By BDX Guest Blogger, Carol Morgan, mRELEVANCE

We’ve all been there, we’re at the store looking for a simple everyday household item, but we are inundated by a wide variety of brands and price points that complicate our decision process. When this happens, our logical next step is to call our best friend or family member, someone we can trust, to get their opinion.

And when it comes to buying a new home, it’s no different. We want to know before we buy, and of course with a home, knowing before buying is even more crucial since it is one of the biggest investments we’ll make in our lifetime.

So, just how are buyers choosing your home building company over Joe Schmoe’s company down the street? As with any other purchase decision, they are turning to their friends, families and neighbors, but they increasingly doing so online. Instead of having a conversation over the phone, buyers are having this conversation online. They’re looking for social proof, they want to make sure their friends have “liked” the product or company and that the company has user reviews, both good and bad.

The social savvy buyer is starting their new home search online. They sift through listing service sites before visiting builder’s websites, and then finally checking out the builder’s social media presence before going to tour the community or email for more information. This means that today’s buyer has gone through an extensive search and verification process before they even make initial contact with your salesperson, and they are going to know more than ever before. In fact, they may opt to do follow up with you via Facebook or another social media site.

To survive, builders must be prepared and ready. Survival Tips:

• Make sure your website is accessible by both desktop and mobile
• Maintain a fan page on Facebook
• Have an active Twitter account
• Demonstrate good customer service through review sites
• Make sure your sales team is aware of all of your social sites

Carol Flammer is managing partner of Marketing RELEVANCE, LLC, a Marketing, Communication, Interactive agency with offices in Atlanta and Chicago. She is the author of “Social Media for Home Builders 2.0” published by BuilderBooks.