Homes by Avi
Customer satisfaction a hallmark for over 40 years
While a sixth Gold award in a row is a notable achievement, Homes by Avi’s success is even more impressive when you consider that voters in the Home Builder category change every year.
Thus, year after year, Homes by Avi has had to “earn” that recognition with an entirely new group of customers to win their Edmonton Journal Readers’ Choice Award.
Focusing on the customer is the key to a company that moved 270 families into new Edmonton homes last year. “The nucleus of our organization is exemplary customer service,” says Micah Dueck, Edmonton and Region Sales Manager for Homes by Avi. “We treat fellow employees as customers, as we do the tradespeople we hire, and that approach naturally continues to our home purchasers.”
The company is currently participating in 17 subdivision show home parades in the Edmonton area, and selecting an appropriate developer is the first step in the building process.
“We select Master Plan communities and our relationship with developers carries over to provide a good experience for the customer,” Dueck says. “Some customers prefer walkability to nearby schools and amenities, while others want to be near nature or recreation areas and we look for developers, who focus on creating attractive and enjoyable environments.”
The proverbial “location, location, location” is an integral part of determining where they want to offer their homes, but that’s only one aspect of what Homes by Avi calls the “Discovery Discussion”. They have developed the process since they began in 1978. It begins with each customer being assigned a sales representative who will guide them through the planning and construction of their home.
“The community is the first thing we look at with a customer,” Dueck says. “We want to learn why they’re moving, what they need in a community, what factors and events are important to them — all before we proceed to styles and layouts and what livability means to their family.”
An accredited design team and a full drafting department work with the customer to develop the design, supported by the estimating team that ensures accurate figures and the best value. “We want to keep it fun, and show that we’re invested in their experience,” says Dueck.
Homes by Avi builds single-family two-storey houses, bungalows, townhomes with front or rear drives, as well as villa duplexes in various price ranges. “We’ve got homes in the mid-320s, and every once in a while we’ll help out at $1 million,” says Dueck.
“But what we really do is help customers decide what’s best for them — our goal is to create homes, not just build houses.”
Once the design is finalized, construction begins and the customer is kept abreast of the progress throughout. Complete documentation and information sheets are standard, and Homes by Avi also has a “Home Owner Portal” on their website where they post in-progress photos as part of the status reports of each project with individual access by the customer.
Quality of construction is a prime consideration and reflects the company’s focus on relationships. “We implement great forethought and planning, however we are quick to adapt to changes in client interest and home offerings,” says Dueck, “Part of that ability stems from our long-term relationships with the trade experts we engage. They understand our construction practices and are able to execute while honoring the fact that excellence in construction is a cornerstone of the service we provide. Our sales people need to know that they’re helping people purchase the best product available.”
To that end, they have a long-tenured sales group with 150 combined years of experience, while their service group of seven people has 75 years. “If you’ve been here less than five years, you’re considered a newbie,” Dueck says.
With such commitment, Homes by Avi enjoys a healthy referral environment, and they also have return customers. “We like to think about helping our customers at all stages of their lives,” says Dueck. “As a family grows, we’ll see them return to our sales centres, and now, having been in the business for so long, we’re also finding return customers who are interested ‘right-sizing.’ ”
Thus, Homes by Avi continues to investigate new community opportunities as customers progress through different life stages. As such, they’re also growing on new horizons. “Almost half our new customers are new to Canada within the past 10 years,” says Dueck.
“We find it exciting to meet and serve people from all over the world. We enjoy growing with our customers.”
www.homesbyavi.com/ Edmonton