San Antonio Home Builder Leaving San Antonio?

Standard Pacific Homes, a California based home builder, has sold their lot inventory of 2500 homes to Forest City Land Group business unit and joint venture partner Covington Capital Corporation. Standard Pacific Homes, which has been in the San Antonio market since 2005, builds homes in the $100k to $200K price range. That price point is extemely competive in the San Antonio market, with over 25 builders building in that price range, from Fortune 500 builders like KB Home, Centex, And DR Horton, to local and reigional builders.

Is this a sign that the San Antonio market is following the path to decline of other housing markets? Probably not, as San Antonio is not the only market in which Standard Pacific is selling their home lot inventory. More likely, Standard Pacific is consonsolidating due to problems in other markets and concentrating on their core, more established markets, which San Antonio is not for them.

Indeed, one of the reasons Forest City purchased these lots is due to the attractiveness of the San Antonio real estate market. In their press release,:

“This is an example of our stated strategy of taking advantage of national market conditions to selectively acquire properties and land in key markets. The solid underlying fundamentals of the San Antonio market, including job growth, attractive cost of living and the recreational opportunities provided by the Hill Country area all provide a positive outlook for the single-family market in the long-term,” said Bob Monchein, President of Forest City Land Group.

Seeing a similar pattern of growth, Cassie Gibson of Residential Strategies, Inc., stated, “The outlook for the Greater San Antonio new home market remains positive, despite the overall national housing market and credit market woes.”

What does this all mean if you are looking to buy or sell a home in San Antonio. If you are a new homebuyer, home builders remain focused on reducing their inventory which means that they will continue to provide incentives that should be very attractive to you. If you want to know what they are offering, feel free to contact us and we will let you know.

If you are thinking of selling your home, this is positive news as well. With Forest City having confidence in the San Antonio home market, they believe that there are still buyers to buy. However, it does mean that pricing your home right, maximum marketing exposure, and proper home staging is extremely important. If you are thinking about selling your home, we would be more than happy to consult with you.