As a homebuilder, finding the right buyers for your business is crucial. You have skills, characteristics and interests that position you well for certain types of people.
Anyone outside of your “ideal customer profile” (ICP) will either drain you or will take too much effort to win over. Your lead generation and marketing efforts should speak to specific people with specific pain points.
Otherwise, your messaging will be too generic and won’t convince people that you are the best possible homebuilder for their needs.
So what is the secret to homebuilder lead generation? Just buy a list?
No — the name of the game is attracting high-quality leads who are ready to move forward today, as well as building trust with those who will be ready tomorrow. It takes work, but it’s worth the investment.
1. Optimize Your Website for Homebuilder Lead Conversions
Your website is often the first impression potential buyers have of your business.
Some best practices include:
- Keeping it updated with available homes, floor plans and high-quality images
- Ensuring it’s mobile-friendly for easy browsing on any device
- Adding simple, compelling lead capture forms, such as “Get a Free Home Consultation”
A slow or outdated site can scare away potential buyers. If you don’t keep your digital “house” in order, why should someone trust you with their real home?
And a website that is too generic won’t attract new homebuilder leads. Your messaging will wash over potential clients and push them to homebuilders that have demonstrated past success at serving people in their exact demographic.
If you love working with first-time custom homebuyers, your messaging should emphasize how much you understand the anxieties that come with building a new home. You should talk about all the families you’ve worked with who are now living in the home of their dreams after a painless and stress-free project.
If you prefer selling spec homes, you should talk about how good you are at finding great deals that still check all the boxes for buyers. Your superpower should be getting people excited about homes that they haven’t designed fully themselves.
Here’s the takeaway: your website will convert leads at a much higher percentage if people feel like it speaks directly to them, their experience and their goals.
2. Invest in Local SEO
Buyers searching for new homes often start with Google. Make sure your business shows up in those searches by optimizing for local SEO.
- Claim and update your Google Business Profile
- Use keywords like “custom homebuilder in [city name]” or “new homes for sale in [neighborhood]”
- Publish local content, such as blog posts on home trends in your area
A good local SEO strategy also involves cross-promotion with other organizations in your area. Google wants to see that you’re an active participant in the community. It rewards “backlinks” from other local websites to your site.
And buyers who come across your website through another organization are more likely to trust your authority. You have credibility because of your association with other reputable businesses.
Now, one of the hardest parts about local SEO is the time and effort required to keep a high ranking in search results. In the same way that you’re researching how to boost visibility and generate leads, so too is your competition.
Google is constantly evaluating websites and deciding whose content best fits the user’s query. If you take your foot off the gas pedal for too long, another homebuilder can easily come in and supplant you with relevant content.
So, if you hate writing or would rather not spend time on website management, it can make sense to hire a local SEO agency. The key is making sure that they share your commitment to value. Even if you are producing content for SEO visibility, it should still be useful to readers.
Don’t let outside writers put fluff on your website. It erodes your credibility and decreases your lead generation performance.
3. Use Video to Build Trust
Home buying is an emotional process. Video helps buyers connect with your brand on a personal level.
- Create virtual home tours to showcase your properties
- Send personalized video messages throughout the “buyer’s journey”
- Post updates videos of your team and construction process
Videos makes your outreach feel more personal, and they tap into a key aspect of homebuilder sales and marketing: buyers want to visualize their future home. They want to see it and imagine themselves living in the space.
Here’s a great example of a video that taps into this idea…
This is obviously made for an existing customer rather than a prospect, but it shows what you can do with video to differentiate your business. Videos help people feel more connected to you as the homebuilder and more excited about their project.
Now, your video messages, as with any other form of marketing, should include clear calls-to-action (CTAs). And these CTAs should anticipate the next question or concern the homebuyer has.
For example, if you’re sending a video message to follow up on an appointment booking, tell the recipient to reach out to you with any issues in advance or with information on how to reschedule. You could also send them a “pre-read” — a guide on how you work so they know what to expect going into the first meeting.
