How Do Austin Building Material Suppliers Find Local Home Builders?

Isn't every Austin supplier rep already chasing the same builders on price?

Yes, once the job is out for quotes. That's the price war: any rep can see the job and send a cheaper number. The way out is to be the supplier he talks to before the takeoff goes out.

The building permit is that moment. The builder can't start until the City of Austin issues it, and he's still lining up subs and suppliers. The permit names the builder, and the record sometimes lists a phone. When it doesn't, the company name is usually enough to find one.

Who at an Austin home builder decides what materials to buy?

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

Once you know who's building, you need the right person. At small and mid-size home builders, that's usually the owner or the superintendent running the house. At bigger builders, it's a purchasing manager. Ask whoever answers who handles buying for that house.

"I know a builder who gives every solar job to one solar guy. That one relationship has been worth hundreds of thousands in work to him."Ben, FirstBid founder

It works the same for suppliers: builders stick with who they know. You're not trying to replace his supplier today. You're getting on his list for the next house.

The next builder on your list is already on the board.

Is selling direct to Austin builders worth the payment risk?

Getting on the list only helps if the builder pays. Slow pay is a real risk, so manage it the way you would any new account: set terms before the first delivery, start with one house, and grow with the builders who pay on time.

How do you get on an Austin builder's list as a supplier? 3 steps

Try it for a week and make your first call.

Being early, easy to work with, and proving it once.

1. See the new building permit the week it's issued. It tells you which builders are starting houses and where.

2. Call before it goes out for quotes. Once a builder sends a takeoff to five suppliers, it's a price war. Call while he's still planning the house, as someone who can make his job easier:

If he has a supplier he likes, ask to quote the next house. If he's open, ask when he'll need material, then tell him what he cares about:

Want to see who's building this week? Unlock today's permits.

Set payment terms before the first delivery and start with one house. A builder who pays on time on the first order is one worth growing with.

3. Deliver one house right, then ask for the next.

Step 1 is the hard part. Checking City of Austin permit records every morning takes time. That's what FirstBid does for you.

What do you get on the Austin supplier board?

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

Once you're in, every card opens up like the one above:

• New Austin single-family permits each morning, from City of Austin public records.
• The full address, so you know the house and the area.
• The builder's name and phone, when the record lists them.
• Tap to call or text right from the card.

You still make the call and win the job. The board tells you who to call and when.

Questions Austin suppliers ask before trying it

The next builder on your list is already on the board.

Fair questions. Here are straight answers.

Reach the next Austin builder before the quotes go out

Austin builders pull new house permits every week. Try the supplier board for 7 days and make your first call before the takeoff goes out.