JD Power and Associates Announces Best in Customer Satisfaction

Even in the face of a challenging environment marked by declining new-home prices and notably high inventory levels, many home builders are succeeding in significantly improving overall customer satisfaction in 2008, compared with 2007, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study released today. Overall customer satisfaction averages 779 on a 1,000-point scale in 2008, up 38 points from 7411 since 2007. In addition, overall satisfaction has increased in 28 of the 29 individual markets that were also surveyed in 2007.

The New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 12th year, includes satisfaction ratings for builders in 33 markets. Nine factors drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders: builder’s sales staff (15%); builder’s warranty/customer service staff (15%); workmanship/materials (14%); price/value (14%); home readiness (13%); construction manager (13%); recreational facilities provided by the builder (7%); builder’s design center (6%); and location (4%).

Pulte brands (which include Del Webb, DiVosta Homes and Pulte Homes) rank highest in customer satisfaction among new-home builders in 11 markets. Besides the Pulte brands, other builders topping market rankings include (in alphabetical order): Cambridge Homes (which is part of D.R. Horton and ties with Lakewood Homes and Pulte Homes in Chicago); Centex Homes (headquartered in Dallas, Texas); Darling Homes (Frisco, Texas); David Weekley Homes (Houston, Texas); Eastwood Homes (Charlotte, N.C.); Granville Homes (Fresno, Calif.); John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods (Atlanta, Ga.); Lakewood Homes (which ties with Cambridge and Pulte Homes in Chicago); M/I Homes (Columbus, Ohio); Medallion Homes (San Antonio, Texas); Minto Communities (Coconut Creek, Fla.); Shea Homes (Walnut, Calif.); Standard Pacific Homes (Irvine, Calif.); Tim Lewis Communities (Citrus Heights, Calif,); and Trendmaker Homes (which is part of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company and headquartered in Houston, Texas).