Home builders and developers run a sales motion that generic real estate CRMs were not designed for. Lots sit in inventory. Buyers reserve lots and select finishes at the design center. Construction milestones trigger specific buyer communication. Earnest money, option deposits, and construction draws run on their own schedule. Strkr ships a property builder CRM with lot and inventory tracking, buyer pipeline from reservation through close, design center selections, and construction milestone communication on one record.
Property builders and developers (residential home builders, multifamily developers, custom home builders, land developers with lot inventory) run a sales motion that generic real estate CRMs do not model well. The core data object is a lot (or a unit, in multifamily) with a inventory state, a floor plan option, a lot premium, and a construction phase. The buyer motion runs through reservation, contract execution, earnest money, design center selections, construction milestone communication, pre-closing walkthrough, and close. Each stage carries specific documents, deposits, and buyer touches that generic CRMs built around agent-driven resale leads do not capture. The alternative tooling (BuilderMT, Sales1440, Avid Ratings, Lasso CRM, HomeView) specializes in property builders but typically runs as a standalone stack separate from the broader CRM and marketing tools. The result is that most builders run two CRMs: a general-purpose one for prospect marketing and a builder-specific one for the deal flow after reservation. Strkr ships both motions on one platform.
A property builder sells lots (or units, in multifamily). The lot carries a inventory state (available, reserved, under contract, under construction, closed), a floor plan option, a lot premium, construction phase, and projected close date. Generic CRMs model deals and contacts, which forces builders to abuse the deal object to represent a lot. Strkr ships lot inventory as a first-class data object.
Property builders typically use a reservation (soft hold on a lot with a refundable deposit) before the formal contract to lock a lot for a buyer who is still finalizing financing. The reservation stage is distinct from the pre-contract stage in the buyer journey. Generic real estate CRMs skip the reservation stage. Strkr tracks reservations as a stage with the deposit tracking and the escalation to contract.
New construction buyers go through the design center process to select finishes: flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, paint, and upgrades. The selections live in a design center system (BuilderMT, Hubble, custom spreadsheets) and get stitched to the sales CRM awkwardly. Strkr ships design center selections as a tracked phase of the buyer journey with the selections, options, and upgrade pricing on the lot record.
New construction buyers want communication at every construction milestone: foundation poured, framing complete, drywall installed, trim finished, pre-closing walkthrough scheduled. The communication typically runs through the construction superintendent sending email updates, which drops leads at the busy phases. Strkr automates milestone communication from the construction phase progression on the lot.
Property builders collect multiple deposits per buyer: reservation deposit (soft hold), earnest money (at contract), option deposit (at design center selection), and closing funds (at close). Each deposit has specific terms (refundable or non-refundable, applied to purchase price or additional). Generic CRMs do not model the deposit stack. Strkr ships deposit tracking with the terms and status per deposit.
Property builders typically work with external buyer agents who bring buyers to the community. The co-broker commission (2 to 3 percent of purchase price typical) runs on specific rules: registration requirements before the buyer first visits, co-op or non-co-op per community, commission payout at close. Builders need to track the buyer agent relationship separately from the buyer. Strkr ships co-broker tracking with the commission rules per community.
A property builder CRM covers specific capabilities that generic real estate CRMs do not model: lot inventory, floor plan options, reservations, design center selections, construction milestones, deposit tracking, and co-broker commissions. The cards below are the capabilities with the detail.
Lot inventory grid shows the community lot map with the current status per lot (available, reserved, under contract, under construction, closed). Click a lot to see the full lot record: floor plan selected, lot premium, buyer assigned, construction phase, projected close date. Teams can filter by status, phase, floor plan, or price range. Multi-community builders see the roll-up across communities.
Floor plan options cover the standard plans offered in a community with the elevation choices (Craftsman, Farmhouse, Modern), specification options (3-car garage vs 2-car, bonus room vs bedroom), and the base pricing per plan. Buyers select the plan during contract, and the pricing automatically applies. The design center flow builds on the selected plan.
Pipeline stages specific to builders: prospect, qualified lead, reserved (soft hold with reservation deposit), under contract (earnest money deposited), design center scheduled, design center complete (option deposit paid), under construction (per construction phase), pre-closing walkthrough scheduled, closed. Each stage has configured tasks and nurture sequences.
