2012 Eliant Homebuyers' Choice Awards Canadian Press Release

- Three Canadian home builders receive strong customer satisfaction ratings


For a complete list of “2012 Eliant Homebuyers’ Choice Awards” winning builders, please scroll below.

View detail regarding Eliant's methodology.

Want to see last year's "2011 Eliant Homebuyers' Choice Awards" winners? - Click Here

SAN CLEMENTE, CA – In partnership with staffing powerhouse Real Estate Temps (Newport Beach, CA), Eliant has announced the results of more than 68,000 surveys which were administered in 2011 to all recent home owners from over 170 major homebuilders across the U.S. and Canada.

Three Calgary-based home builders received honors in the 2012 Awards:

For the third consecutive year, Rosewood Homes (Scottsdale, AZ) is this year’s recipient of the “The Eliant”, the ‘Best Overall Purchase and Ownership Experience’ award for single division builders in the U.S. and Canada. This is the first time that a builder has won this prestigious award in three consecutive years. In fact, Rosewood Homes’ overall customer satisfaction rating was the highest of any of the 128 participating North American builders receiving a sufficient number of surveys to qualify for this 15th annual competition.

“Rosewood Homes is the undisputed leader in the delivery of an extraordinary customer experience,” declared Bob Mirman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eliant, a ‘customer experience management’ company that has been surveying buyers of new homes for 28 years.

The Olson Company (Seal Beach, CA) was the other recipient of “The Eliant” for ‘Best Overall Customer Experience’ (multi-divisional builder segment). This firm has developed an unusually loyal following by consumers interested in an ‘above-and-beyond’ home buying experience. In the Large Builder segment, The Olson Company was ranked #1 by homebuyers for the ‘Purchase Experience’ and ‘Construction Experience’.

"No one understands more about a home’s quality or the customer service experience than the people living in the new home,” Mirman said. “Home builders are developing new ways to truly delight homebuyers so they become ‘customer advocates’ who actively promote their new neighborhood to their friends.”

Of all builders, one of the clear customer-favorites was highly rated Denver, CO-based Richmond American Homes. Four of its divisions (California, Nevada, Tucson, and Delaware Valley) dominated several award categories; the company won 20 of the 63 ‘premier’ awards (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) in each category, plus nine Honorable Mentions.

Pardee Homes (Los Angeles, CA) has once again confirmed its reputation as one of America’s top home builders, with seven premier awards (plus four Honorable Mentions) being captured by its divisions in Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire (CA).

44 different builders or divisions were recognized for their excellence in one or more customer-experience categories, including Honorable Mentions. Builders with notable levels of customer satisfaction included: Ryland Homes (Tampa, FL; communities in 13 states; 10 awards); William Lyon Homes (Newport Beach, CA; divisions in CA, AZ, & NV; 7 awards); Robson Communities (Sun Lakes, AZ; communities in AZ & TX; 6 awards); Minto Communities (Coconut Creek, FL; 5 awards).

Lynda Lane, CEO of Real Estate Temps and a long-term partner with Eliant on this award program, said: "We were pleased to note that home builders are clearly delivering on the promise of an incredible home buying experience. Most importantly, these builders are selling an increasing number of homes from referrals: Over the last three years, our top ten rated builders each year have improved from an average of 32.1% of sales from referrals to over 41% this year.”

Explaining the value of an award based on the customer experience, Mirman said "These award winners are not being selected by a panel of industry judges, but have been identified by their customers...the ultimate judges. The builders who ranked high in this survey have every right to be extremely proud of this achievement."

For further information on the survey methodology and a complete list of winning home builders, visit www.eliant.com.


About Eliant
Founded in 1984, San Clemente, CA-based Eliant has long been recognized as the nation's leading provider of specialized consumer research services for the North American home building industry. The firm offers world-class customer experience monitoring services via e-mail, mail, or telephone to many of the nation’s top home building firms, currently in 37 states and Canada. Other services include focus groups, exit-interviews, and highly acclaimed customer experience management training and consulting. Eliant has earned an international reputation by providing a wide range of sophisticated customer experience management strategies for home builders, lenders, escrow firms, design firms and other companies interested in improving their customers’ loyalty.


