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A Buildertrend alternative built for local home builders
Buildertrend is built to run construction projects of every kind. Before The Build is built for one kind of company: a local builder selling homes on lots, then building them. That focus shows up in the sale, where most project software is thin, and in the price.
By the Before The Build team · Updated
At a glance
The short version
Before The BuildBuilt for local builders
13 of 14 built in · 1 partly
Buildertrend
7 of 14 built in · 7 partly
| Feature | Before The Build13 of 14 built in | Buildertrend7 of 14 built in |
|---|---|---|
| Win the sale | ||
| Customer records and a sales pipeline | Lead tracking | |
| Texting from your own company number | Two-way, with automatic follow-ups | Check with Buildertrend |
| Tour booking on each salesperson's calendar | With text reminders | Check with Buildertrend |
| Lots, quotes and contracts | ||
| Lot inventory and reservations with deposits | The lot shows reserved everywhere | Not a core feature |
| Quotes from a locked plan-and-options price sheet | Same home, same price, every time | Line-item estimates and proposals |
| Your attorney's contract templates, filled in | Pre-sold, inventory, build on your land | Document tools |
| E-signatures for buyers, co-buyers and you | ||
| Selections | ||
| Design selections with your margins hidden from the buyer | ||
| The build | ||
| Schedules, daily logs, change orders and punch lists | Starts itself when the contract is signed | Core strength |
| Trade partners: tasks, POs and invoices | Private link, no app | |
| A progress page for every buyer | ||
| Job costing and financial reporting | Budgets, bills and draws; QuickBooks export | Core strength |
| Price and setup | ||
| Price | $397/month, flat | Tiered plans; see their site |
| Unlimited users | Every seat included | Depends on the plan |
| Setup done for you | Live in three days | Guided onboarding program |
Where Before The Build pulls ahead
- The sale is built in, not bolted on. Lots, reservations, locked price sheets and your own contract templates are the core of the product, so the buyer is entered once and the contract fills itself in.
- One record from first text to warranty. When the buyer signs, the job starts with the home, the price and the plan already carried over, and change orders update the price and draws.
- Your number, your brand. Texts come from your company number, and every buyer page and PDF carries your logo.
- One flat price. $397 a month for your whole team, every feature, no per-seat math.
When Buildertrend is the right call
If you run large remodels or commercial work, or if detailed job costing, WIP reporting and accounting sync are the center of how you manage the business, Buildertrend has spent two decades on exactly that. Before The Build keeps budgets, bills and draws, and exports bills for QuickBooks, but it doesn’t try to be an accounting system.
When Before The Build is the right call
- You sell plans on lots in communities you develop or buy into, or you build on the buyer’s land.
- Your salespeople quote from a price sheet, and the numbers don’t always match.
- Your contracts are last deal’s file with the names changed.
- You want leads, texts, contracts and the build on one record instead of three tools.
- You close roughly 10 to 100+ homes a year and want it set up for you, not by you.
What it costs
Before The Build is $397 a month, flat, with unlimited users. White-glove onboarding is $1,500 one time and includes your contract templates, catalog import, branding, texting setup and training. Texting is pay-as-you-go at published rates. See pricing, or book a demo and bring a price sheet.