Should you update your existing home or start fresh by moving to a new one? To help potential clients make this decision, MUI Corp., a remodeling company in Birmingham, Ala., links from its website to a calculator on RemodelOrMove.com ( www.remodelormove.com). On the RemodelOrMove site, homeowners complete a 70-question survey that covers both the financial and the emotional aspects of remodeling and moving. They then receive a recommendation about which option is best for them. MUI Corp. owner Mike Carden says that he reviewed the site and liked its articles and advice to homeowners. “Customers who have commented on it say they liked it,” he says, noting that most refer to the portion of the survey that provides a ballpark figure for remodeling based on type of project. “It helps them to understand that a kitchen remodel costs $50,000 and not $10,000.”
About 200 remodelers link to the interactive calculator from their sites. And Dan Fritschen, RemodelOrMove.com’s founder, says that the calculator is a useful tool that might encourage potential clients to return to the remodeler’s website.
At the end of the survey, if homeowners indicate that they would like more information, RemodelOrMove.com sends their e-mail address to the remodeler. The calculator and lead service are free. The goal of RemodelOrMove.com is to sell books about remodeling.
Carden says the calculator is not a significant source of leads for his company, but that since it points prospects to MUI’s website, he hopes it sparks their interest. “If someone decides to move, I would not hear from them. But I’m building confidence in people so they will remember where they found the information,” he says. “And when they are ready to remodel their new house, they will hopefully come to me.”
