As the local Seattle economy began to recover in 2011, home building giants entered the housing markets and changed the way that home builders do business.
According to Seattle Magazine, large, national companies like M.D.C. Holdings, Toll Brothers, Lennar, and Sumitomo Forestry Group Housing bought out local firms, which gave them local expertise and portfolios.
Smaller companies had to find ways to compete with these giants. Quadrant Homes, a former Weyerhauser subsidiary, turned their niche focus to luxury homes in the city’s Eastside. Conner Homes, based in Bellevue, focused on building creative custom homes and then moved into the popular townhome market. Overall, small companies said it’s important to stay flexible.
“We have to be nimble and able to do various types and sizes of projects that we may not have done 10 years ago,” said Puyallup-based Soundbuilt Homes COO Kurt Wilson.
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