Contractor lead generation service Modernize released its latest Modernize Homeowner Index, a quarterly research study that measures sentiment among over 2,500 U.S. homeowners. The study was created to help home improvement professionals better serve the market by providing key homeowner insights as they relate to home improvements. This new study focuses on how homeowners educate themselves about the home improvement projects they are interested in, how they find and choose contractors to work with, and how they think about paying for their projects.
Homeowner research
The study found that 75% of homeowners will do some level of research before beginning a project. Up to 64% of homeowners educate themselves through online research. Though 17% learn how to plan their project through home improvement websites, 54% of homeowners will go to Google as their main research resource.
“The fact that so many homeowners search online for information and guidance on their home improvement projects points to the importance for contractors to have a robust online presence,” said Jason Polka, CEO of Modernize.
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Since 67% of homeowners feel less than “very confident” in their understanding of the cost of their project, it makes sense that the study found that almost 1/3 of them are looking for budgeting help online. The Index discovered that financing is important to homeowners, and up to 2/3 of homeowners surveyed considered financing their project.
Selecting a contractor
When it comes to selecting a contractor, the study found that 41% of homeowners said they would depend on website recommendations, and 29% would depend on online search results.
“The homeowner’s use of online resources reinforces the need for contractors to show up in search results and on key websites so that homeowners can learn about them,” said Polka. “Homeowners are going online to educate themselves on their home improvement projects and to find the help they need. Contractors need to capitalize on that trend by having their own site show up in search results or connecting with homeowners through trusted third party sites.”
This new study is part of an ongoing research project. Modernize is dedicated to educating home improvement contractors so they can better understand customers’ needs and preferences in order to make sound business decisions. Each quarter, Modernize surveys thousands of American homeowners interested in solar, roofing, windows and HVAC projects.
— Solar Builder magazine
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