J.D. Power Rates Portland Home Builders
J.D. Power and Associates has released their 10th annual New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, including rankings for Portland.
Their research includes satisfaction ratings of builders in 34 of the largest U.S. home building markets. The top 10 factors for customer satisfaction are (in order of importance): builder’s warranty/customer service; home readiness; builder’s sales staff; construction manager; quality of workmanship/materials; price/value; physical design elements; builder’s design center; recreational facilities; and location.
Out of the 34 markets surveyed, Portland’s overall homeowner satisfaction for new construction ranked only 29th. To qualify for the study, Portland-area builders had to have have closed 150 or more homes in Clackamas, Clark (WA), Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington and Yamhill counties in 2005. In their press release, J.D. Powers states 452 local homeowners responded and ranked 6 companies for the Portland area–4 local and 2 national builders.
Here are the builders Portland buyers seem to be most happy with:
| Company |
Quality Workmanship & Materials
|
Price & Value
|
Home Design
|
| CENTEX (national) |
*****
|
*****
|
*****
|
| Legend Homes (local) |
****
|
****
|
***
|
| Arbor Custom Homes (local) |
****
|
***
|
****
|
| JLS Custom Homes (local) |
**
|
***
|
**
|
| Don Morrissette (local) |
**
|
**
|
**
|
| D.R. Horton (national) |
**
|
**
|
**
|
Ratings: (*****) Among the best, (****) Better than most, (***) About average, (**) The rest.
Nationally, Pulte Homes and Centex Homes were the highest rated volume builders. Pulte, which builds under the Del Webb and DiVosta brands, ranked highest in 14 of 34 markets included in the study. Centex Homes was highest in 13 markets, including the Portland metro area.
“New-home builders today are facing challenges unlike any they’ve experienced in recent years,” said Paula Sonkin, executive director of the real estate industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Over the past few years, home builders have often been in an order-taking mode, enjoying record closings and enthusiastic buyers. However, as the market softens and inventories rise, builders now find themselves in more of a selling mode, forcing them to negotiate prices and offer incentives at the same time they struggle with labor issues and increasing building material costs. As builders fight for every sale they close in this downturned market, a reputation for customer satisfaction becomes more important than ever, as it helps builders differentiate themselves from the competition.”
Specifically about Portland, the report said:
“In addition to the intense market conditions faced by builders, the number of construction problems experienced by new-home buyers is on the rise. The study finds that the typical buyer experiences an average of 14 problems with their new home—a 7 percent increase from 2005. In Portland, new-home buyers experience an average of 16 problems. More than 90 percent of new-home buyers report experiencing at least one construction problem. The most frequently occurring construction problems in Portland involve landscaping; nail pops/exposed nails in the drywall, and kitchen countertops.”
The J.D. Power and Associates press release can be found here.
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Add comment September 14th, 2006
