January 24, 2012
I have an idea for a new award for the homebuilding industry – the Darwin Award. It would be presented to any homebuilder (or company that depends on homebuilding for its existence) that is still in business today. Sure, that’s quite a few companies, but a damned sight fewer than existed a few short years ago.
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October 28, 2011
As the economic malaise continues for our country and our industry, homebuilding companies struggling to survive have done everything they possibly can to control costs, as hoping for increased profits through price appreciation and sales velocity has been futile for some time.
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July 29, 2011
In his landmark 2001 book, Good to Great, business guru Jim Collins introduced the funny-sounding but no less important “Hedgehog Concept.” He borrowed it from the famous Isaiah Berlin story about the fox and the hedgehog where, despite all his cunning and complex strategies, the fox cannot defeat (and eat) the simple hedgehog, who knew only one thing – how to protect himself – but knew it very well.
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July 08, 2011
At a building conference I attended recently, I asked a number of builders to describe their strategic plans to grow their companies in this challenging market. Most often, their replies focused on land. “I need to buy 200-300 single family lots within two years, fully developed, in infill locations.”, said one, satisfied that he had thoroughly articulated his plan for growth. Others described their growth plans in financial terms. “We need to grow the top line by 10% year over year, and the bottom line by 15% over the same period.” Again, stated with confidence that this provided a complete answer to the question.
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