Maximizing Profit in 2024: 5 Tips for Homebuilders and Land Developers

As you plan for 2024, we're here to offer some helpful tips to help you ensure a successful and profitable year.

Tip #1: Evaluate Efficiency

In this fast-paced industry, time is indeed money. Inefficiencies are not only costly, but can also quickly lead to missed opportunities, schedule delays, mistakes, and added stress. Many tasks once considered indispensable, like frequent meetings and on-site visits, can now be much more efficient with the help of technology.

Here’s proof that inefficiency is eating away at your profit margins:

• You waste several hours each week driving from job site to job site to obtain information.
• Tasks like moving dirt and having lots surveyed are repeated multiple times.
• You rely on expensive consultants to verify work completed.
• You spend weeks waiting for information, and once you receive it, it’s outdated.

Enter TraceAir, your solution for extreme efficiency. With the ability to monitor progress, quantify dirt movement, obtain measurements, and keep your projects moving remotely, TraceAir significantly reduces the need for on-site visits and costly third-party consultants. From land acquisition to final sale, TraceAir helps you make faster, smarter decisions.

“With TraceAir's remote progress tracking capabilities, I have significantly reduced on-site visits, saving at least one full day per month. I can now use this time to focus on the crucial aspects of our projects, ensuring better productivity and higher-quality results." — Cody Simoneaux, Vice President of Land for M/I Homes’ Charlotte Division

Tip #2: Boost Your Proactivity

The problem is that land developers deal with unique challenges that no other phases of construction face, and they lack tools that help them actually be proactive.

Are you unknowingly using a reactive approach?

• You have no way to quickly compare your project to design grade.
• Change orders and rework are something you commonly experience.
• If you had better information, you could have avoided mistakes.
• You have no historical project documentation.

Purpose-built to solve the unique challenges of land development, TraceAir uses advanced technology to regularly compare your project's current status to the design grade, enabling early detection of potential issues before they escalate into costly problems.

Our recently introduced Schedule tool provides a quick, comprehensive view of all your projects, allowing you to easily spot any schedule delays or problems. Furthermore, TraceAir maintains a historical record of scans that can be referred back to at any time.

“TraceAir has saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars by catching potential issues early. It’s a more powerful tool than I ever imagined. To be honest, every developer should be using TraceAir.” — Tom Woliver, Founder and Co-President of Oxland Group

Tip #3: Connect Your Jobsite to the Office

Most companies struggle with a major communication gap between the field and office, leaving enormous room for error.

Here’s what a gap between the field and office looks like:

• Contractors are overpaid for work not properly completed.
• Field staff are unequipped with quick methods of viewing project plans, leading to frequent miscommunications and errors.
• Communication between the field and office often feels like a game of telephone.

Many companies have tried and failed to bridge this gap by implementing department-based software. TraceAir goes above and beyond to eliminate frustrations between the field and office with dead-simple software backed by unbeatable support.

“Our contractors are using TraceAir out in the field. It helps them solve problems and confirms that progress aligns with schedule goals. TraceAir’s user-friendly interface and unlimited license sharing have greatly facilitated cross-functional collaboration, streamlining our workflows and enhancing overall efficiency.” — Cody Simoneaux, Vice President of Land for M/I Homes’ Charlotte Division

Tip #4: Embrace Project-Wide Transparency

It’s one thing to keep your team informed. But on land development projects, with a multitude of projects happening simultaneously, ensuring everyone is informed and working towards the larger goal is a major challenge.

Do these sound familiar to your team?

• Transitioning between phases is difficult.
• Clarification is needed after meetings and mistakes are made in the field.
• Stakeholders are constantly asking for progress updates.

Implementing project-wide transparency requires a shift in mindset, followed by implementing the right tools. With unlimited licenses, TraceAir creates a single source of truth.

“We like to engage all of our consultants, civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, structural engineers, general contractors with TraceAir for full and complete transparency on our projects. It’s been extremely helpful.” — Stacia Bloom, Land Development Manager, Century Communities

Tip #5: Combat Labor Shortage with Tech

Technology is your ally in both attracting and retaining top talent. The key to success lies in implementing simple tools tailored to your team's unique needs. For land development teams, there is no better choice than TraceAir.

Discover how a Land Development Manager at Lennar used TraceAir to double the number of projects he could manage, while improving efficiency and reducing site visits.

A Proven Solution

TraceAir is your partner for a successful and profitable 2024. To explore how TraceAir can benefit your organization, schedule a demo today.