Zonda Acquires Builders Digital Experience to Streamline the Homebuying Process

Zonda, the leading provider of data-driven housing market solutions for the homebuilding industry, today announced it will acquire Builders Digital Experience (BDX), which includes NewHomeSource.com, the largest new construction home listings platform in the U.S., and Envision, the leading new home design platform.

Key Takeaways

• Zonda is streamlining the new home shopping journey by combining its data and tech platform with the leading new home listings portal in the U.S.
• Home buyers will benefit from an end-to-end digital home shopping experience — from being able to shop for specific home sites within a new home community, to scheduling self-guided tours, to customizing a future home with Envision, a fully immersive online design platform.
• This acquisition will help builders get more exposure for listings, access new data about consumer buying habits and trends to grow the sales and marketing funnel, and ultimately help drive deeper engagement with buyers throughout the entire home shopping lifecycle.

Founded in 2000, BDX is owned by a group of 24 leading home builders in the U.S., including Lennar, PulteGroup, KB Home, and Beazer Homes, with more than 1,200 builders active on the platforms today. NewHomeSource.com is the largest portal for new construction listings, and Envision is used by major U.S. home builders to help buyers visualize their future home and customize finishes based on their budget.

The demand for new construction remains clear – especially as homeowner needs evolved following the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly one in three homes on the market in the U.S. last year were a new home. Historically, newly built homes made up just 10-15% of total inventory.

This acquisition marks a significant step in Zonda’s mission to streamline the new home shopping journey by helping consumers find homes easier, and, in turn, helping builders grow their business and generate more connection with home buyers. Zonda also operates Livabl, Canada’s leading new construction home listings portal.

“By combining a new home listings portal with Zonda’s deep dataset, we’ll be able to better serve the unique needs of home shoppers, ultimately driving more connections with buyers and awareness for home builders,” said Jeff Meyers, CEO of Zonda.

“We know that consumers shop for new homes and communities differently,” said Meyers. “With the help of Zonda’s data, consumers will soon be able to find, tour, and compare specific homes within a new home community — a far more dynamic experience than seeing a model home listing and sample floor plans. This is a game changer for the industry and will not only create a more engaging platform for consumers, but will yield incredibly rich data for builders to inform their business and pricing strategy.”

“This acquisition is a historic moment in the new home industry that will drive more leads and awareness for builders and their homes,” said Kevin Krone, CEO of BDX. “Zonda, with their deep data and technical experience, is the ideal choice to take our vision to the next level. As builders race to keep up with consumer demand for new homes, we’re excited to have Zonda take our tech platform to the next level and ultimately fuel growth for the entire industry.”

Additional Benefits of the Deal:

For Home Shoppers:

• Timely Listings Data: Consumers will be able to view the most complete catalog of new homes and communities in America – updated from direct builder feeds and Zonda’s data platform.
• Community Maps: With Zonda’s map integrations, home shoppers will be able to see listings for specific home sites within communities, as well as listing status, floor plan options and community layout. Most listing portals today provide information on only a few homes or floor plans within a community.
• 3D & 2D Floor Plans: Visualize homes with fully integrated renderings of builder floor plans in both 3D and 2D.
• Design/Customization Tools: With the Envision platform, consumers will be able to customize their new home before they move in using a fully immersive online design center. Consumers will be able to select their home’s finishings from more than 225 product manufacturer brands, see structural and floor plan modifications, and preview how it will look in an integrated visualizer.
• Self-Guided Tours: With Zonda’s integration with UTour, consumers will be able to schedule tours and preview homes on-demand and enjoy interactive, self-guided tours without a salesperson.

For Home Builders:

• More Leads: Higher quality leads and the ability to drive deeper engagement with buyers throughout the entire home shopping lifecycle.
• Benchmarking Data: With Zonda’s builder dashboard, builders will have access to new benchmarking analytics and insights into consumer buying habits and trends.
• Lead Conversion Stats: Builders will gain deeper insights into the lifecycle of their leads, lead volume, and geography trends for home shoppers.
• Industry Experts: With Zonda’s team of industry experts, builders will have access to more educational opportunities to gain insights about market dynamics and more.

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