Second City Windfall

Last year was the first year that a Chicago-area builder sold more than 2,000 homes. In its ranking of the area’s 50 largest builders, published in February, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that D.R. Horton’s Cambridge Homes division sold 2,349 units last year, representing a 49 percent increase over 2004. Cambridge’s closings for 2005—1,847—were also up 16.8 percent over the previous year. The value of homes closed in greater Chicago by its 10 largest builders increased by more than 13 percent, to $3.62 billion.