ᐅ Do you get the impression that “house sellers” (prefabricated homes) tend to ...

Take a close look around new housing developments and ask the homeowners directly. Check the company names on the vehicles. Not every builder has a website. Some rely solely on word of mouth.

Do you have a local weekend newspaper? The free ones with lots of advertisements. Occasionally, they list open construction site visits. That’s how we found ours, even though it’s quite small.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

have more trust in my "business partners"

No, not necessarily.

There are different stages on the way to the first ground-breaking, which vary in emphasis depending on the company (or structure).

In smaller companies, these stages tend to be less distinct, and details are discussed and priced from the very beginning. The larger the company, the more defined the separation becomes. The actual sales process is generally standardized, and specific requests and details are only taken into account later during the construction planning. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.

This has been mentioned before, but always remember: you only build one house, but you might request, for example, five bids. That means four "sellers" end up empty-handed while one hits the jackpot. From the seller’s perspective, that corresponds to an average success rate of 20%. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to the sellers only putting in 20% effort per customer.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

Do sellers really expect you to hand over your entire fortune simply on trust? Or do other homebuyers actually part with their money more easily? You know what, I’ll start a new thread based on this question because I’m genuinely interested.

Well, that’s what contracts are for. You don’t just put all your money on the table. Payments are made according to the progress of construction.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

I would prefer a small turnkey contractor from the region, but despite weeks of research, I haven’t found anyone like that.

Look into carpentry companies or general home construction... there should be quite a few options.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

The conclusion from this and my other threads is, for now, that I should place more trust in my "business partners."

A healthy skepticism is absolutely justified in this industry—especially during boom periods, when the rate of shoddy work traditionally increases. However, this shouldn’t lead to excessive micromanagement where you constantly hover over the contractors like a shadow.

haydee schrieb:

There are different types of salespeople and different company philosophies.

Even some big names with otherwise high quality and fair pricing rely on commission-driven salespeople, while smaller general contractors (GCs) of any construction method—usually owner-operated and competent—often combine the sales role with the leadership role and proactively handle complaints through communication.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

I would prefer a small regional prefabricated home GC, but despite weeks of research, I simply haven’t found anyone like that.

haydee schrieb:

Take a close look around new housing developments and ask the home builders. Check the company logos on vehicles. Not everyone has a website. Some rely on word of mouth.

Small timber builders typically don’t call themselves “prefabricated home manufacturers,” but “carpenters” or similar, and likewise, solid masonry builders call themselves “construction companies.” While it’s not a guarantee, it’s almost a reliable sign of solid small GCs when they don’t waste energy on fancy websites. On the contrary, I myself (in a completely different industry) have successfully kept unwanted customers away for decades by strategically having a website that’s difficult to find. In the referral business, the saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” applies—meaning a satisfied customer won’t recommend a service provider to the biggest idiots they know, but rather to good acquaintances. So a friendly, communicative client will not recommend a late-paying, nitpicking nuisance as a new customer.

Mottenhausen schrieb:

This has been mentioned before, but always remember: you typically build only one house, but get (for example) five offers. That means four "salespeople" walk away empty, and one hits the jackpot. From a salesperson’s perspective that’s about a 20% success rate. Unfortunately, this sometimes causes salespeople to put only 20% effort into each customer.

If that were the case, it would be good news. Unfortunately, many prospective buyers first gather an overwhelming number of offers before (sometimes) being brought back to reality by forums like this, realizing that building a castle on their plot at prices from just after the Berlin Wall fell is a fantasy. So first, the 5-to-1 ratio is nowhere near accurate (because for every client who signs with one of five providers, there are two clients who get zero out of five offers and only realize their unrealistic expectations after they request those offers). Second, the remaining successful client often takes so long to decide that their salesperson has already left the company. Seen from this perspective, it should be easier to understand the salespeople.

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11ant schrieb:

Firstly, the 5:1 ratio is nowhere near accurate (because for every 5:1 client who signs with one of the five providers, there are still two 5:0 clients who only realize their unrealistic expectations after the inquiry), and secondly, the one remaining client often delays so long that the salesperson has already left the company. Seen from this perspective, you can understand the salespeople.

From your point of view, the "salesperson" could only be advised to pursue professional training.

There is an important difference between a salesperson and a consultant. A salesperson does not send out many speculative quotes. They assess during the conversation how far along the prospect is and what conditions they have. If it looks promising, they explore the wishes, desires, requirements, priorities, and concerns of their prospects in depth. This takes place as part of excellent consultation and helps the prospect gain significant clarity. Afterwards, the salesperson estimates whether it is worthwhile to prepare an offer. At this stage, they already have a closing probability of over 50%. The busywork of preparing quotes is left to the often non-selling advisors.

As customers, we appreciate good consultants. Usually, it is not them who get our orders.

That is exactly what I wanted to point out: if things were to work as described in your ideal scenario (where the salesperson acts as a consultant rather than a seller), they would have to be compensated for consulting instead of selling. Theoretically, this could also work indirectly by rewarding higher closing rates resulting from better consulting quality. However, in practice, this "calculation" is disrupted by those who receive advice but do not buy (i.e., those who also do not purchase elsewhere). Therefore, in reality, I do not see the desired outcome being achievable.

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