About Real Estate Temps
Founded in 1990, Real Estate Temps (RET) – an Eliant Certified company - was the first company to exclusively specialize in providing licensed real estate sales agents for home builders on an hourly basis, thereby reducing their overhead costs. Additionally, Real Estate Temps has placed more sales professionals with homebuilders for regular permanent employment than any other new home staffing company in Arizona, Nevada, and California. The firm also provides sales agents to resale home brokerage firms, to foreclosure and home auction companies, to commercial/industrial agents, and to mortgage companies.

RET is the only staffing firm to have qualified for the “Eliant Certified” designation. Eliant has trained, tested, and certified RET’s licensed sales agents to ensure their excellence in delivering an extraordinary purchase experience to new-home shoppers and buyers. Using survey evaluations completed by the (client) builder’s sales managers, these sales agents are continuously evaluated by Eliant and RET, and held accountable for delivering a customer experience which leads to referrals for the home builder client.


For further information, contact Bob Mirman at Eliant (949-753-1077 x12), or Beth Phillips at Real Estate Temps (949-732-4858).


“Eliant 2012 Home Buyers’ Choice Awards” Winning Builders List


Eliant is proud to announce the home-builder winners of the “Eliant 2012 Home Buyers’ Choice Awards,” in partnership with Newport Beach, CA-based Real Estate Temps.


The top national award - “The ELIANT” – has been presented to the two highest rated home builders based on customers’ ratings of the three “Key Measures” questions at Move-In and Year-End (i.e. Satisfied with Overall Quality?; Builder Met Commitments?; Customer’s Willingness to Refer a Friend):


The “ELIANT”: Highest rating for “Overall Purchase & Ownership Experience”

All other awards have been given for home buyers’ satisfaction with key elements of the purchase and ownership experience. The six categories include:

  1. The Purchase Experience (on Eliant’s ‘Move-In Survey’)
  2. The Design Selection Experience (on the Move-In Survey)
  3. The Construction Experience (on the Move-In Survey)
  4. First-Year Customer Service Experience (from Eliant’s ‘Mid-Year’ and ‘Year-End Surveys’)
  5. First-Year Quality (from the ‘Year-End Survey’)
  6. 6. Highest Percent of Sales From Referrals (from the Move-In Survey: “Were you referred to this builder by a friend?”)

In these categories, awards have been given to builders in each of three ‘size’ segments based on total 2011 closings:

Winners of the “Eliant 2012 Home Buyers’ Choice” awards are based only on scores from all surveys received from January 1-December 31, 2011, regardless of closing date.

44 Home builders receiving Premier Awards (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) or Honorable Mention awards include (in alphabetical order):


“Eliant’s 2012 Home Buyers’ Choice Awards”
In partnership with Real Estate Temps

The Purchase Experience

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Richmond American Homes - California
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Salt Lake City

Honorable Mention:

  • Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ/Texas
  • Richmond American Homes – Colorado Division
  • Ryland Homes - Houston Division


Large Builders:

First Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Second Place: Brookfield Homes – Los Angeles, CA
Third Place: Pardee Homes – Inland Empire Division, CA

Honorable Mention:

  • William Lyon Homes – Arizona Division
  • Wathen Castanos – Fresno, CA
  • William Lyon Homes – Nevada Division


Medium Builders:

First Place: MBK Homes – Irvine, CA
Second Place: Signature Homes – Sacramento, CA
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Delaware Valley

Honorable Mention:

  • Grand Homes – Dallas West Division
  • The New Home Company – Sacramento, CA
  • Tim Lewis Communities – Northern California

The Design Selection Experience

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – California Division
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Salt Lake City Division

Honorable Mention:

  • Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ/Texas
  • Richmond American Homes – Colorado Division
  • Ryland Homes – San Antonio Division


Large Builders:

First Place: Pardee Homes – Las Vegas Division
Second Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Tucson Division

Honorable Mention:

  • William Lyon Homes – Arizona Division
  • Wathen Castanos – Fresno, CA
  • Pardee Homes – Inland Empire, CA


Medium Builders:

First Place: Signature Homes – Sacramento, CA
Second Place: Ryland Homes - Southern California
Third Place: Grand Homes – Dallas West Division

Honorable Mention:

  • The New Home Company – Sacramento, CA
  • Richmond American Homes – Delaware Valley
  • Eastbrook Homes – Grand Rapids, MI

The Construction Experience

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – California Division
Third Place: Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ/Texas

Honorable Mention:

  • Ryland Homes – Houston Division
  • Richmond American Homes – Salt Lake City Division
  • Ryland Homes – Tampa Division


