by Jim Hinshaw
I just heard a report today that Austin Tx has legislation in place requiring all residential properties to have working air conditioning, effective date was July 2025. It was interesting to also see that Austin had one of the first residential projects done in 1954 that featured central air conditioning installed as a standard feature, they were early adaptors.
Landlords are complaining that adding air conditioning to some of the older properties can be expensive, requiring duct modifications and possible electrical upgrades, and now the tax credits have diminished, makes it tougher to add enhancements like central ac. Austin will let you provide window units, and the only requirement is that you keep the temp at 85 degrees or cooler. I did some research, there were 171 deaths in Texas in 2024 from heat related problems, and an additional 281 where heat was a contributing factor, total of 452 just in Texas.
I also read an article from Service Titan that shared consumer buying traits today. It ties into the two paragraphs above really well. Here are some of the highlights from the study, co-sponsored by Visa and Synchrony (a leading finance company). The big news is the size of the home improvement market, specifically for the trades. Estimates show consumers are spending $1.5 Trillion per year on trades services, we are in the right place today. One study shows that 43% of the equipment installed today is over 10 years old, with 16% installed over 20 years ago.
Angie Snow (Western Air) said the consumer today wants to contact you the way they want to contact you; some may like a phone call, some will text, many want to book an appointment online, not talk to anyone at all. You have to be flexible, the old way of setting an appointment by the consumer calling your company just won’t get traction in today’s market. Another point that was made was today there are 3 (or maybe 4 elements) to business. It has to be right for the consumer, for the company, for the community and the the employees.
Service Nation does a consumer survey as well, what we found was the female in the home gets involved in major purchase over 80% of the time. So your marketing and advertising needs to be directed to that part of the marketplace. What do women want? Our study showed they value time, money and the well being of the family. So if you can show them savings in time or money and how your products and services will help improve the family health, it resonates with them. To drive this home, the National Association of Realtors showed that in 2024, first time homebuyers were 24% single women, versus 11% single men. The really important news is that 85% of women who said when they like a brand, they will remain loyal to it.
Synchrony has done extensive research and here are the findings:
Home improvement shoppers shop online 80% of the time and 53% use mobile devices throughout the purchase path. They are looking for efficiency, the ability to research products and services, clear and transparent reviews and financing information. Your online presence must be able to be where they are.
And how about credit cards? Here are the facts.
81% of major purchase shoppers use credit cards to earn rewards. No surprise there.
75% of major purchase shoppers use credit cards to protect their purchase. Surprise!
72% of major purchase shoppers use credit cards to take advantage of unique benefits.
54% use credit cards so they don’t have to pay right away.
Visa has this information for us:
16% of home service payments are done online. But…
Generation Z does 27% of their spending online. They have embraced it very well. If you ask a Gen Z where they bank, they will say wherever they want.
Gotta accept those credit cards. Add the fees into your flat rate and pricing, along with dealer financing fees.
24% of consumers are satisfied with the information found on websites for home improvement businesses.
28% are satisfied with what they could trust and find.
46% were satisfied with the ease of checkout time
And this just in:
34% of Generation Z (1996-2007) and 38% of Millennials (1980-1995) are comfortable with Ai bots serving as customer service representatives. You should be as well.
Final notes: sales today starts with a process, have a system for getting paid for your time and effort, from arrival to getting the money into your account. Your process must stand out from the competition, you must be involved in the community. Give the customer options, not ultimatums, let them choose. Your job is to educate them. Keep it simple, make sure the customer knows what needs to happen next.
Thanks for reading, we’ll talk later!