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Vice President of Business Development at Outhouse, Kevin Weitzel, is in the studio for today’s episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Joined by co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick, the group discusses Outhouse’s outsourcing services, as well as the effects COVID-19 has had on the way home builders market to audiences, design products and conduct sales onsite.
Weitzel has worn many interesting hats throughout his career. As a former professional cyclist, he served as an Olympic alternative in 1988. He also served as a United States Marine for eight years before entering into sales within the cycling/bicycle industry. Just five years ago, Weitzel was introduced to the home building industry through a friend who owned Outhouse. He has been working with the outsourcing company ever since and is enjoying being a part of the homebuilding industry.
Based out of Arizona, Outhouse is an outsourcing agency that provides home builders with a variety of marketing and design services that companies often prefer not to do inhouse. As a small company, Outhouse aims to spearhead as much as possible while working on the leading edge of technology. The company is known for inventing the interactive floor plan over 18 years ago and was also the first to make the interactive tool mobile-friendly.
According to Weitzel, COVID-19 hasn’t played a huge impact on the company itself, but it has changed the needs of the home builders it works with. As a result, the company has been riding the wave alongside the pandemic by helping builders come to speed with new technology. While builders have always used services like interactive floor plans and marketing features, the ongoing pandemic has forced them to rely on these tools in order to stay relevant in our new virtual world.
Outhouse’s three main focuses include product design, online marketing and onsite sales. When it comes to product design, the company can do anything from designing plans to full plan management. In addition to providing online marketing through interactive floor plans, Outhouse also offers other tools such as interactive sales kiosks, interactive site plans, virtual tools, animations and renderings. For home builders looking to develop and produce collateral for their onsite sales centers or model home, Outhouse has a full commercial pressroom to help them do that and more.
Interactive marketing tools go further than just providing an image of the home. Within these interactive plans, builders can incorporate other tools like live pricing and note features that help homebuyers better visualize the space and get an idea of affordability. Through these tools, builders are likely to have more leads coming in with much easier closings. Of course, proper implementation of these tools is key to success. Weitzel recommends making sure they are placed on the site where buyers can access them with just two-to-three clicks.
Going into 2021, Weitzel has several ways home builders can get more out of their marketing budgets. One suggestion is to utilize Matterport’s 2D static floor plan. This is tool is practically free and is especially useful for custom builders or builders with spec homes. Weitzel also encourages homebuilders to stop minimizing the effects of their marketing budgets with 2D home renderings. Clients today expect 3D images and builders want to make sure their product is being viewed in a positive light.
To learn more about the outsourcing services offered by Outhouse, contact Kevin Weitzel at kevinw@outhouse.net or visit their website at www.outhouse.net. Also, be sure to listen to the full interview above.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and Outhouse are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (September/2020)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
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