A survey finds that small homebuilders in the bay area often come out on top in terms of customer satisfaction.
By SCOTT BARANCIK
Published September 19, 2003
Bigger isn't necessarily better when it comes to homebuilders.
A survey of nearly 3,000 recent home buyers in the Tampa Bay area by research firm J.D. Power and Associates found that some of the area's best-liked builders are also among its smallest.
Two of the three best-liked builders, Suarez Housing of Tampa and David Weekley Homes of Houston, sold a relatively modest number of homes during the first seven months of 2003. Suarez closed on 270 homes and David Weekley on 96.
By contrast, three of the bay area's four busiest builders rated slightly below average in terms of customer satisfaction. These included U.S. Home of Miami, which sold 700 single-family homes through July; Ryland Homes of Calabasas, Calif., with 535; and Inland Homes of Tampa, with 391.
Pulte Homes, which tied with Suarez Housing for the top ranking, didn't follow the pattern. According to Tarpon Springs real estate analyst Marvin Rose, the Bloomfield, Mich., builder is also one of the bay area's busiest, with 553 home closings through July.
Diane Flagg, Suarez's sales and marketing director, said staying small lets the company stick with the contractors and suppliers it considers the best.
"We try to keep our building numbers manageable," she said. "Between 400 and 500 (homes) a year is what we can handle and still keep our customer service strong." Attempts to reach representatives of Ryland and U.S. Home were unsuccessful.
Overall, bay area home buyers were happier with their builders in 2003. Satisfaction scores, which are based on questions ranging from price to quality to customer service, were 6 percent higher than in an identical survey last year.
Among the 21 U.S. markets surveyed, home buyers in Phoenix were the most happy with their builders, while customers in Fort Lauderdale were the least satisfied. Bay area homeowners ranked in the middle.
J.D. Power, best known for its automobile rankings, surveyed 2,962 residents of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties who bought homes in 2002 and had lived in them from 4 to 18 months. The Westlake Village, Calif., company makes money by selling its reports and by licensing its name to top-ranked companies for use in advertisements.