Design center selections capture the buyer-selected finishes per category: flooring (hardwood, LVP, tile, carpet), cabinets (shaker, modern, raised panel per vendor), countertops (granite, quartz per color and vendor), fixtures (plumbing, lighting, hardware), paint, and upgrades (kitchen island extension, bathroom tile upgrade, outdoor features). Selections carry the upgrade pricing with the running total.
Construction phases: lot preparation, foundation, framing, roof dried-in, HVAC and plumbing, electrical, drywall, trim and paint, flooring, final finishes, final inspection, certificate of occupancy. Each phase progression on the lot triggers configured communication to the buyer with the photo or video update, the next-phase timeline, and any buyer action required.
Deposit stack per buyer: reservation deposit (soft hold with refundable or non-refundable terms), earnest money (at contract execution typically 1 to 5 percent of purchase price), option deposit (at design center selection typically 3 to 10 percent of upgrades), and closing funds (at close for the remaining balance after loan). Each deposit tracks the amount, the status (held, applied, refunded), and the terms.
Co-broker tracking covers the registration requirements per community (buyer agent must register before the buyer first visits), the commission rate per community (2 to 3 percent typical, variable per promotion), and the payout timing (at close). The buyer agent relationship ties to the buyer record so communication, commission statements, and MLS cooperation flow correctly.
Multi-community builders see the portfolio-level view: total inventory across communities, available lots by community, buyer pipeline per community, projected closings by month, and revenue forecast. Community managers see the drill-down to the community level. Division leaders see the roll-up across the division.
The property builder sales motion runs as a chain from first community visit through post-close customer care. The cards below walk the stages.
A prospect visits the community sales center or model home. The onsite sales counselor captures the registration (name, contact, timeline, needs, buyer agent if any) in Strkr. If a buyer agent is attending, the agent registration ties to the buyer. The prospect gets added to the community nurture sequence immediately.
The sales counselor qualifies the prospect: pre-approval status with a lender (recommended lender list for the community), timeline to close, desired floor plan, lot preference, and budget range. The qualification data lands on the buyer record. Non-qualified prospects go into the long-nurture for future readiness.
The buyer reserves a lot with a reservation deposit (typically $5,000 to $10,000 refundable). The lot moves to reserved status in the inventory grid. The buyer has a window (typically 7 to 30 days) to execute the formal contract or lose the reservation. The reservation locks the lot for the buyer during the window.
The buyer and the builder execute the purchase agreement with the earnest money deposited (typically 1 to 5 percent of purchase price). The lot moves to under contract status. The contract carries the terms: purchase price, floor plan, closing date, construction timeline, warranty terms, and the buyer agent commission if applicable.
The buyer schedules the design center visit and selects the finishes: flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, paint, and upgrades. The design center consultant walks the buyer through the options with the running total. The option deposit (typically 3 to 10 percent of upgrade cost) deposits at selection completion. Design center completion locks the upgrades in the construction order.
Construction progresses through the phases with Strkr sending the buyer a configured update at each milestone: foundation poured (with photo), framing complete (with video walkthrough), drywall installed, trim finished, final inspection scheduled. The buyer sees the home coming together, which keeps the buyer excited and reduces mid-construction cancellation risk.
The pre-closing walkthrough schedules once the certificate of occupancy issues. The buyer walks the home with the construction superintendent to note any punch-list items (cosmetic touch-ups, minor fixes). The punch list routes to the builder operations team for resolution before close. The buyer countersigns the walkthrough acceptance when the punch list clears.
The transaction closes with the final funds. The buyer moves in. Strkr activates the post-close customer care sequence: welcome message, 30-day quality check, 90-day warranty check, 1-year warranty review, referral request at the 1-year anniversary. The customer stays in the sphere-of-influence nurture for repeat and referral business.
The practical difference between a builder-specific CRM and a generic real estate CRM shows up in six operational gaps. The cards below are the gaps that disappear when the CRM models the builder motion natively.
Generic CRMs do not model lots as inventory. Builders typically run the lot inventory in a separate spreadsheet or a standalone system (BuilderMT, Sales1440). The gap means lot status is manually synced, which creates inventory mistakes (two buyers reserved on the same lot). Strkr ships the inventory grid as the primary surface.
