Among production builders closing 60 or more homes annually, Carma ranks highest in satisfying new homebuyers in the Calgary/Edmonton market with an overall satisfaction score of 799 on a 1,000-point scale. Aspire Condo Living by Jayman follows Carma Developers in the rankings with 706. Carrington Properties and Trico Developments tied at third with 664.

Now in its second year, the study is based on responses from 1,306 buyers within the province of Alberta who purchased newly built multi-family homes and measures new homebuyer satisfaction throughout the new-home purchase and early ownership experiences among builder members of The Alberta New Home Warranty Program. Customer satisfaction is measured across eight factors (in order of importance): service/warranty staff; home/building readiness; sales process/staff; workmanship/materials; building/shared features; price/value; physical design; and design process.

Overall, customer satisfaction has increased to 614 in the Calgary/Edmonton market in 2009, up nine points from 2008. The total number of construction problems identified by homebuyers in Alberta has decreased to 13.1 problems per home in 2009, down 15 per cent from 15.5 problems per home in 2008. Home readiness and quality of the home and shared features at possession, as well as the builder’s responsiveness to outstanding concerns, are particularly influential in the homebuyer’s evaluation of their overall experience.

“These are positive steps forward as builders improve their understanding of homebuyer’s expectations and take measures to improve,” says Marc Thibault, Real Estate Practice Leader at the Canadian office of J.D. Power and Associates. “Despite a very challenging economic climate in the past year, the bar has moved up.

“Above all, homebuyers want to take possession of a defect-free home that satisfies all of the commitments from their builder,” says Thibault. “Most homebuyers will give their builders some latitude to resolve outstanding concerns, but rectifying problems needs to be done in an efficient and timely manner to minimize disruption.”

The study also finds that 21 per cent of homebuyers report that their builder resolved all of their outstanding concerns within approximately six months of taking possession — up significantly from only 16 percent in 2008 … and another sign that builders are listening to what buyers are saying. 


Calgary/Edmonton Market:
Customer Satisfaction Index Rankings
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)

799    Carma Developers - Calgary
706    Aspire Condo Living by Jayman
664    Trico Developments
664    Carrington Properties
649    Carma Developers - Edmonton
646    Rockford Ventures
623    Avalon Industries
614    Country Hills Landing
614    Calgary/Edmonton Market Average
603    Centre In The Park Homes
599    Cove Properties - Edmonton
548    Heritage Station
523    Park Place Communities
522    Carolina Homes - Calgary
Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Alberta Multi-Family
New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM