(Toronto, ON, October 3, 2008) – The top home builders in Ontario based on customer service delivery were revealed last night at the 2008 Tarion Awards of Excellence.  Award winners in each of four categories were:  Tridel of Toronto, Fusion Homes of Southwestern Ontario, Noah Homes of Kingsville and Sobella House & Home of Kingston.

The Tarion Awards of Excellence, now in their 18th year are the only awards that recognize home builders from across Ontario exclusively for their customer service performance. The 2008 results are based on over 13,300 new home buyer responses to a survey conducted for Tarion Warranty Corporation by Harris/Decima Research.  Awards are given in four volume-based categories:  Large, Medium and Small Volume as well as High-Rise.

“When you ask new home buyers to describe their overall builder experience, customer service is one of the first things they mention,” said Tarion President and CEO Howard Bogach. “Builders who deliver high quality service have an opportunity to distinguish themselves, not only by receiving a Tarion award, but also by increasing the likelihood that their customers will recommend them to friends and family. Many of our finalists say word of mouth contributes significantly to their sales.”

To determine the award recipients, a survey was sent by Harris/Decima to over 51,000 consumers in Ontario who took possession of a new home between January 1 and December 31, 2007.  Over 13,300 responses were received, representing 26 per cent of consumers who took possession of a new home last year.  Questions covered every stage of the after-sales homeowner-builder relationship: from the signing of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, through construction and the pre-delivery period, to after-sales service.

2008 Tarion Award of Excellence Recipients:

High-Rise Builder Category
 
Tridel, Toronto
In 1961, Tridel built its first apartment complex featuring twin towers, 260 suites, a recreational centre and landscaped grounds.  Today the company is known for developing innovative programs that help ensure customer satisfaction on a mass scale.  One of their innovations is a customized website that allows homeowners access to their purchase agreements and records, and provides a round-the-clock means for reporting issues. 

Large Volume Builder Category

Fusion Homes, Southwestern Ontario
Fostering and maintaining open lines of communication with homeowners is a hallmark for Fusion Homes, which has grown in just nine years to be a major player in Southwest Ontario.  Fusion has a concept they call ‘mass intimacy’ which aims to make things as uncomplicated as possible for home buyers.  Every purchaser is given a 1-800 number for direct access to a project co-ordination team in Fusion’s Customer Service Department, and this team stays with them throughout their entire new home buying experience. 

Medium Volume Builder Category

Noah Homes, Kingsville
Noah Homes has built more than 125 custom homes in the Leamington area since it was founded in 2003 and every one has been created using owner Walter Branco’s hands-on approach.  He is constantly on call to address homeowner issues, which the company strives to address within one to two days, and he meets on a regular basis with his customers. 

Small Volume Builder Category

Sobella House & Home, Kingston
Although Sobella House & Home has only been in business since 2006, the company has already established a strong reputation for taking the time and care to do things right the first time.  Owners Marten and Karen Bos get to know their customers and deal with all their service issues personally – taking calls, making service arrangements, and overseeing tradespeople to ensure every job is done well. 

Tarion Warranty Corporation is a private corporation established in 1976 to serve as the Regulator of the home building industry in Ontario. In this role, Tarion licenses all home and condominium builders pursuant to provincial legislation. This statute requires home builders to provide purchasers with warranty coverage that is guaranteed by Tarion.  The Corporation also establishes minimum time standards for after-sales service, and adjudicates issues between homeowners and builders.  As of the end of 2007, over 1.53 million homes in Ontario have been protected under warranty by Tarion.
 
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For more information, please contact:
Corinne Smirle
(Ph)  416-229-3683
corinne.smirle@tarion.com