A Year-End Note from Jim Greatorex

Published in Home Modifications on December 17, 2020

Congratulations, VGM Live at Home members! We have made it to the end of what most would call the most memorable year of our lives! 

Before we turn the page, let’s reflect on 2020.

Besides learning how to do our jobs and perform our services differently, 2020 has been an eventful year for the home access industry. With the pandemic causing many Americans to pull their loved ones from senior-congregated housing, home access got an upturn in focus and our demand for services grew. Members who were plugged into the private pay market had an uptick in leads from May until Thanksgiving week. I spoke with a national digital marketing company who promotes accessible bathroom remodels and other home safety-focused services, and they claim that leads for the senior remodel segment went up 25% from the year before with huge interest over the summer and early fall. We also learned that with many people spending lots of time at home now that remodeling contractors as a whole likely have more business than they can handle. 

The pandemic has changed our lives dramatically, and by now all of us know someone who have been really sick or did not survive the virus. We need to continue to keep in our thoughts the tough times many families face and the impossible workload of our frontline workers.

Looking Ahead

Through all of the tragedy, we all know that a higher need for home accessibility has occurred. Our public awareness factor has been raised way more than any of us could have imagined on January 1, 2020. We need to recognize this and set our companies up for a higher growth rate in 2021 than what we may have put into our plans last year. The first nine months of 2021 will also put us in a very positive position to have a federal bill passed that would help homeowners with tax breaks to remodel their homes. The bill must address the needs of both folks preparing for their forever home and for our customers who need a modification in order to return home after mobility-changing health incidents.     

We here at VGM look forward to when we can see our members face to face again, and hopefully the Heartland Conference from June 14-16 will allow for that to happen.

We will continue to work hard to bring you services and knowledge that will help you grow your business. There are many new services and partners coming to you in the next few months. We will also work to bring awareness to the industry and build the Live at Home network of companies into being the trusted source for home accessibility in the markets you serve.

We wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday season!

Jim Greatorex