McGuinn Homes, a private builder based in Columbia, South Carolina-based private builder, has closed on an asset acquisition of several new communities from another local Southeastern builder. The deal expands McGuinn’s footprint within the Columbia market and supports the company’s ongoing growth strategy.
Over the past few years, McGuinn Homes has taken several strategic steps to position for future expansion. In 2024, the company recapitalized with a private equity investor, unlocking capital for growth. Then in February, McGuinn restructured its leadership, appointing division presidents for each of its three standalone markets in South Carolina: Columbia, Savannah/Hilton Head Island, and Greenville. Whelan Advisory acted as the advisor on all three transactions.
The acquisition of land assets underscores the opportunity for builders to capitalize on market dislocations and secure additional lots for near-term deliveries. McGuinn Homes jumped from No. 136 to No. 93 on the 2025 Builder 100 list after increasing annual closings by 244 to reach 581 home closings in 2024. The company projects it will surpass 1,000 closings in 2025.
Wade McGuinn, managing shareholder of McGuinn Homes, tells BUILDER that the company is forecasting $220 million in annual sales in 2025 with approximately 1,400 starts.
“We’re close to $250 million and our goal in three years is to be at $500 million,” McGuinn tells BUILDER. “The best advice I ever received is that as you grow, the resources will find you. If you are building a good product, if you are in the right location, if you’ve got a great team and culture, then scaling is pretty organic.”
Recent executive appointments reflect this growth mindset. Rob Haney was named Columbia division president, Kelly McGuinn is heading the Greenville market, Erik Olson will lead the Savannah/Hilton Head Island division, and Tim Rayborn joined as chief operating officer. The divisional model supports focused growth in each market while Rayborn’s role enables the development of systems and processes to support further regional expansion.
Despite its growth ambitions, McGuinn Homes remains focused on its core customer: the underserved home buyer.
“Our mission at our company is that we serve the underserved new home buyer. If you are in operations or sales, ask yourself that question before you make a decision: How are we helping an underserved new-home buyer?” McGuinn says. “If we are doing interior or exterior selections for a house, what’s the minimum number of great features we can put in the house to keep the price under $300,000. We are always trying to hold that ceiling down as low as we can and still have a quality product.”
