Relocation spotlight on David Weekley Homes
For more than 40 years, David Weekley Homes has been investing in Houston and continuing to offer a variety of choices to its customers. During that time, the home builder has also successfully expanded into many markets across the country, receiving numerous accolades along the way.
Most recently, David Weekley was named as a top builder on
which ranked the company as the nation’s largest privately held forprofit home builder.
In an interview with Houston area president Joe Rentfro, he discussed the many aspects that continue to attract home buyers to David Weekley products and programs.
Following are excerpts from our conversation:
MS: What does this latest recognition by
mean for your company and your customers?
JR: We are extremely humbled and honored to earn this recognition. We believe that everything that happens with our company begins with having a great team. Our team is really passionate about enhancing the lives of our customers, and they continually look for ways to personalize experiences for each person who does business with us.
For our customers, I think this recognition means that they can have peace of mind knowing that we are committed to building quality homes and offering more to our homeowners.
MS: What do you think continues to draw home buyers to David Weekley?
JR: One of the things we offer is variety in terms of our home styles, price ranges, and locations around Houston, which makes us appealing to a wide range of potential buyers.
When David Weekley started the company over 40 years ago here in Houston, he wanted to build quality homes and provide great service, and that is still our focus today. So, from a reputation standpoint, we hope to continue building on that quality and service brand recognition that we have earned here.
MS: What can relocation home buyers expect from David Weekley?
JR: Our brand promise is design, choice, and service, which is something that we think all buyers feel is important. On design, we want to work with each buyer and help them find the right home, in the right community, and provide a supportive and positive experience. We offer a wide variety of floor plans with different flex options that allow buyers to choose the way a space is used.
On choice, through our Design Center, customers work with one of our professional design consultants who help guide them through the selection process. For those who don’t have the timetable to be able to build a home from scratch, we offer quick move-in homes in each of our communities.
Lastly, service is something we take very seriously. Each buyer has an entire team dedicated to assist them through the entire experience.
MS: What are some of the products and programs you offer?
JR: We have partnerships with many of Houston’s developers, which enables us to build in great master-planned communities. We also do smallerscale developments around Houston, and all typically deliver a variety of amenities, serve different lifestyles, and serve some of the best schools. Within the variety of products and community locations, our prices range from the $200,000s to over $1 million.
We also offer our Central Living product line, where we build homes that typically offer lower maintenance and closer proximity to all of the employment and lifestyle options that Houston has to offer.
Then we have the Build On Your Lot program, which allows buyers to build their home on their own land, whether they own acreage or property in town.
MS: What are some of the top features that buyers want in a home today?
JR: In terms of features of the home, energy efficiency is still the number one thing that people think about when they come to us. We build our homes utilizing the latest building techniques and products, and we make our homes quieter and tighter to help lower energy costs.
The open concept is also something that we are hearing about more frequently, which has been a main focal point for our plan designs for the last two to three decades.
As for features inside the home, there is increased demand for super showers and standalone tub configurations in bathrooms, and significant requests for functional outdoor spaces.
MS: What do you see as David Weekley’s long-term continued growth potential in Houston?
JR: Houston continues to be a strong and steady market for us. We’ve continued to heavily invest in all lines of our business here, as we feel that Houston still has strong housing demand, affordable housing options, a diverse and growing job market, and continued population growth. So, we’re pretty optimistic about what the future holds and we plan to continue growing here in our hometown.
Michelle Sandlin is an award-winning writer, journalist and global mobility industry expert. Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheMichelleSandlin and on Twitter: @MichelleSandlin. Also visit “On the Move” at blog.chron.com/onthemove.