3 Top Takeaways from NAHB IBS 2025 that Home Builder Marketers & Salespeople Need to Know

Another International Builders’ Show (IBS) is in the books, and one theme was impossible to ignore: marketers and salespeople are rapidly adopting new technology, and that data is reshaping how home builders market and sell homes.

At Audience Town, we saw this firsthand as sponsors of Sales Central, where sales and marketing professionals gathered to discuss what’s next for the industry.

Conversations throughout the event highlighted a growing appetite for using data to guide strategy decisions, versus a “this is how we’ve always done it” approach. Home builders who embrace real-time data about people, properties, and leads will outperform those relying on assumptions, especially amid 2025 volatility. 

We predicted that fewer people will move in 2025 versus 2024, and so far, that prediction has held true.

“While fewer people will move compared to 2024, more of them will purchase newly built homes, which already account for 30% of all listings and a growing percentage of home sales,” said Audience Town CEO Ed Carey in a recent Ed-Itorial.

This experience was echoed by builders we spoke with onsite, who said things like, “Sales are fine,” “Some markets are really strong!” and “It’s better than last year.” While the short-term forecast might be hazy, the long-term view remains optimistic.

Technology, data, and AI give home builders an edge in an otherwise average market. When growth flattens, the effective use of your performance data for sales and marketing is a competitive advantage.

The good news? Leveraging the power of your data is easier than you think. Audience Town reveals the insights you need to deliver marketing and sales wins, and sell more homes, faster.

Here are our top takeaways from NAHB IBS 2025 and how builders like you can trust Audience Town to help you stay ahead.

1. Real-Time Data is the Future

For years, home builders have relied on historical reports and gut instincts to make key marketing and sales decisions. That’s changing.

Builders are shifting toward real-time consumer and property insights to get a clear, up-to-the-minute understanding of:

• Demand: Who is in the market for a home today? What are they looking for?
• Regions: Which markets are heating up or slowing down?
• Inventory: What types of properties are selling? How are buyer preferences shifting based on economic conditions and lifestyle trends?

As John Peragine, CRO and Co-Founder of Audience Town, emphasized in our Sales Central session, builders need a single source of truth for people, property, and leads. That’s what Audience Town’s Market Assessment Bundle delivers—real-time data on buyers, properties, and trends all in one platform.

2. Affordability and Market Uncertainty Are Still Major Concerns for Buyers

Home buyers remain highly price-sensitive, and fluctuating mortgage rates continue to shape demand. Builders need to be more strategic than ever about:

• Targeting the right audience: Understanding who is actively looking for a home and what price points they can afford.
• Optimizing marketing spend: Making sure every dollar is spent on channels that attract serious buyers instead of low-intent leads.
• Aligning inventory with demand: Knowing which types of homes are in demand, which features drive higher value, and where relocation patterns are shifting.

Especially in this market, it’s important to use your marketing and sales budget on folks who are actually going to buy. 

But broad trend data isn’t enough anymore. Marketers and salespeople need to bring people data together with property data to effectively attract, qualify, and convert those high-potential buyers. But until recently, you needed to have a full data team in-house to generate that kind of analysis. Now, with Audience Town, you can get this level of insight, about your actual shoppers, your actual community, and your competition with our just-released Market Assessment Bundle. More on that next.

3. Audience Town’s Market Assessment Bundle is a Game-Changer for Home Builders

We’re biased, but one of the most exciting moments at IBS was introducing our Market Assessment Bundle, which we developed in partnership with CoreLogic.

It’s truly a “better together” story; with the Market Assessment Bundle, we’ve combined our consumer data covering 280M people with their property data that covers 99.8% of the country and powers the listing portals. Finally, you can get a 360 degree view of your people, properties, and leads in your market, so you can sell more, faster. 

You may be wondering, “Who is CoreLogic?” CoreLogic is the leader in real estate property and listing data; they’re the backbone of things like MLS, home insurance companies, listing portals, FEMA, all mortgage companies, and so much more. That data, combined with Audience Town’s consumer data superset covering 120M US households, offers builders unparalleled opportunities to market and sell efficiently.

What does this mean for builders?

Finally, builders can see how their properties compare to others in their competitive market - not just your broad region. With the Market Assessment Bundle, you can zero in on properties that are similar types of homes, at a similar price point, with similar features. 

This localized property data has never before been available to builders, so you may be wondering what it can do for you. Here’s how you can use the Market Assessment Bundle:

• Real-Time Market Intelligence: Visualize key market trends from who is selling, what they’re selling, and how much consumers are paying for it. Based on daily updated inventory, sales, and property information for your competitive regions, powered by CoreLogic. Most home sales appear within 72 hours.
• Competitive Comparison: One click filters your insights to only comparable new construction or resale homes nearby. You can even compare your sales & inventory against recently sold properties in your market.
• Perfect Buyer Profiles: See buyer profiles based only on recent sales not 4 year old census data.
• Analyze Home Profiles: Identify which features of competitive properties are driving sales and pricing, and see what they’re buying.

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You can finally answer questions like the following using real data, not just intuition:

• How do my homes compare to competitive offerings nearby?
• What product and community trends are driving sales in my market?
• What type of consumers are actually buying these homes and where are they coming from?

Builders are no longer flying blind. Market Assessment Bundle shows you who is moving in your competitive market, where they’re moving from, what they’re buying, and why they’re buying it.

When demand is low, builders need to get efficient, lean, and tailored with your marketing and sales. Understanding your specific market today is critical to staying competitive and protecting your margin - especially right now as the market is changing so quickly. 

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The Key Takeaway: Data is the Future—And It’s Here Now

IBS 2025 proved that the industry is moving forward. The builders who embrace data today will be the ones leading the market tomorrow.

At Audience Town, we’re helping builders make that transition with tools designed to provide real-time, actionable insights, so you can make the most of every marketing and sales opportunity.

Ready to see how the Market Assessment Bundle can transform your marketing and sales strategy? Book a demo today.

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