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BUILDSOFT HOME BUILDER SOFTWARE REVIEW

Sun Valley Homes Inc., which remodels and constructs upscale, one-of-a-kind homes, boosted its profitability and reduced expenses by tapping into many of the vast array of features in BuildSoft Home Builder Software. BuildSoft's residential construction software has been very cost-effective for Sun Valley, former user Ed Finerty said.

"I was working for a high-end residential home -- for people who think nothing of putting an elevator in it or setting up a wine cellar -- and I set up a whole base of subcontractors in the system, and used it to track how the subcontractors were paid. It would post track, generate and pay invoices on payments," he noted.

On the other hand, Finnerty said expects BuildSoft would be even more useful to those construction firms that build subdivisions or reproduce several home designs on numerous lots.

This residential construction software can manage a project's complete life, from bank loans and lot-clearing to closing, he said. That, however, can be a double-edged sword, Finerty noted. "One manual was 300 or 400 pages for accounting and one manual was 200 or 300 pages for scheduling. You see what I am getting at. It had manual after manual after manual for each phase of the system."

Finerty gave BuildSoft Home Builder Software a rating of 8 out of 10.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
Sun Valley Homes Inc. are experts in high-end residential construction.

How long have you been using this tool?
I used it for the entire three years I was at Sun Valley Homes.

Where did you obtain it?
I do not know.

How much did you pay?
I do not know for sure, but I was told it was several thousand dollars.

How are you using this product?
It's a difficult residential construction software package to try to describe in the sense that it does everything from managing the lot-clearing, all the way up to closing costs and everything in between. You can project out from when the bank gives the loan to when the bulldozers should arrive. It's better-suited in design for someone building a subdivision or lots of similar houses. I was working for a high-end residential home when I used it, and I set up a whole base of subcontractors in the system, and used it to track how the subcontractors were paid. It would post track, generate and pay invoices on payments. We didn't overlook anyone's bill and no one ever overcharged us. It would track how much you spent for materials on a job, as long as you set up categories for them. It was a very handy tool.

Why did you pick this product?
The company had already bought it and I needed to use it for the job I was hired to do.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
It was not my decision. It was purchased before I joined the company.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
When I worked at Sun Valley, this residential construction software would actually do everything. On the accounting end, it would actually value the trucks and do devaluation. It accounted for every single penny coming in and coming out. It had a list of codes for each job or task and the time it took. That applied to everything, right down the line. The system needs to know where the money goes. It did the taxes and it would have done payroll.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
BuildSoft was so integrated it would track when a subcontractor's workman's comp was due -- so if it was about to expire we could kick them off the job.

Can you estimate how much time or money you have saved or other measurable benefits your firm has realized using this tool?
It saved us potentially millions of dollars because it accounted for everything. It was really set up for budget tracking. It saved us from the risks associated with having uninsured subcontractors, of being over-billed or of forgetting to pay someone, and being charged late fees.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
I found the accounting and subcontractor maintenance features really useful.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
Probably, I do not know how much it cost, so this is impossible for me to answer.

What would you change about the product if you could?
I would make it simpler to use. You hit one button and it would go crazy. It has so many features that it is kind of overwhelming.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
I did not use the payroll feature of this residential construction software because we used an outside payroll service do that.

Who would you recommend use this tool?                
BuildSoft would be useful for any larger construction outfits with subdivision plans.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
I'd say two years of general computer use.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Yes. It's really sophisticated.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
Yes, they were very helpful but telephone technical support carries an extra fee.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
It is a little overwhelming -- one manual was 300 or 400 pages for accounting and one manual for 200 or 300 pages for scheduling.  It had manual after manual after manual for each phase of the system.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
No. I left the company.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
8