Exclusive Research: Builder Tech

The standby programs that come already loaded with the purchase of a laptop or a smartphone—Excel, Gmail, Office, FaceTime—and those that can be downloaded for free—Dropbox, Skype, and many more—once again were the most popular tech tools used by participants in Professional Builder’s 2017 Builder Technology and Social Media survey.

However, innovations like virtual reality (VR) and drones seem to be catching on, particularly with small and mid-sized builders. Approximately one-third of respondents who closed 16 to 50 houses last year are posting VR tours on their company websites and on social media. A quarter of the respondents who sold 26 to 50 homes have posted aerial footage taken by drones, and almost 25 percent of builders who sold five homes or less indicated that they are planning to use drone footage for marketing.

Respondents cited all sorts of apps and software that helped them close the gap between estimates and actual cost. Increased productivity was another top benefit that builders and architects are seeking from their tech tools,whether that gain was realized by meeting construction deadlines or better communication between all the players involved in the project. A list of apps and software that builders and architects are using as well as their favorites is included with the charts that follow.

(Click on chart above to enlarge)