For big builders, consolidation has been the name of the game. |
Home building is and probably always will be a local operation in which strong personal connections matter most. But this does not preclude the industry’s largest builders from continuing to capture chunks of market share. Many of the top 10 Giants acquire share by keeping the local brand names of the companies they acquire.
Last year, Pulte Homes pulled off the largest acquisition with its deal for Del Webb. As the year turned, three other deals followed the consolidation trend. Lennar purchased Baltimore-based Patriot Homes as well as The Fortress Group’s Carolina companies, Sunstar Communities and Don Galloway Homes. And K. Hovnanian purchased most of the assets of Forecast Homes, based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.