For new home builders

Manage every homebuyer moment while it's happening.

HTMS manages 19 touchpoints from the first online visit to the one-year anniversary and sends a short text survey at 18 of them. The 45-day Thank-You Note is a card, not a survey. AI reads every comment the moment it arrives and tells the right team member what to do next.

The builder's customer care manager showing a homebuyer couple her phone in front of their new home
19owned touchpoints across the buyer journey
< 1 minper survey: 3–4 questions and one comment
~60 secfor AI to read each comment in context
5 mintarget to alert the responsible team member

Why continuous

Milestone surveys tell you what went wrong. HTMS helps you fix it in time.

Most homebuyer programs survey at a few points, often after closing. By then, a frustration from escrow or construction has already shaped the buyer's review and referral decision.

Typical milestone program

A few long surveys, after the fact

  • Measured at move-in, mid-year and year-end
  • Longer questionnaires that take several minutes
  • Comments read later, by keyword or by hand
  • Results arrive as reports for managers
HTMS

Short check-ins at every moment that matters

  • 19 touchpoints from first online visit to year one
  • 3–4 quick questions plus one comment, by text
  • AI reads every comment in context, instantly
  • The touchpoint owner gets an alert and a next step

Continuous touchpoint management

Every stage of the journey has an owner, a timing trigger and action rules, so nothing waits for the next quarterly report.

Few questions, every time

Under a minute by text message. Buyers answer because it respects their time, and frequent small check-ins replace one long questionnaire.

AI verbatim analysis

Reads emotion and intent, pinpoints issues, recommends immediate actions, and escalates anger, safety or legal risk to management.

How it works

From a buyer's text reply to a fix, the same day.

  1. A touchpoint happens

    For appointments like the framing tour, the owner gets a reminder beforehand and confirms it with one tap afterward, and only then does HTMS send that stop's survey. Check-ins timed from closing, such as the six-month check-in, are date-based: the survey goes out on that date once the closing is recorded. In-person visits, such as the 60-day homeowner care visit, always wait for the owner's confirmation. Your office can also record completions by CSV upload or manual entry. CRM integration is Phase 2, not a field evaluation feature.

  2. The buyer answers by text

    3–4 tap-to-answer questions and one open comment. Less than a minute.

  3. AI reads the comment in context

    Scores, account history and the words themselves are analyzed together for emotion, issues and urgency.

  4. The right person acts

    The touchpoint owner gets a plain-language alert with a recommended action. Serious issues escalate to management automatically.

  5. The loop closes, then the cause gets fixed

    The owner marks it resolved, and an optional one-question text confirms with the buyer. The owner also records the cause and where it was first missed, and a repeat pattern becomes one process change with an owner and a date. Every result rolls into the daily digest and the Monday dashboard.

A construction manager reviewing an HTMS alert on a tablet before calling a homeowner
HTMS alert · Stop 10Act today

Lot 42 · Build Progress Updates

"Nobody told us framing was delayed two weeks. We had to change our lease."
EmotionDisappointment, rising frustrationIssueSchedule delay, communication gapActionCall today, give a new date, confirm next week's updateOwnerConstruction Manager · copy to Area Manager

The operating system

What running HTMS looks like, and who does what.

Your team works in four places. The timing, the texts and the reading of every comment run on their own. Select a role to see where that person works.

Your people

EveryoneEach person sees only what their job needs. Builder admins see every community; community staff and owners see only their own.

Where they work

Before launch

Set up

  • Launch checklist and 90-day rollout
  • Import your team and your buyers
  • An owner, a backup and an escalation path for every touchpoint
  • Choose how each touchpoint is triggered, and edit its questions
Every day

Run the journey

  • Overview and Monday dashboard
  • Homes and timelines: appointments and completions
  • Follow-ups: triage, resolve, fix the cause
  • Daily digest and process changes
Every week

Measure

  • Scorecards for each person and team
  • A report for every touchpoint
  • Overall satisfaction
  • Operations: response times and open items
From a text or email

Personal links

  • Owner confirmation: did it happen?
  • Buyer survey: 3 to 4 taps and a comment
  • Email unsubscribe

No app and no login.

