports. To gain access to the HBW database and receive custom and detailed reports on the latest residential and commercial building activity in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma, please contact HBW for details.

HBW Report: Texas Swimming Pool Construction – November 2022

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Erika Carruth

An overview of permit data on record with HBW for new swimming pool construction in Texas during the month of November

Last month, there were more than 620 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value of nearly $35.3 million added to the HBW database for Texas.

When reviewing construction figures from Texas, reports were pulled from the four major metro areas of Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Out of the four regions reviewed, Dallas (263 permits) carried the greatest amount of new pool construction activity, while the lowest levels of new construction took place in San Antonio (58 permits).

When reviewing the reports to identify the average value of new swimming pool construction across the Lone Star State, the Houston area was a standout with the highest average value of new pool construction (average value: $70,611), while the lowest average value of new swimming pool construction could be found in San Antonio (average value: $46,950):

From a county-by-county perspective, nearly 45 percent of all new swimming pool construction permits originated from three major counties across the state; those counties are as follows:

#1 – Harris County (Houston) – 133 permits

#2 – Collin County (Dallas) – 71 permits

#3 – Travis County (Austin) – 71 permits

Finally, when utilizing HBW’s construction data reports to identify the leading contractors that have been driving new pool construction across the state last month, it is clear that the leaderboard varies widely based on geographic location. Here is a quick look at the #1 pool builder in each of the four regions reviewed based on the total number of permits pulled during the one-month period:

Dallas: Foley Custom Pools (14 permits)
Houston: Platinum Pools (19 permits)
Austin: Cody Pools (11 permits)
San Antonio: Keith Zars Pools (9 permits)

Improving Your Marketing Strategy in 2023

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Erika Carruth

A few areas to review and consider as you tighten your marketing strategy for the new year

Last month, we reviewed a few (five to be exact) tips for boosting your holiday marketing efforts. And while the holidays are an opportune time to reach your target audience with the services and products that are at the top of their wish lists, the coming year will offer opportunities for expanding your reach and making meaningful connections with your current and future customers.

By now, you should already have a solid marketing strategy and plan in place for 2023, but it’s never too late to take another quick review of it to make sure that you have everything covered. For this reason, here are a few areas to consider in order to meet some of the basics for marketing success:

Website – This one may seem obvious, but creating a website is not enough to get noticed. Take a little extra time to update copyright dates, team members, service items – really anything that may have changed or been added in the last year. Is your contact information visible? Are all links still functioning? Review every page for accuracy and remove or revise any outdated information.
SEO – If you are not familiar with “SEO”, now would be a good to time to learn more about how it can benefit you. SEO is an important piece of your digital marketing strategy – SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” and it simply means the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for your products/services. How are things looking on the backend of your website? Do your keywords and metadata reflect the latest, greatest, and most popular search combinations? By taking a little time to review and update your text, meta description tags, title tags, and keywords, you can increase your visibility for people who will be searching for your services.
Get Social – If you are not active on social media, there is no time like the new year to start. That being stated, you should be careful in choosing the platforms where you will be establishing pages/profiles. You will need to make informed decisions about how many profiles you can maintain successfully, and who will be managing posts and content. While many people make social media look easy, it is a time-consuming process if done correctly, and it requires thoughtful consideration of your audience, the type of content that is best for each platform, and how to effectively represent your brand. If you already have a well-established presence on social media, it is always good to review your strategy and measure the success of previous social media marketing campaigns to map out and modify your plan for the coming year.
Secure Reliable Leads – To keep business moving forward, you will need to cultivate and generate leads. Your sales team can always benefit from new prospects, and the growth of your business relies on new customers. For this reason, it is vital that you secure a method for attaining fresh leads. Services such as HBW, take the guess work out of lead generation by providing real data for the latest construction permits, as well as archived information to find clients who will need renovations and updates to their homes and properties.
Amp up Email – Just because social media has become a dominant player in the marketing game does not mean that email is gone for good. Actually, email marketing is still alive and kicking and it can be a great way to connect to those who are not on social media, as well as reinforce your message to those who stay connected with you in other places. What type of content gained the most “opens” and “clicks” in the previous year? During which dates/times was your audience most receptive? Are you emailing your audience too often, or not enough? There is much to be considered when making improvements to your email marketing campaigns, and often your email will help you build a following in other areas. Additionally, you should be exploring more ways to collect email addresses and build your list. Along with leads from HBW, you can invite new subscribers through partner sites, social media, and by offering valuable resources such as reports and whitepapers.

