Builders and developers are rapidly coming to appreciate how valuable their internet package can be in order to satisfy their customer base, and one internet service provider is now gaining market share by focusing exclusively on serving the needs of builders and their homebuyers.
Florida-based Fiber Fast Homes, a startup that already has some 13,000 new homes in its pipeline for fiber optic internet installation, attracts new builder contracts by making sure its package of high-speed internet—a gig up and down—is already up and operating when a homebuyer moves in.
“Fast, reliable internet service is a high priority for most households today, but it’s far from the norm to have it ready at move-in for most new home builds,” said Scott Sampson, President/CEO of Fiber Fast Homes, now installing in new home communities in Virginia, Colorado, Florida and Texas and expanding into Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, New York and Nevada.
“During the launch phase of a new community, builders may have a hard time delivering reliable service to customers moving in,” Sampson added.
“Some providers won’t start installations until they see ten or so closings in an area; and we’ve seen situations where builders haven’t provided service to families for six months after closing; for 15 months in one case.”
Fiber Fast Homes turns those challenges into sales advantages for builders, by working with a builder early on to assure that the installation fits seamlessly into a construction schedule. Fiber Fast Homes then works directly with the builder’s sales team to assure their buyers that they’ll get all features and the fastest speeds from day one.
“We always push to be in by the time move-ins start,” Sampson said. “If there’s ever a situation where a buyer won’t get regular service, we’ll make sure that the family gets temporary high-speed service until the issue is cleared.”
In one case in Jacksonville, Fla, a landscape contractor mistakenly cut a cable just as one of the builders’ earliest buyers was signing closing papers. Sampson jumped on a plane, drove to the customer’s new home and put temporary service in place for them. “The buyer asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Sampson recalled. “I told him it was because we promised.”
The end product, Sampson notes, is a fiber installation that’s clean and non-disruptive, while providing their customers with white-glove service for streaming, WiFi and smart-home capabilities. Sampson adds that Fiber Fast Home’s service is typically less expensive for the builder than competitors’ installations and can save residents a significant percentage on their long-term service expenses.