Runs on its own

Scheduler

Sends date-based check-ins, reminds owners before appointments, asks them to confirm afterward, holds texts until business hours and escalates anything overdue.

Reading engine

Checks every reply against action rules. A commercial AI service then reads the comment, with names removed, for emotion, issues and urgency.

Texts and emails

Surveys to buyers. Reminders, alerts and escalations to your team.

Secure records

Buyer contact details are encrypted and every change is logged. The builder owns its data.

A simplified view of the HTMS operations app. Demo screens use fictional buyers and staff, and demo texts and emails are simulated.

The Journey

19 touchpoints. One continuous relationship.

Follow the road from the first online look to the one-year home anniversary. As the car passes each stop, open its text survey to see the questions, the AI analysis and the action items it triggers. No buyer receives more than one survey in any 7-day window, and any touchpoint can be turned off.

Scroll to start the drive
Stop 1 of 19
A homebuyer couple waving from the porch of their new home at the end of a tree-lined road

Welcome Home

The road ends at the front door, but the relationship keeps going with care visits at 60 days, six months and one year.

See all 19 touchpoints as a list
  1. 1. Online Home Discovery Discovery
    The buyer explores the community, floor plans, and virtual tours online before ever visiting in person.
    Owner: Online Sales Specialist · When: Before the first visit · Supplies: Website listing, virtual tour, floor plan PDFs, text or chat follow-up
  2. 2. First Hello Discovery
    A sales counselor builds a genuine personal connection before talking floor plans.
    Owner: Sales Counselor · When: First visit · Supplies: Welcome packet, refreshments, community brochure
  3. 3. Builder Lender Meeting Selection and Contract
    The buyer meets the builder's preferred lender to get prequalified and review financing options and incentives, even if they already have their own lender.
    Owner: Preferred Lender Loan Officer · When: After the first visit, before contract · Supplies: Prequalification checklist, incentive comparison sheet, secure document upload link
  4. 4. Contract Celebration Selection and Contract
    The team celebrates the signed agreement with the buyer right in the model home.
    Owner: Sales Counselor · When: Day of contract · Supplies: Champagne or cider, “Sold” sign, celebration photo
  5. 5. Escrow Opening Selection and Contract
    Escrow opens with the builder's escrow company, which explains deposits, documents, and the timeline to closing.
    Owner: Escrow Officer · When: Within 1–3 days of contract · Supplies: Escrow instructions, deposit receipt, closing timeline, e-sign links
  6. 6. Team Introduction Call Selection and Contract
    A personal call introduces the buyer to their dedicated team and explains what comes next.
    Owner: Customer Care Manager · When: Within 48 hours of contract · Supplies: Call script, team contact sheet
  7. 7. Finish Selections Session Selection and Contract
    Buyers select finishes and options with a design consultant in a guided selections session.
    Owner: Design Consultant · When: 2–4 weeks after contract · Supplies: Sample boards, option pricing, selection worksheet
  8. 8. Build Kickoff Meeting Selection and Contract
    The construction manager reviews plans, selections, and the build schedule on site.
    Owner: Construction Manager · When: Before foundation pour · Supplies: Plot plan, selections summary, schedule
  9. 9. Hard Hat Framing Tour Construction
    Buyers walk the open framing to see their home's structure take shape.
    Owner: Construction Manager · When: After framing complete · Supplies: Hard hats, safety vests, framing checklist
  10. 10. Build Progress Updates Construction
    Progress photos and milestone notes are posted to the buyer portal every week.
    Owner: Construction Manager · When: Weekly during build (surveyed once, mid-build) · Supplies: Buyer portal, phone camera, update template
  11. 11. Neighbor Meet-Up Construction
    Future neighbors gather to meet each other and celebrate the community taking shape.
    Owner: Sales and Marketing · When: Mid-construction · Supplies: Tables, food, name tags, yard games
  12. 12. New Home Orientation Move-In and Beyond
    A guided tour of the finished home shows buyers how every system works.
    Owner: Construction Manager · When: 1–2 weeks before closing · Supplies: Red bow, homeowner manual, appliance guides
  13. 13. Final Walkthrough Move-In and Beyond
    Buyers confirm all items are complete and sign off before closing.
    Owner: Construction Manager · When: 2–3 days before closing · Supplies: Walkthrough form, blue tape, punch list
  14. 14. Key Handoff Move-In and Beyond
    The team hands over the keys in a memorable moment captured on camera.
    Owner: Sales Counselor and Construction Manager · When: Closing day · Supplies: Keys, gift basket, photographer
  15. 15. Feedback Check-In Move-In and Beyond
    A friendly note reminds homeowners to share feedback on their experience.
    Owner: Customer Care Manager · When: 30 days after closing · Supplies: Email template, survey link
  16. 16. Thank-You Note Move-In and Beyond
    A handwritten card thanks homeowners and invites them to refer friends and family. A card only, with no survey.
    Owner: Sales Counselor · When: 45 days after closing · Supplies: Branded note cards, referral incentive insert
  17. 17. 60-Day Homeowner Care Visit Move-In and Beyond
    A scheduled visit at 60 days addresses early warranty items and keeps the relationship warm.
    Owner: Warranty Manager · When: 60 days after closing · Supplies: Warranty checklist, small tools, thank-you gift
  18. 18. Six-Month Satisfaction Check-In Move-In and Beyond
    A six-month check-in measures how happy homeowners are after settling in, and catches any issues early.
    Owner: Customer Care Manager · When: 6 months after closing · Supplies: Satisfaction survey, seasonal maintenance tips, small gift card
  19. 19. One-Year Anniversary Check-In Move-In and Beyond
    A one-year visit celebrates the home anniversary, completes the year-end warranty review, and asks for referrals.
    Owner: Warranty Manager and Sales Counselor · When: 1 year after closing · Supplies: Year-end warranty checklist, anniversary card, referral invitation