Large Builders:

First Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – Phoenix Division
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Tucson Division

Honorable Mention:

  • Pardee Homes - Inland Empire Division
  • William Lyon Homes – Arizona Division
  • Pardee Homes – Las Vegas Division


Medium Builders:

First Place: Ryland Homes – Southern California
Second Place: Minto Communities – West Central Florida
Third Place: Rosewood Homes – Scottsdale, AZ

Honorable Mention:

  • The New Home Company – Sacramento, CA
  • Regis Homes – Sacramento, CA
  • Grand Homes – Dallas South Division

The Customer Service Experience

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Richmond American Homes - California
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division
Third Place: Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ/Texas

Honorable Mention:

  • Ryland Homes – Tampa Division
  • Minto Communities – Southeast Florida
  • Ryland Homes – San Antonio Division


Large Builders:

First Place: Pardee Homes – Las Vegas
Second Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Phoenix Division

Honorable Mention:

  • Richmond American Homes – Tucson Division
  • Pardee Homes - Inland Empire Division
  • Richmond American Homes – Jacksonville Division


Medium Builders:

First Place: MBK Homes – Irvine, CA
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – Delaware Valley Division
Third Place: Rosewood Homes – Scottsdale, AZ

Honorable Mention:

  • Minto Communities – West Central Florida
  • Tim Lewis Communities – Roseville, CA
  • Pardee Homes – LA/Ventura Division

Overall First-Year Quality

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ
Second Place: Richmond American Homes – California Division
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division

Honorable Mention:

  • GL Homes – Sunrise, FL
  • Ryland Homes – Tampa Division
  • Ryland Homes – San Antonio Division


Large Builders:

First Place: McCaffrey Homes – Fresno, CA
Second Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Phoenix Division

Honorable Mention:

  • Richmond American Homes – Tucson Division
  • Pardee Homes – Las Vegas Division
  • Richmond American Homes – Jacksonville Division


Medium Builders:

First Place: Rosewood Homes – Scottsdale, AZ
Second Place: Minto Communities – West Central Florida
Third Place: Richmond American Homes – Delaware Valley Division

Honorable Mention (1st Year Quality):

  • Grand Homes –Dallas South Division
  • Tim Lewis Communities – Roseville, CA
  • The New Home Company – Aliso Viejo, CA

Highest Percent of Sales from Referrals

High Volume Builders:

First Place: Minto Communities – Southeast Florida (41.3%)
Second Place: Excel Homes – Calgary, Alberta
Third Place: GL Homes - Sunrise, FL.

Honorable Mention:

  • Trico Homes – Calgary, Alberta
  • Richmond American Homes – Nevada Division
  • Richmond American Homes – California Division


Large Builders:

First Place: Pardee Homes – San Diego Division (44.8%)
Second Place: McCaffrey Homes – Fresno, CA
Third Place: Pardee Homes – Inland Empire Division

Honorable Mention:

  • Wathen Castanos – Fresno, CA
  • William Lyon Homes – Arizona Division
  • Sterling Homes – Calgary, Alberta


Medium Builders:

First Place: Brandywine Homes – Irvine, CA (50%)
Second Place: Pardee Homes – LA/Ventura Division
Third Place: MBK Homes – Irvine, CA

Honorable Mention:

  • William Lyon Homes – Inland Empire/San Diego Division
  • Camelot Homes – Scottsdale, AZ
  • Regis Homes – Sacramento, CA

Overall Home Purchase & Ownership Experience (“The Eliant”)

Multi-Divisional Builders (regardless of sales volume)

First Place: The Olson Company – Seal Beach, CA
Second Place: The New Home Company – Aliso Viejo, CA
Third Place: Pardee Homes – Los Angeles, CA

Honorable Mention:

  • Tim Lewis Communities – Roseville, CA
  • MBK Homes – Irvine, CA
  • William Lyon Homes – Newport Beach, CA


Single Division Builders (regardless of sales volume)

First Place: Rosewood Homes – Scottsdale, AZ
Second Place: Robson Communities – Sun Lakes, AZ/Texas
Third Place: McCaffrey Homes – Fresno, CA

Honorable Mention:

  • Camelot Homes – Scottsdale, AZ
  • Classic Homes – Colorado Springs, CO
  • Wathen Castanos – Fresno, CA

For further information, contact Bob Mirman at Eliant (949-533-4006)