Capitalizing on the A/V Craze

Home theater, media rooms and multiroom audio are all the rage with today's tech-savvy homebuyers. This isn't just an observation; it's documented. America Online (AOL), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) all say that Americans increasingly want an area in their homes specifically designed for movies and TV. Meanwhile, the NAHB and the Consumer Electronics Association's joint study shows that 74 percent of builders offer multiroom audio and the technology is in 15 percent of new-home starts.

This is good news for builders. Builders can capitalize on the home electronics craze by selling these products and systems to their clients.

The first step is to form a partnership with an integrator. At first glance, the proposition of selling audio may not appear difficult. It's not as easy as it looks though.

It's not simply a matter of offering a home theater or multiroom A/V system because of the many system permutations that can be custom configured to a homebuyer's exact specifications. That's where an integration partner comes in handy. These guys specialize in the sales and installation of not only audio and video, but also other residential technologies such as security, home networking and home automation.

Working with an installation company, builders can treat them just like another contractor such as a plumber or electrician. Reputable installation companies are often authorized dealers of carefully selected manufacturers. These brands support their dealer base through initiatives such as just-in-time-delivery services, technical support, product training and sales and marketing educational programs.

Perhaps the simplest way for builders to access some of the support programs is to read about these technologies on the Internet. Many manufacturers supply materials on their Web sites that consumers, dealers and builders can use to learn more about a specific technology or line of products.

Selling the Experience

If there is one thing that manufacturers agree on, it's that the best way to sell electronics is to demonstrate their capabilities. Keller notes that show homes capable of demonstrating the entertainment aspects of a home theater or mult-iroom A/V system have an advantage because potential homebuyers can experience the benefits of these technologies first-hand. He adds that builders don't have to rely on knowing the specifics of the technologies, and that they can sell the systems by appealing to a consumer's emotions.

Spend Money to Make Money

The quandary of whether a builder should invest to outfit a home with the building blocks of technology such as structured cabling is answered by examining the sales potential. Jeff Francisco, vice president of product development for SpeakerCraft, a Calif.-based manufacturer of loudspeakers and multiroom A/V systems, says that builders have to accept that there will be a rise in costs associated with adding technology to a home.

Francisco adds that once a home is prewired, the builder can offer clients a variety of technology- based packages. He points out that whatever a builder does will help their clients, and the initial investment that is made into even a basic run of Category-5 cable (Cat 5) will save their clients money and aid their own sales efforts.

As home theater and multiroom A/V becomes more accessible, homebuyers will have a growing desire to dedicate a specific area of their home to technology. In a study released in August of 2005, the AIA says the rising prices of gas and the availability of A/V are driving interest in media rooms and home theater.

Supporting the AIA's data was a study released in the summer of 2005 by Internet service provider AOL that found that 73 percent of those consumers polled would rather watch a movie at home than go to their local theater.

Partial article courtesy of TecHome Builder, the nationally recognized magazine that helps home builders leverage technology to increase productivity and profit, and demonstrates how to bring technology products into new and existing homes.

Posted with written permission of the Editor.

www.TecHomeBuilder.com