AI verbatim analysis

Try it: see how HTMS reads a buyer's comment.

Pick a touchpoint, type or choose a sample comment, and see the emotion, issues, recommended actions and who gets alerted.

Results appear here: emotion, issues, actions, who to contact and escalation.

This demo reads your comment with a live AI model accessed through a commercial AI API service. Personal details are removed before the comment is sent and HTMS does not store demo comments, but please use made-up examples only. If the AI is busy or the daily demo limit is reached, an instant rules-based preview runs in your browser instead. In HTMS, the AI also sees the buyer's scores for that touchpoint, and the keyword rules run on every comment as a safety net.

Immediate, actionable feedback

Service targets

These are the targets HTMS is built to meet. They are measured and reported from field evaluation data, then confirmed in each client agreement.

~60 sec

AI analysis

Each comment is read in context as soon as it arrives.

5 min

Owner alert

Text and email to the touchpoint owner during alert coverage hours, with the reply, scores, AI reading and a recommended action.

Immediate

Escalation

Anger, safety, legal-risk or cancellation-risk language goes straight to the supervisor named for the touchpoint owner, at any hour.

24 hr

Recommended follow-up

Builder-set target for negative replies: 24 hours, or one business day as the book recommends. Tracked in the dashboard so nothing slips.

Daily

Action digest

Every morning: open issues, overnight replies, overdue follow-ups and praise to share with the team.

Weekly

Coaching summary

Scores and themes by touchpoint, community and team member.

Alert coverage hours

Owner alerts run during your business hours, by default 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, Monday through Saturday. Other replies that arrive outside those hours are analyzed right away and queued for the next morning digest, and the owner alert goes out at the start of the next business day. Anger, legal-risk and cancellation-risk language escalates to the owner's supervisor immediately, at any hour, and safety-risk language also goes to your designated on-call contact.

Compare

How HTMS compares with typical homebuyer survey programs.

HTMS can run alongside an existing benchmark survey, so you can add real-time touchpoint management without giving up the industry rankings you already track.

A consolidated market: Eliant is now part of Zonda, which is merging its TrustBuilder ratings with Eliant's Reviews into a single solution on NewHomeSource (Zonda, November 2025). Zonda is now owned by CoStar Group (CoStar Group, August 2026). Your benchmark scores and public ratings stay where they are; HTMS works alongside them.

What HTMS is not: HTMS does not replace benchmark rankings and awards programs. It is the operational layer that runs alongside them.

