The latest news from GuildQuality.

In the last 90 days, about 10,000 people have visited the GuildQuality Qlist to find out more about the members in our community of quality. The most frequently visited Qlistings from the last 90 days are:

1. Betenbough Homes, Lubbock, TX
2. Eberle Remodeling, Sacramento, CA
3. Quadrant Homes, Bellevue, WA
4. Johnson Homes, Cherryville, NC
5. Jimmy Nash Homes, Lexington, KY
6. Ivey Residential, Evans, GA
7. Goodall Homes, Gallatin, TN
8. Advanced Kitchens, Marietta, GA
9. Wetherington Builders, North Augusta, SC
10. Structures Building Company, Mount Pleasant, SC

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Common themes: Logos, links, customer comments, company descriptions. Customers want to see as much as they possibly can and the more info in your Qlisting, the more traffic it receives.

Additional content helps in a couple ways: First, the Qlistings with the most content are listed highest in the qlist, and thereby get more traffic. Second, search engines like good content, so the more relevant content on your page, the easier it is for search engines to direct people your way.

You can add more information to you Qlisting in your account preferences. If you need help, let us know!

We also report your Qlisting traffic to you. You may have noticed the messages in your feed: “3 people visited your Qlisting yesterday” (see the arrows below).

And for reference, here’s an example of a great looking Qlisting from Sabal Homes that didn’t quite make our Top 10 Most Visited, but was among the top 20.

Over the last year or two, several people have suggested that I reach out to Maggie Geoffroy of CDCI (Construction Data Control, Inc.) — another Atlanta-based technology company that serves homebuilders. Last week, Maggie met Glenn McNairy and I for lunch, and we had a great conversation about the building industry, the technology serving it, and the web in general.

From their website: “CDCI’s integrated packages provide estimating, scheduling, accounting, and cost control in a manner developed expressly for construction firms.”

CDCI has definitely been around. Maggie’s father started the business in 1979, and they now have well over a thousand homebuilders using their software. Many of those folks have been with them for decades.

I am interested to know if any of our members use any of CDCI’s products. If so, please let me know — I am hoping you can share your experiences.

A few weeks ago, I met some folks at SMART Builder Solutions, an Atlanta-based software company that helps builders streamline and systematize their processes. Turns out, a handful of our members use SMART, so I asked them if one of their clients might be interested in writing a product review that I could share with our members. A few days later, Greg Bennett of Greg Bennett Homes forwarded me the following (images courtesy of SMART).

“First, a little about me. I started my own home building company about 3 years ago. Before this, I had worked at a large builder for 20 years. I learned a lot about building during this time and it taught me the benefit of keeping things simple. So far, Greg Bennett Homes has managed to build and sell 120 homes per year with only a handful of people in the entire company. We couldn’t have done this without SMART Builder Solutions’ WorkSMART solution. We went with SMART for three reasons: The system is complete, which helps us keep things simple and provides one place to record sales, track construction and purchase orders, etc. As a small homebuilder, the last thing I need is another system. The one stop shop concept definitely works for us.

“Secondly, the system is customizable. Unlike the other systems I’ve seen out there, WorkSMART can be tailored to a builder’s specific needs. While the system has a basic set-up that should suit most builders, I wanted some customized things, particularly in dealing with our specific flow of business. It was not a problem to accommodate this. Lastly, it is web based. For us non-technical types, this means that all you need to access your system is an internet browser such as Microsoft Explorer. We can access and update our data from anywhere at any time and we don’t need IT support if something goes wrong. All the data is on SMART’s servers, not mine.

“So far, we have finalized system implementation in all aspects except in the areas we deferred. We recommend WorkSMART for builders who want to keep everything in one place or if they are tired of an old system and spending a lot of time on IT issues. As an added benefit, the folks at SMART Builder Solutions really know a lot about home building. They are not just dealing with the software—they can help you deal with specific issues facing your company.”

Thanks to Greg Bennett for sharing his experience with SMART Builder Solutions. If you’ve had a great experience with a product or service, and you think our members would be interested in hearing about it, please let me know.

I bought an iPhone a couple weeks ago and officially made the switch away from the Treo. I have used a Treo since the Handspring days, and have gotten pretty much every updated version in its history, so this jump was a big deal for me. And with the iPhone’s service limited to AT&T, my switch also forced my departure from Verizon. My summary judgment:

If form factor, user interface, and the internet are important to you (as they are to me) the iPhone is definitely the right smart phone for you.

If your iPod is a big part of your life (I listen to podcasts and audiobooks all the time) then you’ll really appreciate the iPhone’s advancements.

But, if seamless integration with a Microsoft Exchange server and Outlook are important to you, stick with your Treo (equipped with Good) or Blackberry.