While the above listed areas are just a few of many to consider when developing a top-notch marketing strategy, your business (and sales team) will benefit from dedicating time to review and improve your current marketing plan to make 2023 a year of growth.

For more information on construction business marketing tips, stay connected with the HBW Blog. To get ahead of construction activity and gain access to the latest permitting data in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma, contact HBW for more information on construction data reports and industry leads.

Texas Top Home Builders – November 2022

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Erika Carruth

A summary of the leading contractors for new home construction in Texas during the month of November 2022

Last week, we reported that there were there were more than 3,630 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $1.1 billion added to the HBW database for Texas during the month of November. Today, we will take a deeper dive into HBW records to identify the top home builders that are responsible for driving new construction during the one-month period.

Across the state, and from the four major metro areas reviewed (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio), there were two builders that carried more than 27 percent of all new home construction for the month. Based on HBW’s construction data reports, the highest concentration of new permits were held by the following companies:

Lennar Homes – 521 permits
D.R. Horton – 464 permits

Dallas

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	203	$ 241,133.00
2-Lennar Homes	155	$ 222,102.00
3-Bloomfield Homes	56	$ 361,771.00
4-First Texas Homes	54	$ 545,809.00
5-Pulte Homes	37	$ 286,359.00

Houston

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Lennar Homes	199	$ 165,860.00
2-D.R. Horton	197	$ 215,771.00
3-Camillo Properties	107	$ 180,913.00
4-Meritage Homes	76	$ 257,222.00
5-Perry Homes	52	$ 406,153.00

Austin

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Lennar Homes	136	$ 228,820.00
2-D.R. Horton	63	$ 191,040.00
3-Chesmar Homes	32	$ 471,907.00
4-Taylor Morrison Homes	31	$ 470,610.00
5-Brookfield Residential Texas Homes	30	$ 286,260.00

San Antonio

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Wes Peoples Homes	39	$ 200,000.00
2-Lennar Homes	31	$ 154,537.00
3-Perry Homes	26	$ 441,169.00
4-Hakes Brothers	25	$ 243,060.00
5-Rausch Coleman Homes	11	$ 135,580.00

Texas New Home Construction Review – November 2022

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Erika Carruth

An overview of permit data for new residential construction in Texas during the month of November

Based on HBW’s latest construction data reports, there were more than 3,630 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $1.1 billion added to the HBW database for the Lone Star State last month.

Out of the four areas reviewed (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio), Houston carried the greatest volume of housing starts (1,575 permits), while the highest average value of new home construction could be found in the Dallas area (average value: $330,793).

Here is a breakdown of permit data for new residential construction in each of the four major metro regions of Texas last month:

Houston

As previously noted, Houston carried the highest amount of new residential construction last month, having 1,575 new permits with a total construction value of nearly $410 million. The average value of new home construction (average value: $260,096) landed on the lower end of the spectrum in comparison to other Texas areas reviewed, and nearly all of the new permits originated from the counties of Harris (851 permits) and Montgomery (455 permits).

Dallas

In Dallas, there were approximately 1,245 new residential construction permits with a total value of $411.5 million last. The average value of new home construction was highest in Dallas (average value: $330,793) in comparison to other Texas areas reviewed, and the counties with the greatest amount of new residential construction activity for the one-month period were Collin (361 permits) and Tarrant County (318 permits).

Austin

Last month, there were more than 545 new residential construction permits with a total value of approximately $179 million in the Austin area. The average value of new home construction landed on the higher end of the spectrum in Austin (average value: $327,472) compared to other areas reviewed, and nearly half of all new residential construction permits originated from Travis County (260 permits).