CapabilityTypical milestone programsHTMS
Measured momentsA few milestones, often after closing19 touchpoints, first online visit to year one
Survey lengthLonger, multi-section assessments3–4 questions plus one comment, under a minute
Survey spacingVaries by programNo more than one survey in any 7-day window; any touchpoint can be turned off
ChannelOften email or web linksText message first
Comment analysisKeyword flags, summaries or manual readingContextual AI on every comment, as it arrives
Speed to actionPeriodic reports and dashboardsTarget: owner alert within 5 minutes during business hours, with a next step
AccountabilityDepartment-level scoresEvery touchpoint has an owner, timing and action rules
Cost per touchpointAvid Ratings (now AvidCX): pricing averages $36 per closing for one survey touchpoint (2020)About $2.72–$3.28 per surveyed touchpoint
Cost reference: Avid Ratings Zillow Group partner program sheet, 2020. HTMS cost per touchpoint is based on $49–$59 per closing across the 18 surveyed touchpoints (the Thank-You Note is a card).

Pricing

All 19 touchpoints for less than many programs charge for one.

An AI-first, text-based service has no call centers, mailed surveys or manual comment coding, so the savings go to you.

Starter

Builders closing up to 60 homes a year

$349 / month
Flat rate: $4,188 a year, $69.80 per closing at 60 closings
  • All 19 touchpoints
  • AI verbatim analysis
  • Owner alerts and daily digest
  • Standard dashboard
Choose Starter

Community

Growing builders closing 61 to 170 homes a year

$69 / closing
Billed monthly: $4,209 a year at 61 closings, $11,730 at 170
  • Everything in Starter
  • Custom questions and action rules
  • Weekly coaching summary
Choose Community

Builder

Regional builders, 171 closings and up

$59 / closing
$1,000 monthly minimum
  • Everything in Community
  • CRM integration
  • Division reporting
Choose Builder

Enterprise

Multi-division production builders

$39–$49 / closing
By volume, plus one-time setup
  • Everything in Builder
  • SSO, API and data export
  • Runs alongside benchmark programs
  • Dedicated success manager and quarterly executive review
Talk to us
90-day 100% guaranteeStart on one or two communities at your normal plan fees. Client satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. If, in the first 90 days, for whatever reason, you do not feel satisfied with the process and the program, HTMS returns 100% of the amount paid. The guarantee is unconditional within the 90-day window. If you decide to move forward with the program after the 90 days, nothing changes: same terms, same pricing.
Visionary Builders rateFirst 10 builders on the Builder plan: $49 per closing locked for 24 months, setup waived, plus a satisfaction workshop. After 24 months, pricing moves to the then-current list price.
Switch creditUp to 3 months free when you replace a current survey contract at renewal. The free months start after your 90-day guarantee window closes, so you keep both offers.

How every field evaluation is measured

  1. Response rate per touchpoint
  2. Time from a negative reply to owner contact
  3. Issues resolved before closing
  4. Online review volume
  5. Referral leads

Case studies are published only with the builder's permission.

What would HTMS cost you?

Move the slider to your annual closings.

300
Visionary Builders ratePrice basis · Builder plan
$14,700Estimated annual cost
$49Per closing
$2.72Per touchpoint (18 surveyed per closing)
5.9×Gross profit on one referral sale compared with your annual HTMS cost (the book, Ch 17, "What a referral is worth"). Illustration only, not pricing: the 2025 median new-home price of $417,400 (in revenue, not profit) at an assumed 20.7% builder gross margin is about $86,400 in gross profit.

Median price: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025. Gross margin: NAHB average for single-family builders, fiscal 2023; use your own margin. Estimates exclude one-time Enterprise setup fees and text-message taxes.

The book

The method behind HTMS, in one book.

HTMS runs the program described in Alex Roqueta's book. Every chapter that asks your team to do something has a matching feature in the HTMS application.

