In this special episode, Anya Chrisanthon sits down with Anewgo CEO John Lee and OpenHouse AI CEO Will Zhang to explore the human side of AI in the home building industry. These innovative leaders discuss their journeys into tech and home building, share insights on AI's current and future impact, and offer valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Gain a unique perspective on how AI is transforming the housing market and the visionaries driving this change.

Host Anya Chrisanthon sits down with Sean Vo, National Director of Sales at Levven Electronics, to explore cutting-edge wireless lighting control technology. Learn how this innovative solution is transforming the home building industry, offering enhanced flexibility and efficiency for builders while providing homeowners with customizable, smart lighting options. Discover the potential of this technology to streamline construction, reduce costs, and improve the home living experience.

Making homes more affordable to build, purchase, and operate is the purpose everyone shares at Levven. They are all passionate about understanding, designing and manufacturing the products needed to help builders and trades reduce time, materials and costs to build and purchase the home while increasing the value everyone receives.

Making the essential need of shelter affordable to more people while reducing the environmental footprint of the home for the lifetime of the structure is a meaningful way to make a difference in the world.

Anya Chrisanthon and John Lee of Anewgo host Timothy Cocaro, founder and CEO of CaniBuild, to explore the evolving landscape of homebuilding. This episode examines how AI and advanced technology are improving construction processes, enhancing buyer experiences, and helping builders scale their operations. The discussion covers innovative solutions to industry challenges, the future of online home purchasing, and the urgent need for technological adoption in construction. Listeners will gain insights into how embracing these advancements can shape the future of homebuilding.

Tim Cocaro is the founder and CEO of CaniBuild, a technology company that provides innovative site planning software for the construction industry. With a background in both construction and computer science, Tim has been in the construction industry for his entire career, starting as a builder. He founded CaniBuild, developing the application to streamline the process of determining if a house, shed, garage, or pool can be built on a particular parcel of land. Tim is originally from Australia, where CaniBuild was first established, but the company has since expanded to serve markets in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and parts of Canada. Under Tim's leadership, CaniBuild has grown rapidly, now employing over 130 people and processing over 30,000 property lookups daily.

In this episode, host Anya Chrisanthon interviews Edwin Williams, founder and CEO of ZenHammer. Edwin shares his journey from mechanical engineering student to software entrepreneur, driven by a desire to solve communication problems in the construction industry. He discusses the development of ZenHammer, a project management and communication platform for contractors, and highlights the importance of industry involvement through organizations like NAHB. Edwin also offers insights on entrepreneurship, software development challenges, and the value of networking in the homebuilding industry.

Edwin Williams is an innovative entrepreneur and software developer based in Johnson City, Tennessee. With a background in mechanical engineering, Edwin pivoted to the tech and construction industries, driven by a desire to solve real-world problems. He is the founder and CEO of ZenHammer, a project management and communication platform for the construction industry that he is developing. Prior to ZenHammer, Edwin founded PERSERBID in 2014, which aimed to connect homeowners with contractors. His entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond his own ventures; since 2017, he has been a co-founder of Startup Tri-Cities, an organization that nurtures tech ideas and connects innovators with the local business community. Edwin is also actively involved with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), serving on various committees and participating in leadership programs. His journey from engineering student to tech entrepreneur showcases his adaptability, problem-solving skills, and commitment to improving the construction industry through innovative solutions.

David Hagan of Sales Uncomplicated discusses how homebuilders can differentiate themselves through superior customer experience. He shares insights on the importance of transparency in online marketing, meeting customers where they are, and his unique "customer experience equation." David emphasizes the value of showing everything to potential buyers and avoiding putting products "under glass" in the digital age of home sales.

David Hagan brings a wealth of experience to sales training. David has recruited, trained, and coached sales teams in the new home industry since 2012. He has been working with companies of all sizes, from small, private home builders to large, publicly-traded, national home-building companies.

Most recently, he led the sales training expert for the largest private home-building company in Atlanta. He was responsible for training and coaching a team of more than forty salespeople. The company has consistently been ranked among the top-five home builders in Atlanta.

David has also been actively involved in sales leadership, community and product development, land acquisition, marketing, online sales engagement, and many other aspects of home building. His experience of actively setting and exceeding sales goals while producing results makes him unique among sales training leaders.

David learned how to speak to large audiences in inspiring, positive, and impactful ways. Prior to entering the new home sales industry, he spent almost fifteen years pastoring a church near Savannah, GA. During his tenure, the church experienced unprecedented growth.

