Here’s how Empire Homes (#61 on the 2026 Builder 100 list) in Texas maximizes lead production with UTour.
We spoke with Emily Gonzales, Director of Marketing at Empire Homes Texas, who uses UTour to provide self-guided tours of their spec homes. Here’s what she had to say. This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Zonda: Would you mind giving your name and what your role is?
Gonzales: My name is Emily Gonzales. I am the Director of Marketing for Empire Homes Texas and I oversee the Houston, Austin, and San Antonio markets.
How did you first hear about UTour?
I heard about UTour when I was with my previous company, Lennar Homes. I oversaw marketing for Lennar Homes in Houston. While we used other services, I knew when I came to Empire, I wanted to use UTour or at least, a similar service.
I have to tell you that the exceptional service through Zonda, and through Kristin’s [our customer success manager] expertise and attentional to detail, it made deciding between products a no-brainer. It was the type of service I was looking for, and paired with the customer service from Zonda, it was an easy decision to bring it to Texas.
Well, that’s awesome. So what kind of problem were you hoping to solve for?
Well, I’ve been in the industry for 26 years. And I’ve watched the customer journey and the industry evolve. I’m also a big fan of technology and resources.
Through a lot of behavioral observation, we realized that [customers] wanted some sort of ownership in the homebuying process. One of the ways we understood we could stay closely connected to the homebuying journey was by guiding the process with the right tools and services – but for the customer, making the journey feel simple, intuitive, and fully in their hands. And so…it really was a win-win situation for the builder and the buyer.
Your observation is so interesting about it giving the customer a sense of control. Can you tell us more about that?
Absolutely. When a customer visits a model and is sitting in front of a salesperson, the customer feels like they’re constantly being sold. Their defenses go up. No matter how friendly and kind a salesperson comes across, it is a high-pressure situation.
When the customer is touring the home, saying things about the home, good or bad, they’re being very open about what they’re feeling in the space without the presence of someone from the builder, creating a freeing experience for them.
They then begin to connect with the home, creating a low-pressure and customer-centric experience.
How do your sales counselors feel about UTour?
They love it because they get the leads and the buyer journey from tour to purchase is usually a lot faster. Lead quality is there. We have strong conversions on UTour. We have a great online sales counselor and she’s able to do the handoff pretty smoothly to the sales team, so collectively our team feels great about it.
So what was it like getting UTour started at Empire? Was it an easy process?
Very easy! I think the hardest part is making sure that your boots on the ground, like the tech who’s installing the equipment, is familiar with it.
Okay, and have there been any security concerns or problems?
None. We haven’t had any.
Wow, that’s great. Okay, and how has the interaction with the people who tour the homes been? Have you found that they’re as engaged as clients who come by during sales hours? Do you notice any difference between their behavior?
They’re less guarded, for sure. More informed and open to our sales team after a self-tour.
More informed. Why do you think that is?
Once they have a chance to tour the actual home they are considering, they use their senses to really explore the home. And by the time the customer sits in front of a sales counselor, they’re more prepared for the buying process.
Do you think it’s going to be more important to have these sorts of low-pressure touches as Gen Z comes of age?
Absolutely. What we’re seeing right now is that incentives have become table stakes – every builder is offering them. As a result, urgency isn’t landing the way it used to. Customer aren’t making decisions based on “act now” messaging because they don’t have to. Between increased competition and full transparency online, they can easily compare offers across builders.
And because of that, the marketing and sales approach that worked in the past isn’t going to resonate in the same way with this next generation of buyers.
