The first minutes with a client set a pattern for the relationship that follows. Unrealistic expectations at the outset lead to customer dissatisfaction down the road.
Old school: Leave a box of leaflets outside for interested buyers who drive by when your models or spec homes are closed. New school: Broadcast messages to car radios.
Third-party monitoring of sales performance is not new. First came paper-and-pen reports, then audio and, in recent years, secret shoppers equipped with tiny cameras and camcorders.
Given the close link between job creation and housing demand, it can't hurt builders in these 10 markets that Forbes magazine's Web site ranks their towns as the best places for business and careers.
