(Toronto, ON, September 21, 2007) – The top new home builders in Ontario who provide the very best in customer service were recognized last night at the 2007 Tarion Awards of Excellence. The Gala Awards Event was held at the spectacular new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum. Winners were selected based on a very extensive survey of Ontario new home buyers conducted this summer by Harris-Decima Research. The award winners in each of four categories were Mattamy Homes of Oakville, Tridel of Toronto, Noah Homes of Kingsville, and Menard Brothers of Cornwall.
“We took the 2007 Tarion Awards of Excellence to a new level, by having the award winners selected exclusively by new home buyers, based on a survey of virtually every consumer who took possession of a new home in Ontario during 2006,” said Greg Gee, President and CEO of Tarion Warranty Corporation. “Most new home buyers are making the biggest purchase of their life, and one of the most critical factors for consumers is the ongoing relationship with their builder from the time a Purchase Agreement is signed until they move in and the service work is complete. Award winning builders are those who can create a positive experience for their customers throughout the home buying process.”
The Tarion Awards of Excellence, now in their 17th year, are the only awards that recognize the customer service performance of builders of all sizes across Ontario. Awards are given in four key categories: Large, Medium and Small Volume as well as High-Rise.
Winners and finalists in the 2007 Tarion Awards of Excellence were determined through a comprehensive survey, designed and conducted by Harris-Decima Research of Toronto. The survey was sent to over 53,000 Ontario consumers who took possession of a new home between January 1 and December 31, 2006. Eleven-thousand homeowners responded to the survey, which included questions covering 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.
“When choosing a new home builder, consumers want to know that any after-sales service issues will be addressed promptly and professionally,” said Mr. Gee. “The Tarion Awards of Excellence have become one of the most coveted awards in the Ontario home building industry because they identify builders who have an unwavering commitment to providing the best in customer service.”
2007 Ontario Builder of the Year Winners
Large Volume Category: Mattamy Homes of Oakville, Ontario
Mattamy Homes has been at the forefront in developing some of the largest new communities in Ontario since 1978. Thirty-thousand homes later, Mattamy is now Canada’s largest builder of new homes. But size hasn’t decreased the attention the company pays to keeping its customers satisfied. Attention to every detail of service delivery can be found at all points in the Mattamy new home buying experience – including a frame-stage walk-through during construction, to give buyers a chance to make sure that what looked good on the drawing, is what they are seeing in reality.
High-Rise Category: Tridel of Toronto, Ontario
Tridel is known for building quality high-rise condominium complexes and for developing innovative programs that help ensure high customer satisfaction on a mass scale. Tridel’s belief is that exceptional satisfaction comes from anticipating homeowner needs, rather than just reacting to them. Among the company’s innovations is ‘MyTridelHome.com,’ a customized website that allows homeowners access to all their agreements and records, as well as a round-the-clock means for reporting their concerns. Tridel was also selected as Tarion’s High-Rise Builder of the Year in 2005 and 2004.
Medium Volume Category: Noah Homes of Kingsville, Ontario
Integrity is the mortar that Walter Branco, the owner of Noah Homes, uses to build relationships of trust with his homeowners. While only in business since 2003, Noah Homes has already built more than 100 custom homes in the Kingsville area, each of which has been created through the same hands-on approach by the builder. He is constantly on-call to address homeowner issues, and he meets regularly with his customers – from the initial planning phase through construction, closing and the post move-in periods.
Small Volume Category: Menard Brothers & Associates of Cornwall, Ontario
In Cornwall, Ontario, the Menard Brothers name has been synonymous with quality homes and satisfied customers since 1988. In fact, well over one-thousand homeowners, living in seven residential subdivisions, have discovered first-hand Guy and Paul Menard’s recipe for customer satisfaction – a recipe whose main ingredient is the construction of homes that are as close to perfect as possible. Menard Brothers and Associates was also a Tarion Award of Excellence Small Volume Finalist in 2006 and 2005, and a Tarion Award winner in 1994.
About Tarion
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 new 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. Over 1.45 million homes in Ontario have been protected under warranty by Tarion.
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For more information, please contact:
Sarah Lieberman, Tarion Warranty Corporation Corinne Smirle, Tarion Warranty Corporation
Ph: 416-229-3876 Ph: 416-229-3863
Email: sarah.lieberman@tarion.com Email: corinne.smirle@tarion.com
