Homeowner Buying Patterns to Know in 2025
In 2025, we need to understand that homeowners are buying differently. Alongside the recent decline in leads due to consumer confidence and interest rates, there are widespread changes to consider.
It’s no secret that leads are a valuable commodity in the construction world. When leads dry up, times get tough. Understanding your ideal customer’s mindset goes a long way in tailoring your approach to lead capture.
I want to highlight a recent study conducted by roofingcontractor.com that examines the relationship between homeowners and contractors. Although the sample size wasn’t very large, the results still paint an interesting picture for any contractor. For reference, the participants had to “own their residence and have influence in the roofing decisions made.” I will only highlight a few parts of the study, particularly areas where homeowners and contractors don’t match up.
The first finding is that more and more homeowners are using the Internet to find and choose their roofing contractors. This trend shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but it carries over even with older prospects, too. However, word of mouth still plays a big part in influencing decisions. The study found that “referrals are the most common ways homeowners measure the trust of a roofing contractor,” with 88% of the participants rating it the most important method.
Interestingly, the second highest indicator of trust for consumers was online reviews. If you’ve been a long-time reader of the Executive Report, you’ve undoubtedly heard us praise the power of good reviews. A good review is a third-party verification of your work, lending credibility and confidence in choosing you. The study confirms this, with a strong match between the number of homeowners prioritizing reviews and the contractors happy to provide them.
Along with promoting your successful projects through reviews and word of mouth, clear communication was “the most important deciding factor” for homeowners choosing between two contractors. This ranges from answering the phone to keeping a prompt response time online. Two-thirds of homeowners chose communication, even over the ease of buying from a particular contractor. Being straightforward about pricing and installation and setting expectations early are some of your most powerful tools to position yourself firmly ahead of your competition.
Speaking of price transparency, the discrepancy between homeowners who were strongly interested in seeing it and contractors openly presenting it was the largest of the study. I understand the reluctance to feature pricing prominently on your website. It can give the customer an easy way to disqualify you before even calling. For complete transparency, we haven’t made the leap ourselves yet, but this finding agrees with last issue’s proposal of radical honesty with prospects. As more companies embrace the new way consumers buy, we may see it becoming common.
The study ultimately offers us several key points to consider with our businesses: using digital ads to reach customers where they are, being more open with pricing, and building trust through successful projects. These can all help you find those precious leads. However, it all starts with laying the groundwork to generate that lead in the first place — good reviews, referral maximization, authenticity, and transparency. The modern homeowner has more information than ever, but the good news is that we can control the information we put out.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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