The Communities Driving Sales For Fast-Growing Builders on the BUILDER 100

Queen Creek Station

Builder: Fulton Homes ► Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona ► 2017 BUILDER 100 Ranking: 82 ► 2016 BUILDER 100 Ranking: 110 ► Percentage Change in Closings: 71%

While a number of builders expanded in 2016 by going into new markets and buying competitors, Fulton Homes grew by sticking to what it does best.

“Fulton Homes knows this market and its buyers,” says Ryan Brault, Metrostudy’s regional director for Arizona. “Fulton is a smaller builder that focuses exclusively on Phoenix, and especially the Southeast Valley. It has a strong reputation in the market. ”

Fulton’s strategy is to buy larger pieces of land than the public builders usually prefer. “The publics many times pick up 100 lots here or there,” says Dennis Webb, vice president of operations at Fulton. “We try to take down larger pieces and have a nice community with more open spaces, an aquatic center, walking trails, jogging trails, and more mature landscaping that resonates with our customers.”

In three communities—Cooley Station, Queen Creek Station, and Ironwood Crossing—Fulton’s strategy paid off in 2016. “They’re fairly large pieces of land where we’re able to offer great amenities and that seems to go over well with the buyers,” Webb says.

At Queen Creek, Fulton included three different series of homes. “We try to do a shopping center approach to homes,” Webb says, noting that this allows people looking for homes at most price points to find what they want.

The Reserve series ranges in size from 1,900 square feet to 3,000 square feet and is priced in the mid $200,000s to just under $300,000. “In this market, it does very well,” Webb says.

The surprise was how closely Fulton’s other two models at Queen Creek mirrored the Reserve series’ success. The Oasis model—2,100 square feet to 4,000 square feet—is priced in the high $200,000s, while Fulton’s Peninsula series, sized from 2,700 square feet to 4,500 square feet, is priced from the high $300,000s to around $500,000.

While the Reserve series started out with the most sales, Oasis and Peninsula saw sales take off after a couple of months. “They’re all doing equally well, and they’re within three sales of each other,” Webb says. “It’s very strange. Generally one community will outsell another one, but in this case it’s even.”

Like other Fulton developments, Queen Creek is a little bit of a drive from the city. It’s located 30 minutes outside of Phoenix, which Webb says “is close to employment centers in Chandler and Gilbert. It’s an up and coming area. We’re fortunate to be close to restaurants, shopping, and theaters.”

Brault says the community has an A+ location. “Queen Creek is known for a more small-town feel and, like Gilbert next door, has some great schools,” he says.