He not only developed his skills for training, teaching, and public speaking, but he also gained insight into motivating others. David says, “If you can lead a team of volunteers to do something of importance, you can lead anyone”.

He has gained vast experience in other areas of sales, including tangibles like home furnishings, commercial furniture, office partition systems, and intangibles, including long-term care and health insurance.

David is leveraging his experience in sales to train sales organizations using his exclusive sales process called the Uncomplicated Method®. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, he can help.

In this episode, Anya Chrisanthon is joined by Erik Cofield, VP of Builder Strategy at BuilderChain, to discuss how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the home building industry. Erik shares real-world examples of how AI-driven solutions, enabled by platforms like Palantir Foundry, are helping builders optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. From AI-powered construction trailers to predictive analytics for sales teams, Erik provides insights into the vast potential of AI and offers advice for businesses looking to embrace this transformative technology. Tune in to learn how your home building business can leverage AI to stay ahead of the competition in the rapidly evolving industry landscape.

In this special episode of Anewgo of New Home Sales, join hosts Anya Chrisanthon and John Lee as they bid farewell to their beloved colleague, Sara Williams. Reflecting on Sara's invaluable contributions during her tenure at Anewgo, they discuss her journey from the challenges of a startup environment to becoming an industry connector and a driving force behind the company's product development. Sara shares her most memorable moments and the qualities that have made her successful in her role. As Sara embarks on her next chapter, the team celebrates her impact and looks forward to the future of Anewgo.

In this episode, Anya Chrisanthon interviews Leah Fellows, founder of Blue Gypsy Inc., to discuss the findings from the 4th Annual Online Homebuyer Mystery Shop Report. Leah shares insights on the importance of having dedicated online sales counselors (OSCs), effective lead follow-up strategies, and the critical role of marketing in driving high-quality leads. The discussion also covers the decline in OSC usage among builders in 2023, the need for diverse communication channels, and the significance of adopting technology to improve the customer experience. Leah emphasizes the importance of focusing on lead quality over quantity and provides advice on how builders can adapt to the ever-changing online-first buyer.

Leah Kaiz Fellows, founder and owner of Blue Gypsy Inc. is an online sales training expert, adventurer, and home building industry professional.

After graduating with a degree in communication from Boston University, Leah chose the unconventional path of a wanderer as she gained insights into different cultures, places, and people. Her Gypsy years allowed for crazy adventures and unique jobs giving her the skills and confidence to work in any setting and relate to a multitude of personalities and professionals.

She spent 13 years traveling the world as a backpacker, sailboat captain, and dive instructor. In 2006 Leah began work in the new home sales industry managing leads, setting appointments, and assisting with new home sales for a large local builder in Virginia Beach. It was here that she developed her first online sales program with metrics reaching to 32% of the overall sales for that builder, at a time when the industry standard was 20-25%. She often joked that her non-existent Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) was put together with bubble gum and duct tape.

The Gypsy naturally thrived in this role and was intrigued with the relationship building that is necessary to be successful in online sales. Her writing skills played a key role in her travels as she worked freelance for magazines and newspapers and these skills continue as an important part of her duties in writing custom campaigns, website copy, and relevant blogs.

Leah then went on to start Blue Gypsy Inc. in 2010 working with builders, developers, and real estate related businesses as she developed a proven Online Sales System along with her very own Online Sales Process.

Since 2014 the Blue Gypsy has focused on Online Sales Training for builders across the country to help them improve their sales and the way they handle digital leads. Writer and speaker, Leah brings real world experience, and a unique, relatable quality to all her engagements.

Giving back to the building industry is important to her. She is an active member of the Professional Women in Building Council and the Sales and Marketing Council locally and nationally. Currently a board member at the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver PWB, she also is also the past chair (2019-2021) the Mentoring committee and is the past co-chair (2021) of NAHB PWB’s Membership and Communications sub-committee and the current 2nd Vice Chair of the Professional Development sub-committee. Leah is also a on the board of Trustees for NSMC and is the past chair (2021) of the Membership and Communication sub-committee.

She writes numerous articles for Building Women Magazine, Build Maryland Magazine, Colorado Builder, and other industry blogs and publications and has spoken at the International Building Show both onstage and in PWB Headquarters, SEBC, as well as on industry webinars and podcasts around the country.

Download the 4th Annual Homebuyer Mystery Shop Report HERE