I expect Apple will roll out some software improvements to overcome those shortcomings (the rumor mill is forecasting some big upgrades in the near future), but at present, I am having to juggle a little bit to make my email and calendar work like I want them to.

So, with all that said, is the iPhone the right device for a homebuilder or remodeler? If need to access a fully functional internet browser or review documents from your handheld, then make the leap. Want to check out your latest customer satisfaction survey responses? GuildQuality works great on the iPhone’s browser. Do you use Salesforce.com or Netsuite? Both work just fine. Need to review a proposal, word doc, spreadsheet, or pretty much any kind of document? I haven’t come across any kind of document that doesn’t display just fine.

If you’ve got one yourself, please share your experience. If you have any questions about them, don’t hesitate to post them here.

At GuildQuality, we rely on a simple web-based project collaboration tool called Basecamp. It helps us communicate internally and keep track of product development, marketing campaigns, office management issues, and any other project-based endeavors we’re pursuing. We’ve been using it for over two years, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

Basecamp is developed by 37 Signals, an eight-person Chicago-based company that, over the last couple years has pioneered the movement toward simplicity in web-based solutions. Are you tired of stuff that just has too dang much going on? Don’t need the zillion options in Microsoft Project? Don’t need the gajillion features in your CRM tool? Well, these guys probably have something you’ll like.

We take a lot of inspiration from them, and I think all businesses–regardless of whether they are web developers, homebuilders, or real estate brokers–could learn from the lessons they offer.

37 Signals was recently featured in Time Magazine. The article does a great job describing why they are succesful, why their customers love them, and what you can learn from their strategy. My takeaway is this: Making it simple is a whole lot more difficult than making it complex–but the long-term payoff is huge.

A few days ago, I referenced Zillow in a post about price appreciation in I’On. Zillow made it possible for me to (easily) assess comparable price appreciation in I’On versus the rest of I’On’s zip code. Nice.

Every place in the U.S. doesn’t have the same level of accuracy as the Charleston-area (Atlanta is woefully inaccurate). Nevertheless, I definitely like the direction Zillow is going. Atlanta and other cities may not be spot-on yet, but I am guessing that won’t be too far off.

Here’s one more reason to be impressed: Today, I happened to notice their “Bird’s Eye View” feature. Bird’s Eye View = Awesome. Here’s what Zillow has to show you about my old house in I’On. Not satisfied with the north-facing view? Want a little more? Check it out from another angle.

The thing that most impresses me about Zillow so far is how focused they are on putting information in the hands of the consumer. And this is changing the game. As Zillow’s popularity (and functionality) increases, they are putting more and more pressure on real estate brokers to deliver exceptional service and insight.

In the short-term, this is going to be painful for some brokers. Access to MLS isn’t going to get anyone any business. But in the long-term, services like Zillow and Craigslist (where I sold my last three personal homes) are going to be fantastic for both the industry and the consumer.

They’re making the industry stronger by making it harder for inferior real estate professionals to get business. Why hire a mediocre performer when you can sell it or buy it on your own? This is good for both the homeowner, the homebuyer, and the true professionals with ability, passion, and a history of delivering exceptional service.

UPDATE: For more on Zillow’s “Bird’s Eye View”, visit their blog.

Popular Science’s “Most Innovative Product of the Year” in Home Technology is the Bostitch HurriQuake Nail. In addition to an impressive camel-cased “Q”, the HurriQuake boasts the “perfect combination of features to withstand nature’s darker moods.”

Other award winners include a steam washing machine by LG, a personal wind power device, and Stanley’s boldly named “Fubar” hammer.

The WSJ reports [subscription required] that U.S. newspaper circulation fell 2.8% over the last six months. So where are those readers going? If they’re anything like me, they’ve abandoned print media in favor of the web, a behavior change facilitated in part by RSS feeds (that’s short for Really Simple Syndication) and services like Google’s Customized Homepage. RSS brings all of your news sources directly to you without you having to go out and search for them.

In addition to serving up news from conventional sources like the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, Google also retrieves feeds from my selected blogs (Fast Company, Engadget, etc). In fact, it was the ease of access to these blog updates that prompted us here at GuildQuality to replace our newsletters, tutorials, and press releases with a blog format. It’s easy for us to edit and (more importantly) easy for readers to access.So now that we have tweaked our information presentation methodology, I thought it helpful to share with you some other ways to access it. You clearly don’t need Google to access our blog, but a customized homepage (yahoo has one as well) will serve up the latest updates from whatever news sources you choose without you having to go out and find them.

If you are interested in a little more detail about RSS feeds, check out the BBC’s concise tutorial. But trust me, Google makes it idiot proof (even I could do it!). Just go to www.google.com/ig and it will walk you through setting up your own customized homepage.