San Antonio

In San Antonio, there were more than 265 new permits with a total construction value in excess of $67.2 million last month. The average value of new home construction was lowest in the San Antonio area (average value: $251,728) in comparison to the other Texas areas reviewed, and the county with the highest concentration of new home construction activity was Bexar where there were approximately 120 new permits during the one-month period.

Florida New Swimming Pool Construction Review – October 2022

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Erika Carruth

An overview of new swimming pool construction permit data for Florida during the month of October

According to the latest construction data reports from HBW, there were nearly 2,330 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value of in excess of $163 million added to the HBW database for the month of October 2022. The report factored in all new swimming pool construction permits from five major regions of the Sunshine State: Southwest, Tampa, Orlando, Southeast, Jacksonville. Out of the regions reviewed, the Southeast carried the greatest volume of new swimming pool construction (631 permits), while the Jacksonville area had the highest average value of new pool construction (average value: $86,724).

Here is a breakdown of the total new permits, construction values, and leading counties for new swimming pool construction in the Sunshine State during the month of October:

Southeast

Ranked #1 for new pool construction in Florida, the southeastern region had more than 630 new pool permits with a total construction value of more than $38.6 million during the month of October. The average value of new pool construction was lowest in the southeast (average value: $ 61,187) in comparison to other Florida regions reviewed, and the county with the highest concentration of new pool construction activity during the one-month period was Palm Beach (214 permits).

Tampa

In Tampa, there were 514 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value in excess of $41.6 million. The average value of new pool construction landed on the higher end of the spectrum in the Tampa area (average value: $81,015) in comparison to other Florida regions reviewed, and more than half of all new permits originated from the counties of Hillsborough (158 permits) and Pasco (173 permits).

Orlando

During the month of October, there were 432 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value of more than $27.3 million in the Orlando area. The average value of new pool construction was $63,255, and the county with the highest concentration of new swimming pool construction activity was Orange County (175 permits).

Southwest

In the southwest, there were 430 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value of nearly $27.8 million on record with HBW for the month of October. The average value of new swimming pool construction was $64,540, and the county with the greatest concentration of new pool construction permits was Manatee County (133 permits).

Jacksonville

In Jacksonville, there were 320 new swimming pool construction permits with a total value of nearly $27.8 million. The average value of new pool construction was highest in Jacksonville (average value: $86,724) in comparison to other Florida regions, and the bulk of all new permits originated from the two counties of St. Johns (120 permits) and Duval (81 permits).

Florida Top Home Builders – October 2022

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Erika Carruth

A review of the top ranked home builders for new construction in Florida during the month of October

Earlier this week, we reviewed HBW’s latest construction data reports and reported that there were approximately 6,870 new residential construction permits with a total value in excess of $2.2 billion in the Sunshine State during the month of October. Today, we will be using the same construction reports to filter through the hundreds of contractors with new permits on record and identify those with the greatest amount of new construction activity during the one-month period.

From a statewide perspective, there were three home builders that had a stronghold on the market – D.R. Horton, Lennar Homes, and Pulte Homes carried a combined total of approximately 2,050 new permits in October, reflecting nearly 30 percent of all new residential construction permits on record for the state. The total permits for each of the mega builders are as follows:

1 – D.R. Horton (986 permits)

2 – Lennar Homes (651 permits)

3 – Pulte Homes (412 permits)

When breaking the reports down further, and by region, the leading home builders vary based on geographical location. Here is a closer look at the top five home builders in each of the five major regions of Florida (Southwest, Tampa, Southeast, Orlando, Jacksonville) during the month of October 2022:

Southwest

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Lennar Homes	168	$ 219,537.00
2-D.R. Horton	142	$ 230,982.00
2-Pulte Homes	101	$ 206,013.00
4-Neal Communities of SW FL	76	$ 245,675.00
5-Mattamy Homes	61	$ 377,776.00

Tampa

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Lennar Homes	252	$ 323,920.00
2-D.R. Horton	226	$ 256,444.00
3-Pulte Homes	94	$ 244,223.00
4-Mattamy Homes	53	$ 290,625.00
5-Highland Homes	53	$ 257,697.00

