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Builder Centex tops with home buyers

In the bay area, the company got the highest score in a survey of owners by J.D. Power.

By JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer
Published September 13, 2007

Tampa Bay area home buyers rated Centex, DiVosta and Pulte as their top builders while consigning Levitt, Transeastern and Maronda to the builders' basement.

On Wednesday, J.D. Power and Associates released its 2007 new-home builder customer satisfaction survey based on responses from 1,619 home buyers.

Dallas-based Centex Homes, a builder that focuses on first-time home buyers in places like southeast Hillsborough and central Pasco counties, rated No. 1 in six of the nine categories rated by J.D. Power.

They include warranty and customer service, construction manager, sales staff and builder's design center.

"We focus on customer satisfaction whether it's a good market or bad market. But it really pays off in bad market like we're in today," said David Ivins, Centex's West Florida regional president.

J.D. Power sent out surveys to recent home buyers earlier this year, placing crisp dollar bills in the envelopes as incentives.

Seventeen Tampa Bay area builders, each of which sold more than 150 homes last year, figured in the survey that took in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Scores ranged from Centex's high of 137 to Levitt Homes' low of 57. Overall, builders in the Tampa market averaged 107 out of a possible 160. That's four points below the national customer satisfaction average of 111.

J.D. Power touted the results as proof that pleasing customers counts for more in an era of shrinking sales.

"New-home builders must now increase their focus on providing buyers with a satisfying purchase experience - which is a shift from the order-taking mode that was common in the industry until recently," said J.D. Power's Paula Sorkin.

The survey indicated that home quality has improved a bit since 2006. A typical new-home buyer reported 13 problems this year, one fewer than in 2006.

James Thorner can be reached at thorner@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3313.

Home builder customer satisfaction scores

Centex: 137

DiVosta: 133

Pulte: 132

Standard Pacific: 117

David Weekley: 115

Inland: 108

Kimball Hill: 108

Lennar: 106

WCI: 100

Morrison: 98

M/I: 96

Beazer: 94

KB: 93

Ryland: 88

Maronda: 83

Transeastern: 72

Levitt: 57

*out of 160

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 23:14:46]