Maracay Homes
by Josselyn Berry
Throughout its seven years in the housing business, Maracay Homes has not only built excellent homes but an excellent reputation as well. The company's focus has always remained on its customers, and its new president, Andy Warren, is keeping this focus sharp. With the housing market caught in a recession, Warren is combating its effects with customer service, professional building practices and affordability to keep customers satisfied.
Warren has been in the housing industry for 25 years. He entered the homebuilding industry with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Wake Forest University and an MBA from George Washington University. With a background in construction, Warren first worked with U.S. Homes as construction superintendent, and after two years, he took a position with WRECO's Winchester Homes-the Washington D.C., branch of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate. Not only was Warren the construction superintendent and project manager there, he was also leader of Winchester's in-house architecture and engineering group.
Throughout his 17 years at Winchester, Warren moved though different management positions, holding the title of president when he left. "I didn't define myself as much as a construction person as really just a general leader who helped people to succeed," Warren says.
He spent his last five years at the small entrepreneurial firm of EYA located in Bethesda, Md., which earned Builder Magazine's 2008 Builder of the Year award. Warren, who went in as a partner at the firm, had the chance to develop urban properties in downtown Washington D.C. "It was an opportunity to be on the entrepreneurial side of business," he says.
The current president of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate, Larry Burroughs, then askedWarren if he'd be interested in working with Maracay Homes. Warren's family relished the idea of moving to Arizona for its warmer climate. "It really was this convergence of professional opportunity and personal desires," he says.
The Current Market
In this difficult economic time for the housing market-especially in Arizona, Maracay Homes is currently concentrating on the basic goal of keeping the business running. Most important, Warren says, is to balance the priorities of generating sales, while keeping costs under control.
Unlike other homebuilders, Maracay isn't making any significant changes such as introducing cheaper products by stripping valuable features from its homes. According to Warren, it's never smart planning to make sweeping changes during a recession.
Despite the bleak economic climate, Warren says Maracay is doing well. The company has closed nearly 250 homes this year, and with the corporate support and resources of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate, Maracay Homes is remaining strong. The core philosophy is to build the best homes for the best price. With 13 neighborhoods throughout the Valley and two in Tucson, Maracay Homes certainly offers a wide array of choices with four basic series of homes: The Village Series, Manor Series, Estate Series and Pinnacle Series.
The Village Series is designed for the first-time home buyer and offers two designs: Village and Colony. With floor plans ranging from 1,165 to 2,518 square feet and three to six rooms, the Village Series is ideal for a first home. The Manor Series is a step up from the Village, designed around the second-time home buyer. This series offers multiple floor plans and features to maximize personal and family satisfaction.
The Estate Series is a signature collection of homes designed for the move-up buyer. This series offers sophistication with 2,240 to 4,631 square feet, three to nine bedrooms and master suite designs. The Pinnacle Series is, quite literally, the pinnacle of the series. The embodiment of luxury and elegance, these homes boast options such as wine rooms, home theaters, guest suites and casitas.
Flex Design
Not only does Maracay offer a selection of overall design, it also offers a unique program to customize a buyer's home-right down to the paint color in the guest bathroom. "Our home buyers are our top priority and we want to design everything we do around what's important to them," says Warren. He says Flex Design is a feature no other homebuilder has been able to duplicate; Maracay has figured out how to keep the program cost efficient for itself and the customer.
For 10 years, Flex Design has grown and improved with customer feedback. Flex Design offers ways to expand and customize floor plans, bedrooms and living spaces, along with color choices and landscaping. The feature even provides buyers with choices on how to finance the home.
"Our philosophy is to start with a well designed product and give the consumer the opportunity to make the choices to configure that around what is important to them," Warren says. Maracay Homes has always focused on giving the customer exactly what they want, be it a larger kitchen or an added-on basement. Customers also have the ability to create their homes online with Flex Design software.
Maracay Homes believes in keeping its customers well-informed as well as satisfied. The company website offers numerous ways for clients to contact a representative or find information on their home's progress.
An Eye on Tomorrow
With all the options available to buyers, Maracay has not forgotten about building cost and energy efficient homes. The company's Washington subsidiary is collaborating with NAHB on its green model home program and researching methods on how to build more energy efficient homes in the future.
Currently, the company is exploring more opportunities in the growing Tucson market. "We're excited about the prospects in Tucson as well as Phoenix," says Warren. Maracay's most recent project in Tucson is the community of Entrada Bonita at Rancho Sahuarita. A master planned community, Rancho Sahuarita offers a recreational center, amphitheater, 15-acre park and schools that have won Golden Bell Awards for their programs and national awards for their vocational programs. The homes in this community are from The Village Series and Maracay offers nine Flex Design floor plans to personalize home buyers' living spaces.
Maracay's philosophy of building a well-designed product is apparent in every home and community they build. With its unwavering standards and Warren's leadership, Maracay Homes is sure to survive the upheaval of the economic downturn while maintaining excellent customer service, affordability and professional building.
Josselyn Berry is an Editorial Intern for Arizona HB magazine.
