Q+A With Paul Hanson of Epcon Communities Franchising

Epcon Communities began in 1986 building properties in central Ohio for lively adults prior to launching a franchising small business in 1995 that provides household options and support for some others creating communities of solitary-story, two- and 3-bed room households centered on marketplace exploration about what Toddler Boomers want in a new dwelling. These days, the Dublin, Ohio-dependent corporation has 68 franchise builders that have completed a lot more than 34,000 homes in 425 communities in 30 states.

Based on its 2020 earnings, Epcon is No. 51 on Pro Builder’s 2021 Housing Giants ranking of the nation’s most significant builders. Paul Hanson grew to become president in 2018 and has doubled the quantity of franchisees since becoming a member of the corporation. He also is a member of Professional Builder’s Forty Beneath 40 Class of 2020.

This is a longer version of an posting that appeared in the May perhaps/June 2021 problem of Pro Builder.

Professional BUILDER: Is there everything about the present-day state of the supply chain and the rate of revenue versus housing starts that keeps you up at night?

Paul Hanson: Now that we are many months into the provide chain disruptions, we’ve been ready to modify our procedures to adapt, for the most element. Interaction and collaboration with all of our trade companions and countrywide manufacturer associates have been essential in accomplishing that. They’ve suggested different goods, recommended on when to put orders, and been proactive in notifying us of surprises alongside the way, which has permitted us to change in the industry. 

The larger sized problem of late has been the actuality that our income teams, like these of a lot of builders, are writing contracts at a fee that is outpacing our capability to build. This has pressured us to force “pause” on income in some assignments and to hurry to come across new trade partners promptly. 

In the limited-phrase, although, interaction is also critical listed here. We’re centered on speaking our career-get started schedules weeks in advance with our early-phase trade associates to move in line ahead of other builders and producing certain our on-line design schedules are responsible and clear to ensure a continuous stream of progress during the positions. 

PB: Has Epcon’s franchising company model or its collective buying power offered any challenges or positive aspects in the latest industry of sturdy need with serious offer constraints and rising costs? 

PH: We and our franchise builders absolutely advantage from the merged quantity of our overall procedure. Several of these franchisees are creating all-around 50 households per calendar year, so they would have a compact voice in their markets if they have been just about every on their personal island. 

When we incorporate all of our collective quantity, we are equipped to get fantastic support and most well-liked pricing by our national model companions. A number of have known as me individually for steerage on how to navigate the offer chain disruptions via our national reps, and it has designed a substantial distinction in their ability to fulfill develop instances and closings aims.

PB: Do you see more value elasticity in this financial weather amid your buyers for 55-plus residences when compared with other prospective buyers or property products and solutions?

PH: Just one of the features of this current market area of interest is that these prospective buyers tend to have considerable web worth and little difficulties having to pay for the last property they want. We have observed that maintain correct throughout the mounting prices of late 2020 and early 2021. 

Numerous of our prospective buyers are also ready to consider edge of the HECM [Home Equity Conversion Mortgage] method [through the Federal Housing Administration], so they only spend a portion of the cost improves via an elevated down payment. A macroeconomic worry I do have associated to this would be with interest charges, which could have a larger sized effects on our prospective buyers than cost boosts. 

PB: Relating to trends, what do you see ahead for homebuyers’ online practical experience?

PH: Our sector has however to execute on a thoroughly on the internet shopping for expertise, and that is a massive concentration for us. We’re doing work with a tech startup that is transferring our developing programs into their system, and they have already demonstrated us a number of demos that allow for customers to look through our choices, “build” their dwelling in a visualizer, and then print out a contract summary for the check out to the revenue middle. We see this as the future of the field, and it’s the sort of seamless, very simple, buyer-targeted system we want our prospective buyers to knowledge. 

PB: What do you see concerning enhanced interest in the suburban markets and from whom?

PH: Many of our customers want their ultimate dwelling to be in the exact town as their very last dwelling, so we are continue to looking at strong need and activity in our prime, in-town locations. Nonetheless, numerous of them are also willing to relocate to be around their kids or grandchildren, so we have observed greater action in what utilized to be regarded as secondary or even tertiary marketplaces as Millennials are much more normally in a position to work from house indefinitely and are deciding on decrease expense-of-dwelling regions. We expect this pattern to outlast the pandemic as workforce settle in with the comfort of the perform-from-home life-style and insist on it from their businesses.