Cover of Surveys Don't Create Evangelists by Alex Roqueta: a homebuyer couple and a construction manager reviewing a clipboard in front of a framed house

6 × 9 paperback · 140 pages

Surveys Don't Create Evangelists

How addressing problems as they occur turns homebuyers into advocates

By Alex Roqueta

Now available in paperback
Buy the paperback on Lulu, $19.99 Opens the Lulu bookstore in a new tab
What the book asksWhat HTMS does
Map nineteen moments, each with an owner and a timingCh 4, Appendix AThe 19-touchpoint library, with a named owner for every stop and a named backup for every owner.
Ask right after the moment, never more than one survey a weekCh 8Each survey sends once the owner confirms the moment happened, or on its date for check-ins timed from closing, never before. The 7-day rule holds the next survey in journey order and respects the buyer's quiet hours.
Read every comment, worst firstCh 9, Ch 14AI reads each comment in context and sorts concerns by triage: safety, daily life, cosmetic. A de-identified copy is ready for coaching.
Put one name on every concernCh 11The owner is alerted within minutes during coverage hours. If the owner is away, the alert goes to the backup. Follow-up is due within your target: 24 hours or one business day.
When it goes badly, escalate in three levelsCh 14Level 2 goes to the owner's supervisor automatically for risk language, repeat issues and missed follow-ups. Level 3 goes to the president you name, by a manager's decision.
Fix the case, then fix the causeCh 12Each resolution records the cause and where it was first missed. Process changes are tracked with an owner, a due date and before-and-after comment counts.
Four numbers for MondayCh 10, Appendix CThe Monday dashboard: response rate by moment, time to resolution, referral intent by journey stage and comment patterns by community, with a decision box under each.
Start with four, then earn the restCh 15, Appendix DA start-with-four preset (design selections, framing tour, orientation, 30-day check-in), a launch checklist and a 90-day rollout tracker.
Earn trust with the dataCh 16Texts only with consent, Reply STOP honored the same day, the builder owns its data, and data export is included on the Enterprise plan.

Founder

Built by someone who has run homebuyer survey programs at national scale.

A presenter leading a homebuyer satisfaction workshop for a builder team

Illustration: a homebuyer satisfaction workshop

"The day of move-in isn't the end. It's simply the end of the beginning."

Alex Roqueta, quoted by Bob Mirman in "Future Speak," Builder magazine, 2007
Alex Roqueta, Founder and CEO of HTMS

Alex Roqueta

Founder and CEO

For 12 years Alex was COO/CTO of Eliant, the industry's original homebuyer survey firm, now part of Zonda. He helped grow the client base from 24 to 280+ builder accounts across the country, including some of the largest builders in the nation. He built its survey and touchpoint management systems, designed its customer experience workshops and launched the Eliant Round Table conference.

He then led product and program work at Cisco, at Greenwave Systems on Verizon's Connected Home platform, and at Viasat, and today builds AI-powered applications. HTMS brings both worlds together.

  • 1995–2007Eliant, Inc. (now part of Zonda) · COO/CTOSurvey systems, workshops and keynotes for builders across the country
  • 2008–2013Cisco Systems · Sr. Program ManagerCloud portals, mobile apps, analytics and BI reporting
  • 2013–2019Greenwave Systems · Technical DirectorVerizon FiOS Gateway and Connected Home programs
  • 2019–2020Viasat · Customer Experience LeadLaunched Viasat Connectivity Manager for business aviation
  • TodayAI product builderAI text analysis, rules engines, alerts and cloud apps

Selected articles, Big Builder and Builder magazines

Defining Moments (2006)Future Speak (2007, co-written with Bob Mirman)In the Hereafter (2006)Quality Check (2006)Come Again (2004)Fine Print (2004)Here We Go (2004)Option Overload (2004)Site Inspection (2004)Special Delivery (2004)

View LinkedIn profile

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Won't 18 surveys tire out buyers?

Only 18 of the 19 touchpoints are surveyed. Stop 16, the Thank-You Note, is a mailed card, not a survey. No buyer receives more than one survey in any 7-day window, and any touchpoint can be turned off. When stops fall close together, such as contract day, escrow opening and the team introduction call, HTMS holds the next survey until the window clears. Each survey takes under a minute, is tied to a real moment the buyer just experienced, and gets at most one reminder.

Can we keep our current survey provider?

Yes. Many builders start by running HTMS alongside an existing benchmark survey, including Eliant and TrustBuilder, both now part of Zonda. HTMS handles real-time touchpoint management while your current program continues for industry rankings.

