Following the success of the Constellation HomeBuilder Systems’ Build Smarter customer conference and the Focus on Excellence event, HousingWire/The Builders Daily’s John P. McManus spoke with Constellation leaders Chris Graham and Bob Swainhart about a defining challenge for builders: how quickly organizations can adapt beyond interest rates and short-term volatility.
There’s certainly a lot going on in the industry right now,” Chris Graham, President of Constellation HomeBuilder Systems, said. “Home building, new home sales, technology, consumer preferences — all of those things are moving at once.”
Graham pointed to technology as a critical enabler of adaptation, emphasizing systems that deliver consistent, practical value at the local level rather than experimentation for its own sake. “We try to solve the technology problems so that builders don’t have to,” he said, adding that reliability allows teams to make confident decisions regardless of market conditions.
While builders have largely learned to navigate labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, Bob Swainhart, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, said a different pressure is weighing on performance: consumer uncertainty. “Builders can actually make the sales,” he said. “But the cancellation rates are really what’s dragging them down. That comes down to consumer confidence when it comes to making a large purchase like a new home.”
That uncertainty has heightened the need for real-time operational visibility. “If it takes days or weeks to compile information, by the time you make a decision, it may already be irrelevant,” Swainhart said.
Hesitation around technology investments, which was once common among builders during uncertain cycles, has largely disappeared, according to Swainhart. “We’re way beyond the idea that builders are hesitant to invest in technology,” he said. “It’s become an expectation. The best operators are all leveraging technology to make faster, better decisions.”
For Graham, that shift reflects a deeper understanding of long-term risk. “They’re making decisions today that they’ll feel years down the road,” he said. Choices around land, product mix, and pricing require not only strong assumptions upfront but also continuous access to accurate data throughout a community’s lifecycle.
At November’s Build Smarter conference, Graham said many builders reached a turning point in how they think about data strategy. “You could see the light bulb turn on,” he said. “All of the work around data cleanup and standardization is worth it when it leads to better decisions and prepares you for what’s next.”
That next phase increasingly includes artificial intelligence, though both leaders stressed execution over hype. “We’re focused on where AI actually adds value,” Graham said, noting that AI is being embedded to surface actionable insights for purchasing, sales and construction teams.
Swainhart offered a practical example. “With AI layered on top of standardized data, you can ask a question like, ‘Show me the options outside our corporate norms,’ and get an answer almost instantly,” he said.
Looking ahead, Graham described the modern builder as one enabled by faster collaboration and broader visibility — from the office to the sales center to the job site. “The technology should jump out at you and tell you what needs attention,” he said, rather than forcing teams to search for problems.
Both leaders cautioned that discipline around systems and data must persist beyond challenging cycles. “In good times, inefficiencies creep in,” Swainhart said.
As builders look toward 2026, the takeaway is clear: adaptability, speed and insight are becoming defining advantages. Technology is no longer an add-on, but core infrastructure — enabling builders to protect margin, improve the customer experience and operate with confidence in an uncertain market.
