JD Power & Associates Home Builder Satisfaction Rankings - Washington, DC Area
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Pulte Homes Ranks Highest for a Second Consecutive Year in Overall Customer Satisfaction among New-Home Builders in Washington, D.C.; Winchester Homes Ranks Highest in New-Home Quality
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 15 September 2009 — Pulte Homes ranks highest in customer satisfaction with new-home builders in the Washington, D.C., market, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM released today. In addition, Winchester Homes ranks highest in the New-Home Quality Study also released today. Winchester Homes is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. "The tough new-home market has created a fiercely competitive environment in which only the strongest companies have survived," said Paula Sonkin, vice president of the real estate and construction industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Fortunately for buyers, this has resulted in notable improvements in customer satisfaction with home builders and new-home quality overall. This is great news for new-home buyers—particularly first-time buyers—since builders are offering unprecedented high levels of quality, value and service at relatively low prices."
Overall Customer Satisfaction
The New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 13th year, includes satisfaction rankings for builders in 24 markets. Nine factors drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders: builder’s sales staff; builder’s warranty/customer service staff; workmanship/materials; price/value; home readiness; construction manager; recreational facilities provided by the builder; builder’s design center; and location.
Pulte Homes achieves a score of 884 on a 1,000-point scale in 2009—an increase of 29 points from 855 in 2008—and performs particularly well in the Washington, D.C., market in seven of nine factors: builder’s sales staff; builder’s design center; construction manager; workmanship/materials; home readiness; builder’s warranty/customer service staff; and price/value. Following Pulte Homes in the market rankings are Van Metre Homes (849) and M/I Homes (844). Van Metre Homes performs particularly well in the location and recreational facilities provided by the builder factors.
The average customer satisfaction index score in the Washington, D.C., market is 799—12 points below the 24-market average of 811. However, satisfaction has improved substantially in the Washington, D.C., market in 2009—up 33 points from 2008.
2009 New-Home Quality Study
The J.D. Power and Associates New-Home Quality Study,SM now in its third year, measures the occurrence and impact of construction problems experienced by new-home owners in 24 markets. The study utilizes an index that examines the number of problems that occur, the severity of problems and the size of the home, and covers 41 different problem categories for the following areas: bathroom; drywall; electrical/appliances; flooring/stairs; home exterior; interior paint; kitchen; windows/doors; and other significant problems.
Winchester Homes ranks highest in new-home quality in the Washington, D.C., market, followed by Pulte Homes and M/I Homes, respectively.
Home quality in the Washington, D.C., market has improved from 2008, averaging 806 in 2009—up by 22 points from the previous year.
The rate of customer-reported problems in the Washington, D.C., market has improved to an average of 14.4 problems per home in 2009—down by more than one problem per home from 2008. The problems reported most often in the market include nail pops/exposed nails; landscaping issues; and wall/ceiling cracks.
Press Release:
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pdf/2009198-wash.pdf
Graph:
http://www.jdpower.com/homes/ratings/home-builder-customer-satisfaction-ratings/washington,-d.c.
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