Building a new home is one of the most exciting and terrifying choices you can make. As the most expensive investment most people will make in their lifetime, choosing to buy a house can be a very taxing experience, and trusting a company to build that home requires a lot of thought and research. With so many builders in the market place, how can you know to select the best home builder for you.
When looking at builders, it is important to note that size and volume do not always equate to customer satisfaction. Thankfully, there are a few companies out there who track the data for us and rank builders according to size, volume, and customer service! Today we are rounding up our top 12 of America’s best builders, based on both customer satisfaction and volume, and sharing with you exactly what sets them apart from the rest!
#12 M/I Homes
Region: Midwest, South
2018 Closings: 5,778
M/I Homes offers more than 40 years of building experience and has come a long way since its modest start in Ohio. With growth of nearly 50% in revenue over the past five years, M/I Homes is quickly becoming a house-hold name that can only be attributed to its quality of construction and customer satisfaction. M/I offers “Whole Home Solutions” ensuring that the entire home operates as a system and energy efficiency options are selected with a purpose. Additionally, it is one of the only builders in the industry to offer a 15-year structural warranty.
#11 Meritage Homes
Region: South, West
2018 Closings: 8,531
Meritage Homes has become known as an industry leader in energy efficiency, and is recognized by Energy Star as the 2019 Partner of the Year. The company was founded in 1985, and is publicly traded. It offers buyers an individual portal to find useful information on construction milestones and important documents. The company specializes in multi-generational living floor plans with living quarters for extended family members. It was awarded the 2019 Avid Diamond Award for high customer satisfaction.
#10 LGI Homes
Region: Midwest, South, West
2018 Closings: 6,512
LGI Homes has been rapidly growing since opening its first offices in 2003. The company’s main mission is to provide a simplified building process at affordable prices. It has become known for offering a $0 Down Program, allowing buyers to use the builder incentive as a down-payment, and for its no-haggle pricing. LGI homes are all-inclusive so buyers know they will not have to worry about hefty design center bills. Energy efficiency is a top priority for LGI Homes, and it ensures that it is consistent with industry standards in all communities.
#9 TriPointe Homes
Region: North West, West
2018 Closings: 5,017
TriPointe Homes celebrated a record-breaking year in 2018 by experiencing the largest growth among public builders of over 10% and simultaneously being recognized for outstanding customer service by the Eliant Home Builders Choice Awards. The company incorporates Living Smart and Home Smart features into its home by ensuring each home is both energy efficient and ready for the connectivity consumers demand today. It takes great pride in “thinking forward” and anticipating the wants and needs of its customers before a design is on trend with other companies.
#8 David Weekley Homes
Region: Midwest, South, West
2018 Closings: 4,687
David Weekley Homes began in Texas in 1976 and quickly became a nationally recognized company for setting the standard on customer service. As the largest privately-held builder in the country, David Weekley was one of the first to set the standard on communication with its customers, ensuring the buyers play an active role in their building process. David Weekley consistently surveys its customers throughout the construction process, ensuring that the team can handle any issues before they get out of hand. Customers are given a personal website to watch their home progress and to house important documents. It is also consistently rated among the Top 100 Companies to Work by Forbes, proving that it operates under its mission of “building dreams & enhancing lives.”
#7 William Lyon
Region: Pacific, South
2018 Closings: 4,186
William Lyon Homes is one of the oldest and most trusted home building companies in California. Founded in 1954, the company has built a reputation for quality and service. In addition to building homes, William Lyon also purchases large plots of land to develop communities designed around customer feedback. The company acquired RSI Communities in 2018 allowing it to expand its footprint into Texas and Arizona.
#6 Ashton Woods
Region: South, West
2018 Closings: 4,057
Ashton Woods is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019 and with that comes decades of new home experience that has allowed them to be innovators of new designs, and at the forefront of change. In 2017, the company was awarded Builder of the Year by Builder & Developer Magazine. The company uses the areas of the country it builds in as inspiration for its designs and ensures that those designs are highly energy efficient. Recently, the company partnered with Zillow to implement a guaranteed buy program where Zillow will purchase a customer’s home so they do not have to go through the hassle of listing and selling.
#5 Shea Homes
Region: South, West
2018 Closings: 3,839
Shea has been family owned for over 100 years, beginning in plumbing and engineering and was heavily involved in the development of the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. It re-branded and branched into building homes in 1968. Over the decades, it became known along the West Coast as a leader in customer satisfaction and quality. Shea has partnered with companies like Amazon to integrate SheaConnect for smart home technology in all of its homes. It also offers energy-saving features such as solar panels. Shea has been awarded the Golden Nugget Award, and America’s Most Trusted Builder so far for 2019.
#4 Toll Brothers
Region: Northeast, Midwest, South, West
2018 Closings: 8,265
Toll Brothers has been a trusted name for luxury home building since 1967 and is a Fortune 600 company. The company is truly a “one-stop-shop” for home buyers, offering an in-house architecture firm, TollLandscape for custom landscaping, TBI Smart Home Solutions, and TollGreen for energy efficiency technology. It has been recognized as America’s Most Trusted Builder by Lifestory Research, and the #1 Builder World Wide by Fortune Magazine. Toll Brothers offers the top of the line in luxury, overlooking no detail, and helps buyers build their true dream homes.
#3 K. Hovnanian
Region: Northeast, Midwest, South, West
2018 Closings: 5,758
Hovnanian Homes has been a staple of the building industry for over 60 years. From it’s family-owned, humble beginnings to its now publicly traded, power-house status, K. Hovnanian maintains an edge over the competition by incorporating more features, and more service without compromising price. Two generations of family leadership has brought K Hovnanian through multiple recessions, and many acquisitions and has positioned the company to be ready for what’s to come. Customers equate the name K. Hovnanian with quality and design, and its building portfolio spans from first-time home-buyers to luxury custom homes. No matter the stage in life, K. Hovnanian has a home design for every customer in the market.
#2 Richmond American
Region: West, South
2018 Closings: 6,197
Richmond American Homes, owned by MDC Holdings, boasts over 40 years of experience in the new home and development industry. It stays on top of trends through the years and ensures that its design centers are ready with the latest and greatest in colors and materials. Sensing a change in the market, and a demand for more affordable options, Richmond American spent the bulk of 2018 and 2019 repackaging and lowering the price of its homes, yet still managed to be more profitable than it had in years past. When other builders were increasing prices in high demand markets, Richmond American lowered theirs, focusing on volume and the customer experience, and the strategy paid off tenfold.
#1 Taylor Morrison
Region: Midwest, South, West
2018 Closings: 8,760
Taylor Morrison has been named America’s Most Trusted Home Builder four years in a row by Lifestory Research and has worked alongside companies like Disney and Extreme Home Maker Over for highly publicized projects. It specializes in building and development all over the world and has acquired countless companies in its quest for growth. The company takes great pride in ensuring its design centers are stocked with the latest and best options ensuring buyers will be able to find exactly what they are looking for. It has taken great strides in energy savings features in recent years, and partners with Energy Star to ensure its homes are ahead of the curve.
With companies like these top 12 leading the way, we are excited to see how the home building industry is going to grow and change in the coming years. All of these companies have prioritized quality and energy efficiency to ensure the homes will stand up to resale value over time. Not every builder is for every person, but you can be sure that with these companies, you won’t be steered in the wrong direction.
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