Southeast

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-GL Building Corporation	135	$ 327,016.00
2-Lennar Homes	81	$ 246,433.00
3-D.R. Horton	52	$ 328,217.00
4-Pulte Homes	42	$ 328,504.00
5-Synergy Homes	38	$ 147,094.00

Orlando

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	253	$ 297,590.00
2-Pulte Homes	69	$ 278,836.00
3-Dream Finders Homes	66	$ 286,730.00
4-Viera Builders	54	$ 557,698.00
5-Synergy Homes FL	51	$ 309,703.00

Jacksonville

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	313	$ 200,152.00
2-Dream Finders Construction	127	$ 230,815.00
3-Lennar Homes	110	$ 244,843.00
4-Pulte Homes	106	$ 260,763.00
5-KB Homes	95	$ 159,648.00

Florida New Home Construction Review – October 2022

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Erika Carruth

A summary of permit data on record with HBW for new home construction in Florida during the month of October

Based on HBW’s latest construction data reports, there were approximately 6,870 new residential construction permits with a total value in excess of $2.2 billion in the Sunshine State last month. Out of the five main Florida regions reviewed (Tampa, Southwest, Southeast, Orlando, Jacksonville), the greatest amount of new home construction took place in the southwestern region (1,618 permits), while the highest average value of new home construction could be found in the Southeast (average value: $421,012).

Here is a closer look at the total permits, construction values and leading counties with the greatest amount of new residential construction activity during the month of October 2022:

Southwest

As noted above, the southwestern region of Florida ranked #1 for new home construction, having approximately 1,620 new permits with a total construction value in excess of $523 million last month. The average value of new home construction was $323,269, and more than half of all new permits on record for the one-month period originated from Lee County (462 permits) and Manatee County (462 permits).

Tampa

In Tampa, there were approximately 1,600 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $492 million on record with HBW last month. The average value of new home construction was $307,412 and well more than half of all new permits originated from the counties of Pasco (486 permits) and Hillsborough (442 permits).

Jacksonville

In Jacksonville, there were nearly 1,500 new residential construction permits with a total value of $405.6 million last month. The average value of new home construction was lowest in the Jacksonville area (average value: $271,153) in comparison to other Florida regions reviewed, and the majority of all new residential construction activity took place in the counties of St. Johns (566 permits) and Duval (443 permits).

Orlando

Last month, there were more than 1,280 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $455 million in the Orlando area. The average value of new home construction landed on the higher end of the spectrum in Orlando (average value: $354,647) in comparison to other regions reviewed, and nearly half of all new permits originated from the counties of Brevard (403 permits) and Volusia (233 permits).

Southeast

In the southeastern region of Florida, there were approximately 875 new permits with a total construction value of nearly $368 million added to the HBW database during the month of October. The average value of new home construction was highest in the southeast (average value: $421,012) in comparison to other Florida regions reviewed, and the bulk of all new residential construction permits originated from the two counties of St. Lucie (325 permits) and Palm Beach (274 permits).

Texas Top Home Builders – October 2022

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Erika Carruth

An overview of leading home builders in Texas during the month of October

Earlier this month, we reviewed (and posted on the blog) the latest permit data for new residential construction in the Lone Star State, and we noted that there were approximately 7,280 new residential construction permits with a total value of nearly $2.1 billion added to the HBW database for Texas during the month of October.

Today, we will be utilizing the same HBW construction data reports to identify the leading home builders in each of the four major metro regions of Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio).