Generic CRMs model opportunity stages for the resale deal flow (lead, qualified, offer, under contract, closed). The reservation stage (soft hold with refundable deposit, pre-contract) is specific to builders. Generic CRMs cannot track it cleanly. Strkr ships the reservation stage with the deposit and timeline tracking.
Generic CRMs do not model design center selections. Builders typically run the selections in a separate design center system or a shared spreadsheet. The gap means upgrade pricing, option deposits, and construction order coordination run outside the CRM. Strkr ships the design center selections on the buyer record.
Construction milestone communication typically runs through the superintendent email or a construction management tool (Procore, Buildertrend). The gap means buyer communication drops at busy phases. Strkr ties the milestone communication to the construction phase progression so updates fire automatically.
Generic CRMs model a single deposit per deal (earnest money). The builder motion has four distinct deposits per buyer with specific terms. The gap means deposit tracking runs in spreadsheets with the risk of refund disputes or applied-amount errors. Strkr tracks the full deposit stack with the terms per deposit.
Co-broker tracking in generic CRMs is minimal. The builder motion needs registration requirements (buyer agent registered before buyer visit), commission rates per community (variable with promotions), and payout timing (at close with 1099 handling). Strkr ships the co-broker rules per community with the commission tracking tied to the close.
The common property builder pattern is Lasso CRM or Sales1440 for the sales CRM plus BuilderMT for design center plus spreadsheets for inventory plus Buildertrend for construction. The head-to-head against that pattern:
| Feature | Strkr | Lasso CRM + BuilderMT + spreadsheet stack |
|---|---|---|
| Lot inventory | Visual grid as primary surface | Spreadsheet or Sales1440 inventory |
| Reservation stage | First-class with deposit tracking | Partial, often workaround |
| Floor plan options | Options with elevation and spec choices | Separate pricing system typically |
| Design center selections | Native with upgrade running total | BuilderMT or custom system |
| Construction milestones | Native with automated buyer comms | Superintendent email, Buildertrend separate |
| Multiple deposit tracking | Four deposits with specific terms | Single deposit field, spreadsheets |
| Co-broker commissions | Rules per community with payout | Manual tracking, 1099 pain |
| Multi-community rollup | Portfolio view with drill-down | Division-level BI project |
| Marketing and prospect nurture | Native, same platform | Separate marketing automation |
| Vendor count | 1 (Strkr builder CRM) | 3 to 5 (CRM, design center, inventory, construction) |
The common pattern: consolidate the builder-specific stack onto Strkr with the lot inventory, buyer pipeline, design center, and construction milestones on one record. The playbooks below are patterns live on customer accounts.
A mid-size residential builder with 4 communities and 220 annual closings ran Lasso CRM plus BuilderMT plus Buildertrend plus a lot inventory spreadsheet. The stack cost ran $4,200 per month and required a dedicated operations manager spending 15 hours per week on data sync between the tools. The team moved to Strkr with the full motion consolidated. Operations time dropped to under 3 hours per week.
A luxury custom home builder with an average $280K in design center upgrades per home found that upgrade conversion was dropping because the design center consultant did not have visibility into which upgrades the buyer had viewed online. The Strkr design center selection tracking surfaced the buyer online preferences in the design center visit, which lifted upgrade revenue 23 percent over 2 quarters.
A multifamily developer launching a 180-unit mid-rise community used Strkr for unit inventory, buyer pipeline, and lease-up tracking. The visual unit grid showed unit status (available, reserved, leased, pending move-in) with the buyer and lease terms per unit. The developer monitored lease-up velocity against the pro forma on a weekly dashboard.
A division builder with 8 communities had co-broker commission reconciliation running as a quarterly manual project. Buyer agents routinely disputed commission amounts because the tracking was inconsistent. Strkr co-broker tracking with the per-community rules and the at-close payout automation eliminated the disputes. Finance reclaimed 32 hours per quarter.
A builder launching a new 120-lot community ran a pre-sale lot reservation campaign using Strkr. Prospects could reserve a lot online with the $5,000 refundable deposit. 73 lots reserved in the first 10 days with the inventory grid tracking the reservation status in real time. The reservation campaign funded the first phase of community infrastructure.
Start a 14-day trial with the full builder CRM enabled: lot inventory grid with per-lot status, floor plan options with elevations and specs, reservation and contract pipeline, design center selections with upgrade running totals, construction milestone communication tied to phase progression, four-deposit tracking per buyer, co-broker commission rules per community, and multi-community portfolio roll-up.
