The 2006 BUILDER 100 Revealed

Still On Top

For the first time since 2002, the top three companies on the Builder 100 list traded places. While D.R. Horton remains on top, Lennar Corp. rode a 7,209-unit closings increase to become the new No. 2, and tightened the gap on the list leader to just 3,842 closings. Pulte Homes shifts back to third, after its closings declined 9.08 percent, with Centex Corp. and KB Home rounding out the top five. Despite a decrease of 231,000 total for-sale housing units in 2006, the BUILDER 100 showed their strength, closing just 3,948 fewer homes than they closed in 2005 and increasing their market share from 36.57 percent to 43.58 percent. The top 10 made the biggest gains, increasing their share of the overall market to 25.71 percent from 20.97 percent in 2005.

 

Fast Track

  • Fast Track 2007: Curve Ball

    With starts down and cancellations up, builders no longer expect a home run with each new community. Now, they'll settle for base hits, for doubles, and even for walks that finally get that languishing spec house and its shrinking margins off the field. Veterans look at the rookies and shake their...

 

America's Best Builders

  • Focus On Flexibility

    Much like race-horses wearing blinders, America's Best Builders—Gaffney Homes, The Green Co., Touchstone Homes, and Ideal Homes—have kept their focus on what's ahead despite a year of suffering sales. Last year's closings may reflect consumer caution, but the leaders of these four leading-edge...

 

Power Brokers

  • Power On 50

    What a difference two years makes. The industry has officially cooled since 2004, when BUILDER debuted its list of the 50 most influential people in home building. Builders who couldn't keep up with the demand for their product then are now scrambling to sell aging inventory. In 2004, home builders...