Customer satisfaction with newly built, single-family homes is increasing after sagging in boom years.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Builders may not be putting up as many houses as they did during the boom, but what they are building, they’re building better.
According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 U.S. New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, overall customer satisfaction increased for the second consecutive year, up 32 points to 811 on a 1,000 point scale.
Satisfaction with the quality of the home also grew, to 825 up from 799. The rate of customer-reported problems dropped to 9.55 problems per home down from 11.51 problems in 2008.
“Fierce competition among home builders has led to a market where only the strongest companies have survived,” said Paula Sonkin, vice president of the real estate and construction industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “This is great news for new-home buyers — particularly first-time buyers — since builders are offering unprecedented high levels of quality, value and service at relatively low prices.”
If you visit this site regularly, then you’ve already heard me preach that the economy in Texas (and in its largest 4 cities) continues to buck national trends. I have so many frazzled buyers asking me “Why are all the crazy sellers in Austin trying to sell their home without slashing the price in half?” My answer often falls on deaf ears… Because unlike the hard-hit areas like Florida and Nevada, Texas has always had steady growth and appreciation, never doubling or trippling overnight. We have no out of control boom to recover from, there is no crash because our economy is healthier than other states’ and even the nation.
The Austin Business Journal 
My advice is in a move-up situation, you’re getting ahead of the game. Not only are you getting bigger savings on the home you’re buying than any losses in the home you’re selling, but you’re also able to lock in amazing interest rates (saving you much more for years to come).
Smart