A real estate CRM for property builders is a CRM that models the sales motion for home builders, multifamily developers, custom home builders, and land developers. The core data object is a lot (or unit, in multifamily) with inventory state, floor plan option, lot premium, construction phase, and projected close date. The buyer motion runs through reservation, contract execution, design center selections, construction milestone communication, pre-closing walkthrough, and close. The CRM covers specific capabilities beyond generic real estate CRMs: lot inventory grid, reservation stage with soft-hold deposit tracking, floor plan options with elevations and specs, design center selections with upgrade running totals, construction milestone communication tied to phase progression, multiple deposit tracking (reservation, earnest money, option deposit, closing funds), and co-broker commission rules per community.
Lot inventory in Strkr runs as a visual grid showing the community lot map with the current status per lot (available, reserved, under contract, under construction, closed). The grid is the primary surface for sales counselors and community managers. Click a lot to see the full record: floor plan selected, lot premium, buyer assigned, construction phase, projected close date, and the deposit stack. The grid filters by status, phase, floor plan, or price range. Multi-community builders see the roll-up across communities with the division-level view available to leadership. The inventory grid updates in real time as sales counselors reserve lots, buyers execute contracts, and construction progresses, which eliminates the inventory sync errors that happen when lot status lives in a separate spreadsheet.
The design center selection flow runs after contract execution and before construction starts. The buyer schedules the design center visit (typically 2 to 6 hours) and selects finishes across the categories: flooring (hardwood, LVP, tile, carpet per room), cabinets (shaker, modern, raised panel per color and vendor), countertops (granite, quartz, marble per color and vendor), fixtures (plumbing, lighting, hardware per style), paint (interior and exterior colors), and upgrades (kitchen island extension, bathroom tile upgrade, outdoor features). The design center consultant walks the buyer through the options with the running upgrade total visible. Buyers see the upgrade cost per selection, which keeps the upgrade conversation grounded. The option deposit (typically 3 to 10 percent of the upgrade cost) deposits at selection completion. Design center completion locks the upgrades in the construction order and triggers the next construction phase.
Construction milestone communication fires automatically as the lot progresses through construction phases: lot preparation, foundation, framing, roof dried-in, HVAC and plumbing, electrical, drywall, trim and paint, flooring, final finishes, final inspection, certificate of occupancy. Each phase progression on the lot triggers a configured update to the buyer: a message explaining what happened in the phase, a photo or short video of the current state of the home, the next-phase timeline, and any buyer action required (design center selection reminder, financing update needed, pre-closing walkthrough scheduling). The communication keeps the buyer engaged throughout the typical 4 to 9 month construction period, which materially reduces mid-construction cancellation risk and keeps buyers excited about the home. The construction superintendent updates the phase status on the lot record from the field, which fires the configured communication.
Co-broker commission tracking covers the relationship with external buyer agents who bring buyers to the community. The commission rules configure per community: registration requirements (buyer agent must register with the sales center before the buyer first visits, otherwise no commission), commission rate (typically 2 to 3 percent of purchase price, variable with promotions), and payout timing (at close with 1099 handling). The buyer agent relationship ties to the buyer record so communication, commission statements, and MLS cooperation flow correctly. Strkr tracks the agent registration dates, the commission rate per deal (with any promotional adjustments), and the payout status (pending, paid, 1099 issued). At close, the commission check or ACH payment generates with the documentation. The co-broker tracking eliminates the quarterly commission reconciliation project that most builders run manually.
Strkr runs the builder stack migration in three stages over 3 to 6 weeks. Stage 1 (weeks 1 to 2): lot inventory and community migration with the active lots, lot premiums, floor plan options, and community configuration imported from Lasso CRM, Sales1440, or BuilderMT. Historical lots import as closed records. Stage 2 (weeks 2 to 4): buyer pipeline migration with active buyers, deposit history, contract terms, and design center selections imported. The reservation stage, contract stage, and design center selections map to the Strkr model. Stage 3 (weeks 4 to 6): construction milestone configuration with the phase definitions, communication templates per milestone, and the superintendent access set up. Construction management tools (Buildertrend, Procore) stay in place with Strkr integration rather than migrating. Most builder migrations complete in 3 to 6 weeks depending on community count and historical data volume.
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