New Home Insights Podcast
John Burns Research and Consulting
Issues, interviews, and insights into the U.S. housing market. Monthly takes on what’s happening in the housing market today, and what might be happening tomorrow. From the John Burns Research and Consulting (JBREC) team.
The podcast is hosted by Dean Wehrli, Principal at JBREC. Dean manages residential and commercial real estate consulting assignments across the country and has deep knowledge of California’s Bay Area, Sacramento, and Central Valley markets as well as Northern Nevada.
John Burns Research and Consulting is an independent research provider and consulting firm focused on the housing industry. The company’s research subscribers receive the most accurate analysis possible to inform their macro investment decisions, and the company’s consulting clients receive specific property and portfolio investment advice designed to maximize profits. The team takes great pride in enabling the profitable development of the best places to live in the world.
The podcast is hosted by Dean Wehrli, Principal at JBREC. Dean manages residential and commercial real estate consulting assignments across the country and has deep knowledge of California’s Bay Area, Sacramento, and Central Valley markets as well as Northern Nevada.
John Burns Research and Consulting is an independent research provider and consulting firm focused on the housing industry. The company’s research subscribers receive the most accurate analysis possible to inform their macro investment decisions, and the company’s consulting clients receive specific property and portfolio investment advice designed to maximize profits. The team takes great pride in enabling the profitable development of the best places to live in the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 26, 2024 • 53min
Episode 96: Leading Through Innovation: How Fortune Brands is Shaping the Future of Home
One of the hardest things for a successful company is to stop doing what made it successful and start doing something that will stretch its success into the future. It is a risk and a cost, but it can be an investment if done right.
So when Fortune Brands Innovations shed an iconic cabinetry brand, CEO Nick Fink had some anxious moments. But that decision and the ensuing journey have allowed Fortune Brands to expand their product offerings, providing a more diversified imprint on our homes. They made a strategic decision to focus on what they did best and play in the parts of the home market that they believed had the best prospects.
In this episode of The New Home Insights podcast, Nick joined me to talk about that evolution and his journey and share insights about Fortune Brands’ strategies, goals, values, and core commitment to technology and data.
Jun 21, 2024 • 42min
Episode 95: Building Success: Doug Bauer and the Growth of Tri Pointe Homes
To grow or not to grow is often the question for a homebuilder. For Doug Bauer, CEO and co-founder of Tri Pointe Homes, the answer has always been “grow.” In 2009, when Doug Bauer and his partners started Tri Pointe, growth was a huge risk. But they pulled it off, and now Tri Pointe Homes is one of the top public homebuilders in the nation with a footprint across the country.
On this episode of the New Home Insights podcast, Doug Bauer shares some highlights of Tri Pointe’s growth over the years.
May 31, 2024 • 1h 5min
Episode 94: Hillwood Communities and the Art and Science of Placemaking
If you have anything to do with the housing market in Texas, you have heard of Hillwood Communities. If you are from elsewhere in the country and have not heard of Hillwood, here’s your chance. All across the great state of Texas, Hillwood is building some of the best-designed and most successful master-planned communities in the US. They have achieved this with expert placemaking, which Hillwood defines this way: "We create places where relationships with neighbors evolve into friendships and those friendships begin to feel like family."
On this episode of the New Home Insights podcast, our guest is Fred Balda, the president of Hillwood Communities. Fred has guided Hillwood Communities for over three decades and he shares his approach, outlook, and take on all things master plan. He and Hillwood have a track record that says you should listen.
May 10, 2024 • 44min
Episode 93: Shifting Foundations: A Deep Dive into Demographics and Housing
Chris Porter and Eric Finnigan from John Burns Research discuss how demographics shape the housing market. They cover trends like immigration impacts, changes in housing preferences due to delayed life milestones and COVID-19, and the wealth transfer effect on the housing market.
Apr 11, 2024 • 51min
Episode 92: Building Up: Walton Global's Strategic Land Insights
This episode of the New Home Insights Podcast delves into the intricacies of land banking, a crucial component of the real estate industry, with insights from Kate Kaminski, the COO of Walton Global.
Kate shares her journey from the home building industry to her pivotal role at Walton, a company that has significantly influenced land banking in North America since its shift from Canada to the US in 2006. Walton Global, a family-owned enterprise for over 45 years, specializes in land asset and investment management, focusing on raising capital globally to invest in various land assets, primarily in the southern United States.
Apr 5, 2024 • 47min
Episode 91: It’s the Spring Selling Season, So Why Are You Reading this Instead of Selling a Home?
Every year, the housing sector eagerly awaits the spring selling season. With the holidays in the rearview and the weather warming, it’s time to buy. If you are a purist about seasonal starting dates, it is not technically spring yet, but don’t be that way.
Jody Kahn and Dillan Krieg are surveying homebuilders monthly for John Burns Research and Consulting. They keep tabs on the housing market nationwide and at a granular level. We chatted with both of them on the latest episode of the New Home Insights podcast, so tune in for some spring selling season insights.
Mar 1, 2024 • 52min
Episode 90: Empire Communities' Marketing Insights: The Art of Selling Lifestyle
“Lifestyle” is one of the hottest concepts in new home sales and marketing. At its core, it means designing homes that not only have a specific buyer in mind but a buyer who knows exactly what they want and where they want it. It relates to both community and home. Lifestyle is about offering the right rooms and features in a home and the right amenities—schools, retail, parks—in a community. It is your identity wrapped up in your home and your neighborhood.
Building on our sales and marketing focus from our previous episode of the New Home Insights podcast with Stephanie McCarty of Taylor Morrison Homes, we chat with Caroline Simmel, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Empire Communities’ Georgia and Tennessee region. Caroline and her colleagues are all about lifestyle, but she also discusses trends and preferences, processes and methods with us.
8 snips
Jan 31, 2024 • 49min
Episode 89: Harnessing Brand Power: Taylor Morrison's Marketing Dexterity
The podcast discusses Taylor Morrison's brand refinement and marketing strategies. They explore buyer segments, media usage, data analytics, and sales strategies. They also emphasize the importance of innovation, consumer empowerment, and social media platforms in their campaigns. The podcast highlights Taylor Morrison's age-qualified and built-to-rent brands, as well as their unique Yardly apartment model. Understanding buyer segments is crucial for Taylor Morrison, and they conduct surveys and user research to cater to different preferences.
Jan 12, 2024 • 54min
Episode 88: Swimming with Giants: Olson Homes' Strategic Approach in a Sea of Big Builders
Olson Homes, a smaller fish in a sea of big builders, shares their strategic approach in the industry. Topics include urban infill development, challenges with irregular shapes, and the role of data and intuition in decision-making.
Dec 13, 2023 • 44min
Episode 87: What's Next for Building Products and Home Remodeling?
The pandemic taught many lessons. In housing, one was that disruptions in the things we build homes with can, unsurprisingly, bring the industry to its knees. As 2023 draws to a close, we ask: Are we finally past all of that—the rising prices, broken supply chains, and interminable waits for everything from a garage door to window latches that forced builders to wait weeks to sell a home that was otherwise ready to go? Can we finally stop using the phrase “post-pandemic” and just move on?
Matt Saunders, JBREC’s Senior Vice President of Building Products, lives, eats, and breathes this world. On the latest episode of the New Home Insights podcast, he joins me to walk us through the latest in building products and trends in remodeling and discuss the future of these spaces.
