Running a small construction business is no joke—so let’s not waste time.

Here’s what’s coming your way this week:

🚧 Article this week: Is 2025 the Year to Sell Your Construction Business?

🚧 3 curated articles this week, Housing and RE Investing top the headlines this week.

Get the knowledge you need, stay informed, and enjoy the ride.
Let’s get building!

Automate Your Construction Business: Save Time and Stay on Schedule

If you’re tired of chasing schedules and managing chaos, it’s time to explore automation. No, you don’t need to be a tech wizard or invest in complex systems. With the right tools and strategies, you can streamline your processes, save hours each week, and take control of your business.

Why Automation Matters in Construction

Construction is an industry of tight deadlines and endless moving parts. Miscommunication, scheduling conflicts, and manual processes can cost you time and money. Automation simplifies these tasks by taking repetitive, time-consuming jobs off your plate, letting you focus on what really matters—building homes and growing your business.

The Areas You Can Automate

Here are the key parts of your business that are perfect candidates for automation:

Scheduling and Communication: Apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams can streamline communication, keeping your team on the same page.

Invoicing and Payments: Accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero can send automatic invoices and track payments, eliminating manual follow-ups.

Tools like Bill.com handle payment processing for both clients and vendors.

Lead Management: A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system like HubSpot or Jobber can track leads, automate follow-up emails, and ensure no potential project slips through the cracks.

Material Orders: Use supply chain tools or vendor platforms to set up recurring orders or inventory reminders, so you never run out of critical materials.

How to Get Started

Getting started with automation might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a simple process to follow:

1. Identify the Bottlenecks:
   Think about the tasks that eat up the most time or frequently cause delays. These are prime candidates for automation.

2. Choose Your Tools:
   Don’t try to automate everything at once. Start small with user-friendly tools like Zapier (to link apps) or Buildertrend (for project management).

3. Test and Refine:
   Implement one solution at a time, and make sure it’s working smoothly before adding more. Gather feedback from your team to tweak the system as needed.

4. Train Your Team:
   Automation tools are only as good as the people using them. Invest time in training your crew to use the tools effectively.

The Payoff of Automation

Once your systems are running, you’ll notice immediate benefits. Deadlines are easier to meet, communication improves, and administrative tasks shrink, freeing you up to focus on growing your business. Better yet, automation reduces the chances of costly errors, keeping projects profitable and clients happy.

Automation isn’t just for tech companies or massive corporations. It’s making a difference for contractors who want to save time and stay competitive. Start small, build momentum, and you’ll soon wonder how you ever ran your business without it.

Housing Market Predictions for 2025 and 2026

Summary: Experts forecast a brighter future for the housing market with a 9% increase in home sales for 2025 and an even stronger 13% boost in 2026. Stabilizing mortgage rates, expected to settle around 6%, are driving this optimism. Home prices are also predicted to grow modestly by 2% annually over the same period, reflecting steady recovery rather than volatile spikes. These trends point toward an end to the inventory crunch and highlight homeownership as a significant driver of wealth accumulation, with homeowners holding an average net worth of $415,000 compared to renters’ $10,000. Regional growth will vary, with job-rich metropolitan areas leading the charge.

Keith's Take: Stabilizing rates and creeping home prices are a double-edged sword. It’s great for those ready to buy now, but if you’re sitting on the sidelines, thinking the stars will align perfectly later, you might get priced out before you can say “closing costs.” With inventory likely to rise and jobs steady, this is a golden window to seize projects while they’re hot.

Don’t just build homes—build wealth. Renters, this is your wake-up call: stop making someone else rich.

👉 Full Article Here

87% of Metros in America Posted Home Price Gains in Q3 2024

Summary: The U.S. housing market continues to demonstrate resilience, with 87% of metropolitan areas reporting home price gains in Q3 2024, as per the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The national median home price now stands at $418,700, reflecting a 3.1% year-over-year increase.

Mortgage rates, ranging between 6.08% and 6.95%, remain a pivotal factor in sustaining buyer activity. Despite the robust numbers, a slight cooling trend is evident as the percentage of metros with price gains dipped from 89% in the previous quarter. Regional variations remain key, with thriving metros linked to job growth and population influx leading the charge, while economically challenged areas see slower growth.

Keith's Take: Alright, let’s call this what it is: Proof that the housing market isn’t backing down, but it’s starting to feel the weight of reality. Of course 87% of metros posting gains is solid, but that dip from last quarter’s 89%?

Buyers, these mortgage rates around 6% aren’t going to be your fairy tale. They’re the new baseline, and if you’re waiting for the 4% unicorn, you’re going to miss the boat entirely. Contractors, take note—this kind of demand is a goldmine, but you’ve got to play smart. Know your local market inside out because it’s no longer one-size-fits-all. Some areas are still red-hot; others? Lukewarm at best. Adapt or risk getting left behind.

👉 Full Article Here

A Critical Step For Real Estate Investors: Check Past Predictions

Summary: The season of economic forecasts and investment predictions is in full swing, with experts offering visions for the coming year. However, Erik Sherman emphasizes the importance of accountability when evaluating these predictions. Using LPL Financial as a case study, he illustrates the value of transparency, highlighting both their accurate calls (e.g., staying invested and favoring growth stocks) and their misses (e.g., underestimating market resilience).

For investors, the takeaway is clear: before trusting advisors or firms, check their historical accuracy and how closely past predictions aligned with actual outcomes. This critical vetting step is essential, particularly in sectors like commercial real estate, where precision is key to decision-making.

Keith's Take: This is a solid slap-in-the-face reminder that not all predictions are created equal. If you’re out here trusting someone’s crystal ball without checking how it held up last year, you’re asking to get burned. It’s like hiring a subcontractor without calling their last client—amateur move.

LPL Financial’s transparency is refreshing, but let’s not pretend they nailed it all. Their misses prove the point: even the “experts” are just rolling their dice sometimes. For real estate investors, this is your wake-up call: check receipts before you write checks. Accountability isn’t optional; it’s your compass in a market full of smoke and mirrors.

👉 Full story here.

About Keith Bloemendaal
With over 36 years in construction, I’ve built businesses from scratch—some scaled to millions, others taught me the hard lessons. Now, I help contractors work smarter with practical strategies and tech solutions that save time, cut headaches, and boost profits.

When I’m not solving problems or testing new ideas, you’ll find me sharing stories and mentoring hardworking pros like you.

Connect with me:
𝕏 @ContractorKeith
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