The housebuilding industry has traditionally been run on what might be called the Gone with the Wind principle - the one delivered by Gerald O&amp;’Hara to his troublesome daughter in the epic&amp;’s emotional final scene. &amp;“Katie Scarlett O&amp;’Hara,&amp;” he says, &amp;“land is the only thing that matters!&amp;”<p></p><p> But this fundamental tenet of the industry could be changing. Perhaps land is no longer &amp;“the only thing that matters&amp;”. Perhaps, in a more sophisticated and complex market, information is supplanting land as the vital ingredient in ensuring that your housebuilding business flourishes.</p><p> Fiddle-dee-dee, you may say. But Brian Green argues that this is now the case (read article). That the pressures on the industry from customers and the government demand that your firm must now know as much as possible about potential buyers. Who are they, what do they like, how do they live, what do they do at weekends? And you also need to know about your business and your market. What are the foibles of the local planning department, what are the trends in sales, what is going to happen next year, how can I get one step ahead of my competitors?</p><p> More than ever this is a changing industry. …