How accurate is the AI?

AI recommends; people decide. Every alert includes the buyer's original words so your team can verify the reading, and escalation rules are tuned with your field evaluation data.

Is texting buyers compliant?

HTMS texts only buyers with consent on file, honors "Reply STOP" opt-outs immediately and uses registered business sender numbers (A2P 10DLC) as U.S. carriers require. Buyers without text consent, or who reply STOP, get the survey link by email instead, and every survey email has an unsubscribe link.

How fast can we launch?

The standard 19-touchpoint library, with ready-made questions, comment prompts and action rules, can be live on a field evaluation community in weeks, then customized.

Who owns the data?

You do. The builder owns its buyer data. HTMS will never use one builder's data to train models for another builder, and will use anonymized, aggregated data for any HTMS benchmark index only with that builder's written permission. Buyer data is encrypted and access is limited by role.

Is the Thank-You Note a card or a survey?

A card. About 45 days after closing, the Sales Counselor mails a handwritten card. HTMS logs it as complete and sends no survey, so 18 of the 19 touchpoints are surveyed.

What happens to replies after business hours?

They are analyzed right away and queued for the next morning digest, and the owner alert goes out at the start of the next business day. Anger, legal-risk and cancellation-risk language escalates to the owner's supervisor immediately, and safety-risk language also goes to your on-call contact, at any hour.

Which plan fits a builder between 60 and 200 closings?

The Community plan, at $69 per closing for 61 to 170 closings a year. The annual cost rises smoothly with volume: $4,188 on Starter at 60 closings, $4,209 on Community at 61, $11,730 at 170, then the Builder plan minimum of $12,000 until about 204 closings, where $59 per closing takes over. There is no price jump when you grow from one plan to the next.

How does the 90-day 100% guarantee work?

You pay your normal plan fees from day one. For the first 10 builders, that is the $49 Visionary Builders rate with the Builder plan's $1,000 monthly minimum. Client satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. If, in the first 90 days, for whatever reason, you do not feel satisfied with the process and the program, HTMS returns 100% of the amount paid. The guarantee is unconditional within the 90-day window. If you decide to move forward with the program after the 90 days, nothing changes: same terms, same pricing. If you receive a refund, service ends and you receive an export of your data. Running HTMS alongside your current survey is welcome, at the normal rate. If you are replacing a survey contract at renewal, your switch credit of up to 3 free months starts after day 90, so it never reduces the fees covered by the guarantee; if you ask for a refund, the credit does not apply.

Do I have to launch all 19 touchpoints?

No. Every plan includes all 19 touchpoints, but most builders should not start there. The book recommends starting with four surveyed moments on one community: the Finish Selections Session, the Hard Hat Framing Tour, New Home Orientation and the 30-day Feedback Check-In. HTMS has a start-with-four setting, a launch checklist and a 90-day rollout tracker. Add moments one at a time once the weekly meeting runs smoothly and every concern gets its call.

Can I export my data?

Data export is included on the Enterprise plan. On every plan, the builder owns its buyer data, and HTMS will never use one builder's data to train models for another builder. If you receive a refund under the guarantee, service ends and you receive an export of your data.

How are surveys triggered during a field evaluation?

During field evaluations, check-ins timed from closing (30 days, 6 months and 1 year after closing) are sent on their date once the closing is recorded. For appointments and in-person visits, such as the 60-day homeowner care visit, the owner receives a reminder before the appointment and confirms it afterward with one tap: completed, rescheduled, buyer didn't show or canceled, and only then is the survey sent. You choose whether those three check-ins are date-based. Your office can also record completions by CSV upload or manual entry. CRM integration is Phase 2, not a field evaluation feature.

Start a field evaluation

See HTMS on your own communities.

Tell us about your company and we'll set up a walkthrough and a field evaluation plan with a 90-day 100% guarantee.

  • Founder-led walkthrough of the 19-touchpoint journey
  • Field evaluation on one or two communities with a 90-day 100% guarantee
  • Visionary Builders rate for the first 10 builders
  • Optional homebuyer satisfaction workshop for your team
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