100% Ready to Go

At the pre-closing orientation, an Engle Homes Orlando representative reviews the features of the home, maintenance guidelines and other documents with homeowners.

In fact, 93 percent of the division's home buyers say they would recommend the builder to a friend. This high degree of customer loyalty is just one reason Engle Homes Orlando is this year's winner of the Avid Award for Best Customer Experience, 500-plus Closings.

A division of Technical Olympic USA, Engle's mission is to deliver a home that is 100 percent ready at the time of closing. That means no outstanding defects. It's an ambitious goal, yet 70 percent of the company's homes are zero-defect during the first inspection, says Ashley Burleson, division president.

A week before closing, a quality assurance team, which is separate from the construction and warranty staffs, inspects the home again and flags any problems to be fixed before the walk-through with the home buyer. "That way, we're not making a punch list at walk-through," Burleson says.

Employees are rewarded with cash incentives, prizes and public recognition for zero-defect homes. Weekly reports track every home closing that week, listing how many items were found on initial inspection, orientation and closing. When no items are found, everyone working on the home receives a ticket that is entered into a lottery for cash prizes up to $10,000. The more tickets an employee earns, the more chances he or she has of winning the big prize. In addition, pendants are awarded to staff during company ceremonies for homes that have no repair items at closing.

Engle Homes Orlando's quality assurance representative domonstrates to a homeowner how to replace the air-conditioning filter and maintain the condensation line.

Engle Homes continues to care about home quality well after closing. The builder surveys home buyers 30 days after closing using Avid Ratings to assess their experience and levels of loyalty. Between 60 and 90 days after closing, the warranty department conducts a 200-point inspection and educates the home buyer on routine home maintenance, flagging things that could cause long-term damage.

This level of caring has paid off for Engle Homes, which hasn't had to offer some of the deep discounts some other builders are offering to attract home buyers. "Customer satisfaction and referrals pay off, especially in a market like this," Burleson says. "When everyone is out there giving $20,000 or $30,000 incentives to buy, we're focusing on the quality of our homes."