Statewide, there are two major home builders that have and continue to drive new residential construction. In fact, more than 25 percent of all new residential construction permits on record were held by them last month, and they rank as follows:

1-D.R. Horton – 1,117 permits

2-Lennar Homes – 851 permits

When taking a closer look and reviewing reports for each region, the leading contractors vary widely depending on the location. For this reason, here is a listing of the top five home builders in each Texas metro area based on the total number of new residential construction permits on record with HBW last month:

Dallas

In Dallas, there were 325 contractors with new residential construction activity on record with HBW last month, and the following ranked as the top five for total new permits:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	505	$ 165,831.00
2-Lennar Homes	334	$ 209,854.00
3-Mattamy Texas	104	$ 240,396.00
4-Meritage Homes	86	$ 253,630.00
5-Starlight Homes Texas	75	$ 189,869.00

Houston

Last month, there were 375 home builders with new permits on record in the Houston area, and the following ranked as the top five total new permits:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	404	$ 256,134.00
2-Lennar Homes	308	$ 167,343.00
3-Pulte Homes	131	$ 315,102.00
4-K Hovnanian Homes	118	$ 145,721.00
5-Perry Homes	92	$ 407,253.00

Austin

Last month, there were more than 145 home builders with new construction activity on record in the Austin area, and the following ranked as the top five for total new permits for the one-month period:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-D.R. Horton	208	$ 241,720.00
2-Lennar Homes	156	$ 190,621.00
3-KB Homes	128	$ 263,533.00
4-Pacesetter Homes	88	$ 147,817.00
5-Brookfield Residential Texas Homes	49	$ 285,514.00

San Antonio

In San Antonio, there were approximately 100 contractors with new residential construction activity on record last month, and the following ranked as the top five for total new permits:

Builder	Total Permits	Average Value
1-Perry Homes	59	$ 426,089.00
2-Lennar Homes	53	$ 162,389.00
3-KB Homes	28	$ 224,453.00
4-Highland Homes	28	$ 222,523.00
5-Bellaire-Hagen Ltd.	15	$ 333,516.00

5 Tips to Boost Holiday Marketing

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Erika Carruth

A few quick tips for improving your holiday marketing efforts

By this time of year, you are probably solidifying your marketing strategy for 2023, but don’t let that stop you from making some last-minute improvements to close this year with a strong holiday marketing campaign. Yes, it’s November, and we are already in “Black Friday” deals several days (and weeks) before that shop-till-you drop day has arrived. That being stated, holiday marketing isn’t only about Black Friday.

Let’s face it, for a contractor or home construction service provider, Black Friday doesn’t provide the plethora of marketing opportunities that a product or storefront may experience. While you can certainly offer some specials such as free consultations or complimentary packages with services, the one-day event does not offer everything a contractor can use to gain visibility during this very busy time of year.

For this reason, here are a few fast and easy tips for boosting your holiday marketing in 2022:

Make an Impact – General messages and predictable holiday greetings have a high probability of fading into the holiday chatter that will be in everyone’s news feed and inbox. To avoid being part of the mass communications, create content that is of value to your audience; such content could be anything from tips and tutorials that can make the holidays and gift-searching easier to unique home upgrades that can make homes welcoming to guests and the season.
Be Authentic – With the many automation tools available, it is easy to just let technology handle your campaigns for you, but you may want to hold on that for now. To be unique, it is important that you add a personal touch that reflects your brand. Although automation saves time, it is vital that you are deliberate with your posts, customizing them to your audience and each distinct social network. Think about the events, services, and qualities that are unique to your business. Share what you and your staff will be doing for the holidays, photos from your holiday party, and annual company updates that include improvements and goals for the coming year.
Make it “Shareable”– From email marketing to social media ads, podcasts and posts, your campaigns must be easy to share; this can be done by adding social share icons to the top of your e-newsletters, encouraging shares and retweets, asking followers to tag friends, and keeping the main message at the front of the post so that it can be quickly and easily viewed.
Give Back – The holidays are a great time to show support for your community and shine a light on the efforts you make as a business to be socially responsible, and there is no better time than the gift-giving season to give back to those in need. From company volunteer outings to charitable contributions to local nonprofit organizations, giving back to the community is an important action you can take to be part of the holiday spirit in a meaningful way.
Spread Holiday Cheer – From your industry partners and suppliers to customers and community events, there are bound to be plenty of holiday conversations and posts being generated that relate to your business and service areas. Join the conversation by sharing/regramming/retweeting others’ posts, as well as responding to customer feedback and industry conversations; offer your expertise, insight, and solutions that will meet customers’ needs well beyond the holiday season.