What Homeowners Really Value in a Contractor

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Learn why this study suggests contractors train their entire team, from door-to-door salespeople to production. 

In Season 3, Episode 41 of Roofing Road Trips, Nick Nobbe of Quarrix Building Products joins Heidi J. Ellsworth to discuss data collected by Quarrix from a recent study. Designed to provide contractors with a better idea of how homeowners perceive the roofing process, this study suggests education is one of the most important things a contractor can do for their team and company. 

As the senior project manager at Quarrix, Nick brings all of Quarrix's services to life through his engagement with homeowners, contractors and distribution customers. He is the company’s necessary link that allows them to continue their passion: creating healthy homes and knowledgeable homeowners. 

Their research project consisted of several focus groups and surveys which interviewed people who either just had their roofs redone or were currently in the reroofing process. One of the most shocking points Nick and the team found was that 92% of homes across the U.S. do not have the right ventilation system, and that 60% of study participants did not know what type of ventilation they had on the roof.   

“Homeowners really don't know a lot about the ventilation,” said Nick. “We did find out that, not surprisingly, the bulk of the research and time they spent before their project [was] about the shingles.” 

Another surprising revelation this study highlighted was the homeowner’s lack of interest in bid prices. While many people assume the price of a bid influences a homeowner’s decision when deciding between contractors, almost none of the study participants named the bid price as the most important factor when deciding between contractors.  

“60 to 65% of people said that the number one factor was knowledge and expertise of the contractor,” said Nick. “So they wanted to go with someone who they felt like knew what they were talking about.” 

Further, homeowners were looking for a contractor they could learn from, who could educate them about their roofs and the process of reroofing.  

“I think it's so true that we need to bring more education to the field in general,” said Nick. “I would say the really great contracting companies educate their customer service teams and their door-to-door sales teams, and even their production people." 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about this revealing study and how you can increase your odds of being chosen by homeowners.