3 Myths about Modular Homes Debunked

When trying to decide between a site-built home and a modular one, you'll have some questions that need to be answered before you commit. A company like Custom Smart Homes reviews their work and puts a lot of care into building modular homes. However, there is a fair amount of confusion surrounding these factory-built homes, so let's address some of those issues right now.

Myth #1: They're built very cheaply

If you're concerned that modular homes are built cheaply, rest assured that nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that modular homes are built with very high-quality materials, and are constructed with great precision. You can't have any crooked walls or inconsistencies because, if you do, the pieces won't fit together when the house is moved to the site.  

There are a lot of ways that modular contractors save money, which they can then put to good use procuring quality materials and workmanship. For instance, they can often purchase materials in bulk, and since there is little waste and no delays in the factory, expenditures are kept as low as possible. As a result, construction is top-notch.

Myth #2: They're the same thing as a trailer

A modular home is NOT the same thing as a mobile home. The industry term for what most people call a "trailer" is a manufactured home, which is different from a modular home. Aside from all of the customizations you can add to a modular home, a manufactured home is only built to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards. Modular homes are built to the same standards and regulations that any other home you see in the neighborhood is built.

Myth #3: They aren't worth as much as a "real" home

The truth is that there is no structural difference between a modular home and a site-built one. While manufactured homes rest on the metal structures on which they were built, modular homes rest on foundations, just the same as your neighbors' site-built homes do. The main difference is the method by which the homes were built.

Modular homes appreciate and depreciate exactly the same way that site-built homes do -- usually based on the neighborhood in which you live and the economy. In fact, a modular home could even be worth more than a comparable site-built one because there's a good chance you will pay less for it. The return on investment can be greater.

Hopefully, this information has helped to answer a few of your questions. There's no doubt that you should shop around and check out the Custom Smart Homes reviews before making a decision. After all, a home is a big investment in your future and you want to be sure!

Three Common Design Mistakes People Make When Planning Their Home

Custom Smart Homes takes home building seriously, that’s why we have so many satisfied customers.  People choose to work with our company for a variety of reasons.  Some want to live in brand new green homes, and others choose us because they heard good things about our services.  It isn’t uncommon for some people to choose Custom Smart Homes because they want to own a modular home.  Since modular homes come in a variety of pre-designed floor plans, our customers know that they won’t get any nasty surprises after construction is over.  Planning and designing a home isn’t easy, and it isn’t uncommon for people who are new to it to make a mistake.  When you’re planning your dream home, make sure you don’t make any of these common design mistakes.

Too much storage

You’ve always dreamed of having a spacious walk-in closet and a two door garage, but depending on the size of the rest of your home you may end up regretting your wish for extra storage space.  Your plot of land may seem large, but once you tack on extra storage space to your floor plan that plot is going to get much smaller.  Your big closets, basement, and garage will eat into space in your home, and your other rooms may have to lose some square feet in order to fit it all.  

Sealing windows

In a state where air conditioners are considered a necessity and not a luxury, it can be easy to take fresh air and air circulation for granted.  Some people choose to have certain windows permanently sealed so that they can avoid robbery attempts.  If you’re truly concerned about safety look into getting a home security system instead of sealing up your home.  Sealed windows pose a significant safety hazard, especially in case of a house fire or a need to evacuate quickly.  

“Specialty” Rooms

There are countless home owners that envision having a sewing room, a home office, a game room, or a workout room, but sometimes those visions don’t turn out the way they want them to.  Unless you’re an avid worker, exerciser, or gamer, you really don’t need an extra room solely devoted to that activity.  It’s more likely for your game room to turn into a storage center for boxes and other possessions than it is to become an actual game room.  Instead of designing a room to server one purpose, leave it open for other possible ideas.

Three Tips For Improving Your Customer Service

When you run a business your customers can make or break you, so it’s crucial for entrepreneurs to try to keep their clients as happy as possible.  There are some people that are just natural people pleasers, and having the urge to make others happy can be a valuable skill for every businessman.  Custom Smart Homes builds homes, but our customer service advice can be applied to any industry.   Wanting to make others happy is an admirable trait, but sometimes it can be easier said than done.  There’s nothing more difficult than trying to stay calm when you’re dealing with an angry and agitated customer, but if you remember to keep a few things in mind you won’t have a problem keeping your cool.

Find common ground

Have you ever heard of the concept of implicit egotism?  In layman’s terms, it’s a psychological concept that states that people generally like other people more if they have something in common.  If you can find a way to relate to your unhappy customer, your empathy can common traits can help you keep a customer.  If you have an unhappy customer that has a family, mention that you understand as a parent and family member how important it is for them to have exemplary products and services.  