All of your communication should lead somewhere. It should keep momentum moving forward and encourage deeper engagement from homebuyers.
The key is using a video messaging platform that makes it easy to embed CTAs in your videos. A verbal CTA is great; a button someone can click in your video is even better. The less friction, the more likely someone will take the action you want them to take.
4. Use Social Media to Attract Buyers
Your buyers are scrolling social media, so your homes should be there too.
- Post stunning home photos and walkthrough videos on Instagram and Facebook
- Run targeted ads to reach local buyers
- Engage with potential customers in the comments and direct messages
Remember: social media isn’t just about posting—it’s about starting conversations and building relationships.
Just like how your website should be jam packed with value, your social media profile should deliver so much useful information that people don’t want to miss a post. This is how your socials generate leads.
(for a deeper dive on social media marketing for homebuilders, check out this article)
You prove that you’re a trustworthy authority and continue to give people a next step. Tell followers to send you a direct message for a consultation or visit your website to book a meeting. Let them know you are available, and then exceed expectations in the follow up.
5. Offer Valuable Lead Magnets
Most buyers won’t fill out a form unless they get something in return. Offer free resources to encourage sign-ups, such as:
- A “New Homebuyer’s Guide”
- A “Home Design Trends for 2025” PDF
- A cost calculator for building a custom home
These lead magnets help you collect contact information while providing real value. You can promote lead magnets on your website, social media, and at in-person events. If you start an email list, you could also share lead magnets there to get people to go from passive readers to active prospects.
Every lead magnet should solve a narrow problem and introduce the next one. For instance, the next step after a cost calculator could be a resource that explains how to think about financing. And then that resource is its own lead magnet that could highlight local loan originators.
To summarize, your lead magnets should create a series of bridges that keep solving pain points for prospective buyers. This is what builds your credibility as a problem-solver and eventually their homebuilder.
6. Host Open Houses and Community Events
In-person experiences give buyers a real feel for your homes. Consider:
- Open house weekends with refreshments and guided tours
- First-time homebuyer Q&A sessions
- Community launch events with local vendors
Face-to-face interactions help build trust and increase referrals.
But again, you should plan your events with a specific buyer in mind. Spec home buyers have different needs than tract home buyers. The same is true for custom home buyers.
If you have all of these people in the same room, it’s hard to go deep enough on any one segment’s needs. You’ll end up speaking too generically, or you’ll only be compelling to a smaller set of people.
In this case, you would have wasted resources bringing in prospects outside of your ICP. A better use of time, money and effort would have been to go after that smaller subset from the beginning, as they have a better chance of converting.
Also, here’s an example of a homebuilder following up on an in-person event with a quick video message…
7. Build a Strong Referral Program
Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful. Encourage happy homeowners to refer friends and family by offering:
- Gift cards or discounts for successful referrals
- Exclusive perks for new buyers, such as free upgrades
- Personalized thank-you notes or videos for every referral
Satisfied buyers are your best salespeople—make it easy for them to spread the word.
You should also give guidance on what a great referral is for your business. Tell them who you love working with and why. Direction is helpful, and it prevents people from sending low-quality prospects who take away time from better leads.
And don’t forget to thank people for their referrals. Even if you’ve said “thank you’ before, do it again. People love helping people they like. Expressing gratitude maintains a warm relationships and reinforces the idea that you take care of referrals well.
Activate Your New Homebuilder Lead Generation Engine
Effective lead generation for builders is about attracting the right buyers, not just any buyers. You could go out and buy a list…but the better path is to build a lead generation engine that consistently produces great leads.
(btw, check out this blog post for a broader overview of homebuilder marketing)
If you’re not currently using video messaging in your business try BombBomb free for 14 days. And if you’re part of a team that’s considering video messaging, schedule a demo for the group here.
