How to Use Buyer Needs Requests on New Home Buddy
If you’ve ever had a buyer with a very specific wish list–or you struggled to find a home that checks all their boxes–this new feature is for you.
We’re excited to introduce Buyer Needs Requests, a brand-new tool inside the New Home Buddy Agent Portal that helps agents connect directly with builders who can meet their buyer’s criteria.
Instead of posting your buyer needs in Facebook groups hoping the right builder rep sees it, you can now send your request straight to the builders of your choice.
Finally, you can get builder responses organized in one clean place!
This guide walks you through:
- Why We Built Buyer Needs Requests
- What Is a Buyer Needs Request?
- How Agents Create a Buyer Needs Request (3 Simple Steps)
- How Builders Receive and Respond
- Where Agents See Builder Responses
- Tips for Getting Great Responses
Let’s jump in.
Why We Built Buyer Needs Requests
If you spend any time in real estate Facebook groups like ShiftTalk, you’ve seen the same posts over and over:
“Buyer looking for a 3/2 under $425K in Comal ISD. Anything coming up?”
“Need inventory in NW San Antonio — here’s the map. Who has something?”
“Client wants a 1-story on a half-acre on a corner lot. Anyone have options?”
Sometimes these posts get great responses — and sometimes they get buried in a feed that moves way too fast.
You also know the struggle:
- You’ve got a buyer with a specific wishlist
- Filters don’t always give you everything
- You only want responses from specific builders
- And sometimes you just want to ask all the right reps at once
- Without digging through old text threads or group posts
We built Buyer Needs Requests to make this easier.
What Is a Buyer Needs Request?
A Buyer Needs Request is a simple way for agents to tell builders exactly what their buyer is looking for — all inside New Home Buddy.
Instead of posting in a Facebook group, you can now:
- Write out your buyer’s needs directly in the Agent Portal
- Choose the market(s)
- Select the builders you want to send it to
- Include a map outline if helpful
- Send it directly to the builder’s division (or directly to the builder reps you’re connected with!)
Builders receive a clean email with your request and can respond right away.
No more lost posts or more missed opportunities. And no more digging through comments hoping the right rep sees it.
How Agents Create a Buyer Needs Request (3 Simple Steps)
Here’s how to send your first request:
1. Go to “Buyer Requests” in your Agent Portal
Login into your account on the Agent Portal. You’ll find this in the left-hand menu.
Click “Create Buyer Needs Request”
2. Add Your Buyer’s Details
On one clean screen, you’ll enter everything the builder needs to know:
Select your Market(s)
Select one or more markets where your buyer is searching.
Once you pick your markets, New Home Buddy will automatically show the list of builders in those areas.
Choose which builders you want to send the request to
You can choose one builder or many.
You’ll also see:
- How many Connections you have at each builder
- Builders you might want to include for more options
The request will go to each builder you select.
You’ll see all the builders in the selected markets, and how many Connections you have at each builder. You can send your request to as many builders as you’d like!
Describe your buyer’s needs
This is the most important part!
Keep your message short and clear. Include things like price, beds/baths, desired areas, school districts, timing, and any must-haves.
Draw on the Map (Optional)
You can use the Draw tool to outline the area your buyer wants.
This is for visual reference only — builders won’t be restricted by the shape, but it helps them see your target area at a glance.
3. Click Send
Your request will go out to each selected builder’s default division contact.
However, if you’re connected with a builder rep, that rep (or reps) will receive it instead.
That’s it. Your request is live!
How Builders Receive and Respond
Builders Receive Email
Every builder you selected will get an email with:
- Your contact info
- The message you sent
- A button to “Respond”
Handpick Specific Homes and Send a Response Directly in New Home Buddy
- Respond through their Builder Portal (or forward the request to a colleague they think can help)
- Build a filtered list of matching homes
- Or handpick specific addresses
- Add a custom message
- Update their response anytime while the request is open
In their Builder Portal, they’ll also see:
- A full history of every request they’ve received
- Filters to show only agent requests
- A clean view of their sent responses
Builders stay organized. Agents get clean, actionable replies. Everybody wins.
Where Agents See Builder Responses
Inside your Agent Portal, you’ll see a Gmail-style inbox of all your Buyer Needs Requests. Click on the request to see the Builder Responses:
For each request, you can:
- See which builders responded
- Open and read each response
- See unread badges
- Compare home lists side-by-side
- Notify the Builder if there’s a home that’s a good fit or if you want to learn more
- Close the request once you’ve found the right match
Note: When you close a request, no new responses can be submitted.
Tips for Getting Great Responses
Here’s how to get high-quality replies from builders:
Be specific
The more details you share, the easier it is for reps to match inventory.
Include timing
Let builders know whether your buyer is ready now, “just starting,” or needs a home by a certain date.
Use the map tool
A simple circle or outline makes your search easier to understand instantly.
Send to multiple builders
Even if a builder replies with “nothing today,” they often include upcoming homes or plans that aren’t in MLS yet.
Final Thoughts
Buyer Needs Requests were built to solve a real problem agents and builders face every day:
Buyer needs are everywhere… but organized responses are nowhere.
Now, agents can send their buyer needs directly to builders. Builders can respond quickly with matching homes. And everything lives in one clean, organized place.
This is another big step forward in our mission:
Changing the way new construction homes are sold.
