From humble beginnings in 2004 with the proverbial ‘van, dog and tools’, Master Builder Daniel Klinkenberg and his wife Bronwyn have created a business responsible for hundreds of quality new homes across greater Waikato, Rotorua, Coromandel and South Auckland.

“We saw a gap in the market for a building company with strong design-and-build processes delivered alongside excellent customer service,” explains Daniel, “It was out of that industry need and our core values of ‘humble, hungry and smart’ that Urban Homes was born. Since then, the company has grown significantly, and we now have a committed support team behind franchisees growing their own Urban Homes businesses.”

Daniel, Bronwyn and their growing team developed the necessary systems, software and processes to give others the same opportunity for success that they have enjoyed. They then engaged the expertise of Franchize Consultants to develop the final materials to launch the Urban Homes franchise system. The end result is a franchise offering that delivers total design-and-build solutions from a huge range of house plans, along with rapid-pricing software enabling each franchisee to provide quick and very accurate costings.

“The strength of our proven process and systems is a big drawcard of the Urban Homes group,” Daniel says. “Another real strength of the group is that we can share learnings and what we’re seeing across different regions. While we have consistency in ‘how’ we do ‘what’ we do, every person in the group offers different strengths, skillsets and talents, and that knowledge sharing is massively beneficial for each new franchisee who comes on board.

“From the outset, our franchisees are in a much stronger position to manage the ebbs and flows of the industry better.”

Emerging from a challenging three years for New Zealand’s building industry, and with many regions now beginning an industry upcycle, Daniel believes it’s excellent timing to look at building your own future with an Urban Homes business.

“There’s a level of support that I could only dream about when Bronwyn and I first started out,” he says. “Urban Homes has a very extensive training and onboarding programme and it’s a great time to grow and learn with the market.

“In construction you learn something almost every day, and when you have a franchise group that’s consistently striving together to work smarter, the inherent knowledge-sharing ability is a major strength.”

Choosing new house plans for clients is never an issue either. Urban Homes have a fully accessible ‘Plan Vault’ containing more than 700 house plans, right at the franchisee’s fingertips.

“Our pricing software is second-to-none,” says Daniel, “and we’ve developed some incredibly helpful professional business tools for our Urban Homes franchisees. There’s a strong front-end sales process, supported by a powerful CRM system to help with lead generation, along with robust costing and all the other front-end detail that sets a project up for success.”

Daniel knows they have a solid offer for new franchisees. “There are a lot of challenges when you’re trying to manage a build alone,” he explains. “Design, pricing, selections, scheduling and client expectations, to name just a few. But we know our offering is super supportive.”

“By joining Urban Homes, you’ll combine your local knowledge and industry expertise with our established reputation, industry-leading systems and technology, comprehensive training, proven processes, and marketing plans tailored to your local market, positioning your business for long-term success.”

“Our ideal franchisees may already be operating in the industry within their territory, which would mitigate the need for complete set-up costs,” explains Daniel. “But we see our ideal franchisees coming from all over the construction industry. Your experience is less important than your ability to learn and your hunger to build a quality business of your own, with our systems, training and ongoing support all there to help you succeed.”

The initial franchise investment ranges from $105,000 to $150,000, depending on the area, which covers the franchise fee, training, marketing and establishment costs. Working capital also needs to be factored in, along with other additional costs such as vehicles, legal fees and technology.

Daniel says that while franchisees will need to make the financial commitment towards building a showhome soon after launching their business, the Urban Homes team will support that initiative. “Having a showhome built in a new region is critical to generating ongoing business and establishing the brand.”

With over 21 years of experience behind them, Daniel and Bronwyn have put a strong focus on leveraging technology to ensure Urban Homes keeps moving with the times.

“Construction will always continue to innovate and develop,” explains Daniel, “and unless you’re willing to improve how you do things, you’ll get left behind.

“We’re always open to new ideas,” he smiles. “As we expand the business further, we’ll seek input and feedback from our franchisees to continually improve the whole network.

“One of our proven skills is putting the right people in the right territories, so call me today to find out if this is the right time and place for you to become an Urban Homes franchisee and to build your own solid future.” 

See this advertorial on page 15 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 34 Issue 04 

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