How important is a working internet connection for a buyer to have at move-in? ‘We’ll move mountains to make sure they have it,’ says one service provider.
At a moment when home builders are focused on construction supply issues following the pandemic, one thing buyers want running flawlessly from the moment they move in is their internet package. And that’s far from what builders’ customers are experiencing in a market where many products and services are delayed.
“Builders have lots of material-related issues to contend with now; and making sure that their high-speed internet installation is on track is an easy item to overlook, but it’s very important to customers,” said Scott Sampson of Fiber Fast Homes.
Fiber Fast Homes, a company exclusively devoted to high-speed fiber to the home internet for builders and developers, makes first-day service a top priority for its customers. The Florida-based startup currently has 13,000 new-builds in its pipeline for fiber installation, all of which will have their high-speed internet—a gig up and down— operating when new homeowners move in.
Sampson says that in addition to the importance of communications and entertainment services, buyers are increasingly focused on having their smart-home features working from day one—including security items like smart doorbells and remote-camera monitoring, as well as home-assistant devices, energy conservation features, and remote water conservation.
“We typically find that builders are already marketing those features to their buyers from early in the sales process,” notes Sampson. “We’ve designed our support for builders to make sure those promises are kept, and we work directly with builders’ sales teams to make sure they can use that technology as an effective tool in their marketing campaigns.”
Fiber Fast Homes collaborates with builders early on to seamlessly integrate fiber installation into the construction schedule. Fiber Fast Homes has installations underway in Jacksonville and Palm Beach, and is moving ahead for service across the country, including in Virginia, Colorado, and Texas, while preparing to expand into Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, New York and Nevada.
Meanwhile, Fiber Fast Homes continually hears horror stories from builders and their customers about delayed installation. Some providers, says Sampson, don’t begin installations in new communities until ten or more homes are headed for closing. “We’ve seen situations where internet has not been available to homeowners for months after closing; 15 months in one case.”
If emergencies occur late in construction, such as damage to a community’s high-speed fiber installation, Fiber Fast Homes finds ways to assure that customers get temporary internet service until the repairs are made. Customers, meanwhile, experience high-touch services for their communications needs that are rarely offered by competing providers.
And Fiber Fast Home’s installations are typically less expensive for the builder than competitors’ services, says Sampson; and can offer additional savings to residents after move-in on their long-term service expenses.