Use positive language

“It’s not what you said, it’s the way that you said it.”

How many times have you heard that phrase during a disagreement?  The tone of our voice and our choice of words can profoundly affect how people react to us, so make sure that you keep things positive when you’re dealing with angry customers.  Avoid using words like “don’t”, “can’t”, “won’t”, and other words that have negative connotations.  Instead of saying that you can’t ship a certain product until the end of month, explain to the customer that the soonest that you’ll have the product will be by the end of the month, and that you’d be happy to place an order for them. 

Don’t rush

You obviously want to resolve the customer’s probably as quickly as possible, but if you rush to find a solution your customer may feel like you’re just trying to get them out of your hair.  Never assume that you know exactly what the problem is, even if they mentioned it to you before.  Always let them say whatever they need to say, and respond to their words accordingly.  Also don’t make the mistake of dealing with an upset customer when you’re busy with other tasks.  Even simply taking a call when you’re talking to them can seem disrespectful.

Three Ways To Keep Customers Loyal And Satisfied

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the construction industry, own a large corporation, or have a small family business you run out of your home.  If you’re running any kind of business, happy customers are the key to your success.  Custom Smart Homes ratings reflect how much we do to keep our customers happy, and learning how to keep people pleased can take a little time and practices.  Every business has their own unique products and services to offer their clients, but all essentially need to do the same things to keep them happy.  If you want to keep smiles and your customer’s faces, make sure you follow these tips for excellent customer service.

Show loyalty

Do you expect your employees to be loyal to your company?  If so, don’t you think your employees should extend that loyalty to your customers?  If you want to keep customers happy and keep their business, you need to be as loyal to them as they are to you.  If you have a repeat custom that’s unhappy with a product or service, don’t hesitate to give them a refund or offer them products or services for free.  If you them that you appreciate their business, they’ll continue to be your loyal and happy customer.

Make promises you can keep

A good rule in the business world is to never promise something to a customer if you aren’t 100% sure you can follow through.  A promise can be anything from offering a money back guarantee to promising to contact someone at a certain time.  Nothing makes a customer more unhappy and wary of businesses than feeling like they’ve been misled, and if you want to keep your customers you should avoid committing to something unless you’re sure you can do it.

Be genuine

People can have a big pet peeve about dealing with rude employees, but they also don’t like dealing with employees they think are laying it on a bit too thick.  Train your employees to talk to your customer like they’re people, and not like they’re getting lines fed to them from an employee handbook.  People appreciate honesty and genuine enthusiasm when they’re talking to employees, so you should teach your employees to be friendly and authentic when they’re dealing with customers.

Reputation Management 101: Three Mistakes People Make When Responding To Negative Reviews

Negative reviews can be the bane of any company’s existences.  In a world where the right or wrong kind of review can make or break your business, it’s understandable that many managers and employees spend time scouring the web to look for reviews.  There are a lot of Custom Smart Homes reviews, and our experiences with them have taught us a lot on the proper way to handle them.  You’ll see a lot of advice online about the right way to respond to reviews, but you don’t see too much information on how to not respond to your company’s reviews.  If you’re thinking about how you’re going to respond to a negative review, make sure you avoid making these common mistakes.

Responding without saying anything specific

Some people think that generic responses are the best way to deal with customer reviews, but if you want to get a positive response from readers it’s one of the worst things you can do.  A response like, “I’m sorry that you are unhappy with our services.  Please contact us so we can make sure that you have a better experience with our company”, doesn’t address the customer’s actual complaint.  Making a response that could virtually be about any problem shows readers that you’re more concerned about appearing concerned than about actually improving the customer’s experience.

Playing the blame game

When you see a negative review about your business, it’s natural to feel the need to defend your business.  Maybe you remember this particular customer acting rude towards or staff, or maybe you think that the client was confused about what your products and services actually did.  Either way, trying to defend your company by saying that the customer was the one at fault is a bad way to improve your reputation.  Even if what you’re saying is true, people who read your response will wonder why your company seems to want to place the blame on the customer instead of trying to fix the problem.

Responding to every single bad review

If someone is writing a bad review about your company you’re going to want to tell your side of the story, but if you respond to every single negative review you won’t be doing much to help your company’s image.  If you take time to respond to every review, readers are going to wonder why your company is dedicated to finding negative reviews and responding to them.  Your excessive responses could make some readers think that your company is aggressively responding to reviews because you have a lot of unhappy customers.