Consumer Research to Maximize ROI in a Slowing Market

There’s no nice way to say it: today’s US housing market isn’t what it was a year or two ago. Sales have softened, buyer hesitation is trending up, and the pressure on builders, developers, and build-to-rent operators to deliver and market the right product has only increased.

Can consumer research fix those challenges? No. But it can reveal unknowns, uncover avoidable missteps, and help you make sharper decisions in areas you can control, from product design and sales strategies to brand positioning and marketing execution. 

And that’s what makes consumer research an essential tool in today’s more risk-sensitive environment.

Whether you're trying to understand why conversions have slowed, designing a new product in a dynamic submarket, or preparing for a critical sales launch, there’s a research approach that fits. 

Consider the increasingly familiar scenarios below and what we recommend most often to help you and your team reduce uncertainty and improve your return on investment (ROI) in a cooling market.

1. When Sales (or Leasing) Slows … and You're Not Sure Why

You’ve launched the community. The website is live, models are open, and your interest list shows initial traction. But for some reason, sales or leasing activity is underwhelming. 

It’s time to go beyond usual methods and get direct insight from your potential buyers or renters with Lost Buyer (or Renter) Interviews, a hyper-focused way to uncover what’s holding people back. 

These conversations are conducted with individuals who expressed interest but ultimately chose not to move forward. Often, we find lost buyers whose reasons are not rooted in broader market factors like interest rates or affordability; they’re tied to something within your control, like the in-person or online experience. 

Lost Buyer research identifies the internal factors creating drag in the sales funnel, allowing you to course correct.

2. When Designing a New Product or Launching a New Community

Even in a softening market, business continues with new products being designed, repositioned, and launched. 

But the margin for error is narrower now, which makes real-time, targeted feedback from consumers even more critical. Consider:

Real Estate Professionals Focus Groups offer a first line of feedback from actual buyers. Where home shoppers only represent their own opinion, real estate professionals bring the opinions of many home shoppers. And, they can discuss concepts, which makes them invaluable when looking at something very preliminary. 

These groups provide a lot of bang for the research buck and can be effective with fewer participants than the home shopper/homebuyer focus groups.

Interest List Surveys allow you to assess lead quality before the grand opening, since a long list of interested buyers feels great, but quantity doesn’t always equal quality. 

Through structured outreach, you can determine:

• How many prospects are financially prepared to move forward
• What prospects expect from the product and community
• How urgent their timelines are
• What factors might delay or derail their decision

Insights gained from these surveys not only helps with forecasting, but also can inform everything from pricing strategy to launch timing. It’s a quick reality check that prevents last-minute surprises—and often results in a stronger opening performance.

Later in production (after drywall is up, for instance), Walking Focus Groups are useful tools to gain gut-level feedback. In this case, invite prospects, buyers, or look-alikes (see below) to tour homes in a structured research event that yields invaluable insights. 

Participants react in real time to the home’s layout, flow, and spatial experience, details that don’t always show up in a rendering or brochure ... or even a virtual tour.

These sessions often uncover last-minute changes that can significantly improve the home's salability. And since they’re conducted before final finishes or staging are complete, you still have time to adjust.

3. When Your Brand or Marketing Isn’t Converting Like It Should

The product is solid, and you’re confident in the location. But traffic isn’t converting, or leads are coming in without momentum. This disconnect is often a sign that your messaging, branding, or creative approach isn’t connecting as intended in a shifting market.

Look-Alike Focus Groups involve recent or prospective buyers who closely resemble your target audience in terms of income, location, and preferences. 

Participants review your brand, marketing language, visuals, and campaign direction, and offer qualitative feedback on what resonates, what falls flat, and why.

These insights go beyond surface-level reactions. They help you refine positioning and develop the creative package before you commit to full-scale media spending, saving both time and marketing dollars.

The Bottom Line 

In today’s market, consumer research isn’t about chasing perfection, it’s about avoiding costly mistakes. It helps you tune the product, sharpen the message, and get out ahead of problems you can solve before they become revenue drains.

And it doesn’t have to be a long process. Most of the approaches outlined above can be deployed in just a few weeks, scoped to fit your timeline, budget, and specific needs. The most important step is knowing what questions you need to answer and choosing the right research tool to answer them.

Sometimes, just one smart research step can make the difference between a missed target and a stronger ROI.