And Robson Homes seems to see it the same way. It is a family-owned business and the owner, Mark Robson, lives in the South Bay. He grew up in the construction industry and he remains hands-on, visiting the building sites every week to check on things. His company wants to build neighborhoods, to offer more than four walls and a roof. And in this challenging economy his company has continued to grow.
He applies his forward-thinking approach to meet the needs and interests of the existing home-buying market, as in the “Peace-of-Mind” plan which his company began offering three months ago. It was in response to the needs of the people who wanted to buy his homes. He also took the comments and feedback from the over 1,400 visitors at the Grand Opening of Mission Estates in November, 2009, and developed a new floor plan he called The Valencia to provide what the people want.
His business method is to look for land to buy that has value, whether it’s location or good schools or other factors. Then he plans the right product to meet the needs and desires of the people who want to buy in that area.
Next, the people who work at this company, several of whom have also bought Robson homes, spend time with the customers to figure out how to get the buyers what they want.
With the Peace-of-Mind plan, when the customer buys a Mission Estates home, Robson Homes will buy the customer’s existing house if it meets specific criteria. This benefits the customer by freeing up their time—they don’t have to go through the difficulties of selling a house while they are living in it and trying to carry on their daily life. It also takes the element of the unknown, as far as timing and value, out of the transaction, giving them a set price based on market-value and a dependable timeline, and it also speeds up the buying process.
Size and Structure
The company has grown, even in these last few years of tough times for builders, but as Joe Armstrong, sales associate for Robson Homes, explains, Mark Robson doesn’t let the growth get out of control. He is in touch with the ongoing building projects. He listens to the feedback he hears from home-buyers and is open to their input. Because his company is a manageable size he is able to make innovations quickly in response to the market.
Started in 1989, Robson Homes is still a family-owned business. They pride themselves on building neighborhoods, well-designed and planned, in collaboration with community groups, adding visual and architectural character to the community, as the statement in their office says.
There are 32 homes in the Mission Estates development. The homes are Mission-style architecture typical of Southern California. Sizes range from 3,100 to 4,600 square feet and the lots are from 6,000 to 30,000 square feet, averaging 8,000 square feet. They have four to six bedrooms, up to 6 bathrooms, and up to four-car garages, with a six-car-garage as an option.
Amenities
Kitchens have two dishwashers, a large center island, and thick crown molding. Floor plans always include a room that can be either a study or an additional family space, separate from the family room. Some bedrooms have a study nook included. The homes are very quiet inside, using an acoustical engineer’s designs. There are four, five, or six bathrooms offered in the different models, with marble slab counters, and marble floor and wall tiles 18 inches square, larger than the tiles in most homes. The energy systems are designed to be highly efficient and the owners who have moved in already report that the various areas of the house stay at an even temperature. Walk-in closets are built in many of the bedrooms. And recessed ceilings add another fine detail. A bedroom on the ground level is another feature they provide because they have found that people value it. The houses also have hardwood floors.
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The Surroundings
The housing development is in an area in which homeowners do not need earthquake insurance. Drought-tolerant shrubs form much of the landscaping, which was done by the award-winning company Design Focus. They especially chose plants with colors for every season. The plantings in front of every house are taken care of by the HOA. On the street running in front of the housing development, Robson made a landmark commemorating the San Jose Mission with a bell and a typical Mission arch. The topography of the area is hilly, giving the owners privacy with views of natural areas outside of their windows, not looking directly at the neighbor’s house.
We asked why they have been able to so quickly sell the homes they offered in 2010 (there are only two remaining) in this economy. Joe told us that it is partly because the Mission San Jose area is desirable because of the great public schools; and among the homes available in this school district there are few new homes—the last new homes in this Mission San Jose area were built three years ago. And according to Joe it is hard to find houses of this size. People who are buying homes in the area because of the schools are looking at a 12-to-15-year time frame for their kids to be using the schools, so they want enough rooms for their family as the children become teenagers.
The development is in the city of Fremont, and the school district has high public schools ratings. Joshua Chadbourne Elementary has an API score of 988, Hopkins Junior High is at API 992, and the high school Mission San Jose High is rated API 948.
Buyers
The buyers are generally families who are moving up from a smaller house, their family is increasing, and they like the area schools. Typically they are sending their children to private schools now.
Advice for Buyers
Joe Armstrong suggests these steps when buying a home.
First, he says, go and talk with your lender. The rules have changed recently and ideas that might have worked before may not now. Find out what you qualify for.
Then, when you know your numbers, you can start visiting open houses and find the one you like best for your situation.
As buyers search for just the right home they will notice differences among the companies that build the homes and with enough looking they will find the builder who matches their preferences.
