The building industry has always been about making big decisions with high stakes. Whether it’s where to invest in land, which floor plans to feature, or how to allocate marketing budgets, every choice matters.
Now, with competition tight and buyers’ expectations changing, understanding the data behind those decisions is more important than ever.
The Bokka Group’s 2024 Home Buyer Conversion Report, the only study of its kind in the housing industry, provides a rare glimpse into what influences homebuyers most, from the digital tools they prefer to the features that move them to register or make contact. It offers data and insights into influential tools at all stages of the sales funnel, from online to on-site.
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5 Ways to Optimize Your Sales Funnel and Maximize ROMI
Here are five ways you can harness these insights to stretch your marketing budget further and achieve better ROMI (return on marketing investment).
1. Focus on What Matters Most
One of the strongest takeaways from Bokka’s Conversion Report is the importance of visuals in the buying process. Across nearly every demographic, photo galleries and interactive floor plans topped the list of website features buyers deem most important.
Millennials and Gen Z especially favor 3D interactive tours, suggesting that immersive, tech-forward tools can help win over younger buyers.
For home builders, this means prioritizing your investment in high-quality visuals—particularly interactive media. Beautiful, professionally shot photo galleries are no longer “nice-to-have”; they are table stakes.
Builders that embrace interactive tools such as virtual tours and augmented reality apps can differentiate themselves in the eyes of tech-savvy buyers.
2. Reevaluate Your Lead-Capture Strategy
The data is clear: Buyers are more likely to register on builder websites when they see immediate value.
Whether it’s access to pricing details, scheduling a tour, or using interactive tools such as customizable floor plans, the key is offering something that the buyer feels is worth their time.
Buyers want to know, “What’s in it for me?” and your website should answer that up front if you want your site to be a lead-converting machine.
To make the most of this strategy, streamline your lead-capture forms. Ask for only the essentials (name, email, and phone number) and keep any other form fields relevant to where the buyer is in their journey (for example, budget and/or time frame). Keep the process quick and easy.
At the same time, highlight the benefits of registering, whether it’s receiving personalized updates, early access to inventory, or exclusive content. Tools that deliver immediate value—such as appointment schedulers or virtual walk-throughs—can also boost leads.
When you focus on what buyers care about, you’re not just getting leads, you’re setting the stage for meaningful engagement.
3. Shift to Measurable Marketing Tactics
One surprising finding is the limited influence of certain marketing tools.
For example, while virtual reality (VR) goggles and other advanced technologies are buzzworthy, their impact on buyer decisions is comparatively small. This suggests that builders should be cautious about allocating large portions of their budgets to niche tools without clear return on investment.
Instead, focus on the channels and tactics that are proven to work. Email follow-up remains one of the most effective ways to nurture leads, with 95% of buyers saying they are likely to use email as a method of getting more information.
Builders can maximize ROMI by personalizing email campaigns and segmenting lists to ensure buyers receive relevant, timely updates.
Text messaging is also a great communication tool, but only after you’ve established a relationship with them.
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4. Rethink Generation X
For years, active adult builders have focused their marketing and sales efforts on Baby Boomers, the generation that’s driven the retiree market for decades.
But Generation X is now hitting retirement age, with older members already in their late 50s and early 60s. This transition makes them an emerging and influential segment in the active adult housing market—and their preferences are different from Boomers’.
Gen-X buyers tend to value technology and efficiency more than Boomers. They are comfortable navigating digital tools, but they also expect those tools to be intuitive and streamlined.
While Boomers may respond to more traditional sales techniques or emotional appeals about lifestyle, Gen-X buyers are often more skeptical, preferring straightforward communication, self-service, and clear, tangible benefits.
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