Builders say rapid moves are now more common

“During the heyday of the housing industry in the 1990s and early 2000s, people would sign a contract to build the home they wanted on the lot they preferred, but they waited until the new house was almost complete to place their older home on the market. They weren't worried about selling their home in that hot market. So, they just figured they would sell it when it became necessary,” recalled John Carroll, president of Ryland Homes' Illinois division, based in East Dundee.

“Spec” or quick-delivery homes were built on a limited basis in those days and most of the buyers were transferees who were coming in from another city.

“Today, however, quick move-in homes are a big part of our business. They make up about 30 percent of the homes we build because many of today's buyers don't want to look for a new home until their current house is sold or sometimes even closed,” Carroll said.

“At any given time, we usually have at least some homes that will be ready within 60 days and that works well for people. By the time they are ready to get their mortgage, we will have their house ready. Today's buyers lead busy lives and this makes things very convenient for them,” he said.

Ryland Homes generally has two or three such single-family homes with diverse floor plans available in each of its communities. In duplex communities the company makes sure it has four or five quick move-ins available, and in townhouse developments that number ranges from five to 10 per community. Ryland now has 17 communities under construction around the Chicago area where it expects to sell about 600 homes this year. Prices range from the low $100,000s to the mid- to high-$400,000s (when you include added amenities), Carroll said.

“We have recently restarted several dormant communities that were begun by other builders before the crash. So we are demonstrating our financial commitment to these communities by not only building models in them, but by also building two or three quick move-in homes per community,” he said.

Ryland (www.rylandhomes.com) has 34 quick move-in homes on the market in 15 communities. They range from a two-bedroom home at Lakewood Crossing Village in Hampshire selling for $134,720, to a four-bedroom home selling for $409,900 at Cedar Grove in Elgin.

Orleans Homes

For Orleans Homes of Schaumburg, the construction of quick delivery homes is a matter of not only providing for diverse customer needs, but also of keeping their trades people working year-round and evening-out their construction schedule.

“In each new community we always build one or two inventory homes at the same time as we start our models and each fall we put a number of foundations in the ground so we can work on them over the winter or whenever we need them,” said Bob Meyn, Midwest director of sales and marketing. “This way we always have some houses ready to sell. We have 21 available right now in Elburn, Sugar Grove, Kildeer, Oswego, Hawthorn Woods, Lakewood, Elgin and Barrington.”

Houses from Orleans Homes range in price from the upper-$200,000s to the mid- to upper-$700,000s and in size they range from 1,800 to 3,800 square feet.

“We see very few first-time buyers. Most of our buyers are move-up buyers who have finally been able to sell their current home, transferees or down-sizers who are ready for something smaller but won't buy until they have sold what they already have,” Meyn said.

Orleans Homes (www.orleanshomes.com) has seven homes priced from $324,900 available at Blackberry Creek in Elburn, four homes at Prairie Glen in Sugar Grove priced from $279,999, two each in Riverside of Barrington, Stonebrook in Elgin, Villas at Southbury in Oswego and Woodland Hills in Lakewood and one each in Sanctuary Club in Kildeer and Thornfield Meadows in Hawthorn Woods.

Shodeen Homs

“At Shodeen Homes we try to keep a constant total of 18 homes completed or under construction at all times in Mill Creek alone. Then, we also have three quick move-in homes underway in Reston Ponds in Sycamore, three more in Blackberry Creek in Elburn and six townhouses on Seventh Street Terrace in downtown Geneva. The townhouses will be ready for delivery in October or November,” said Nate Amidon, director of sales for Geneva-based Shodeen Homes.

“We have long had a philosophy that we want to have a wide range of styles and floor plans available for purchase at all times so that we are able to capture the breadth of the market. I would estimate that 60 percent of our homes are sold on a quick delivery basis to those who are relocating or have another reason for needing to move in quickly,” he said. “Only 40 percent of our homes are built (for an known buyer) from the ground up.”

Those who purchase a home that is already under construction may be able to personalize it to a certain extent. There are certain items that can be chosen as long as the drywall is not yet installed, for instance, and floor materials and countertop materials can chosen quite late in the construction process.

“Our No. 1 buyers of quick-delivery homes are those who are relocating for their jobs. Companies are moving people again. We have seen quite a few of them over the past two years,” Amidon said. “Then there are those who have sold their current home and need a new one quickly. Finally, there are those who are moving from a rental and their lease is up. While they looked at resale homes, they decided that they would rather put their own personal touches on a new home.”

Shodeen (www.shodeen.com) has eight homes in Mill Creek in Geneva that are immediately available. They range in price from a four-bedroom, 2,464-square-foot house selling for $369,618 to a five-bedroom, 3,278-square-foot home selling for $544,715. Some have golf course views, while others have three-car garages, walkout basements or screened porches.

D.R. Horton Homes

Chris Naatz, vice president of sales and marketing for D.R. Horton's Chicago division, said his company routinely builds quick-delivery homes.

“We know some customers prefer to build, but many others prefer to have a brand new home in a shorter amount of time. That's why D.R. Horton has new homes available in various time frames — everything from completed homes that allow for a quick move-in to homes that will be ready within two to four months,” Naatz said.

“Our immediate delivery homes are very attractive to renters who want an easy transition into a new home when their lease expires. They also appeal to buyers who have just sold a home and want the convenience of moving right into a new home,” he said.

“Chicago is a very large city and many people transfer here for work and they need a home quickly, too. D.R. Horton has homes that accommodate these short time frames. D.R. Horton quick-delivery homes are also an excellent choice for people who have just sold a home and need to find their next home quickly,” Naatz said.

D.R. Horton (www.drhorton.com) has about 55 homes available for quick delivery and many more homes that are in various stages of construction in nine communities around the Chicago area. They range from a one-bedroom, one-bath, 994-square-foot condominium in Naperville's Carillon Club selling for $134,990 to a 3,226-square-foot, single-family home with four bedrooms and 3½ baths in New Lenox's Bristol Park community, selling for $414,990.

Gerstad Builders

Gerstad Builders of McHenry normally has one quick-delivery home available at any given time in each of its three largest communities: Liberty Trails in McHenry, the Trails of Dawson Creek in Poplar Grove and Bailey Estates in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, said Tom Roach, sales manager.

“Usually the people who want these homes are empty-nesters who have sold their current home quicker than they expected they would and while they are waiting to close, they buy one of our available homes,” Roach said.

Gerstad homes range in price from the mid-$170,000s to $310,000 and consist of a wide variety of ranch plans, as well as a few two-story plans.

“If they purchase a quick-delivery home before it is actually complete, they can choose some of their own amenities and add their own personal touches. But it all depends on how far along the home is when they buy it,” he said.

Gerstad Builders (www.gerstadbuilders.com) has two homes immediately available in Poplar Grove and a third home in McHenry that will be available in mid to late August. All three homes feature three bedrooms and two baths. The Prestwick model in Poplar Grove lists for $208,160 and the Devonshire model lists for $234,990. The house under construction in McHenry is an 1,880-square-foot home with a full basement and a three-car garage. It is listing in the high-$290,000s.