Illinois Business Journal - Missouri homebuilders dig Southwestern Illinois' housing market

Homebuilders look at what the competition is offering and try to fill holes in the market, said Fulford, whose company has developments with homes ranging from $180,000 to $500,000. The different price ranges and locations in the Metro East reflect different markets.
   Other factors accounting for the strong housing market in Southwestern Illinois are the low interest rates, which increases consumers' buying power, and locally, a stable economy.
   Missouri-based Whittaker Builders Inc., which has built almost exclusively in St. Charles County, moved into the Illinois market in the late 1990s. The company hopes its blueprint for success in St. Charles County will apply to the Metro East. According to the company's Web site, in 2001 Whittaker Homes built twice as many homes in St. Charles than any other builder.
   "We moved across the river because of the growth in Illinois," said Greg Whittaker, president of Whittaker Homes. The company has two residential developments in St. Clair County - Stonewolf in Fairview Heights and Eagles Landing near Shiloh - and is looking at other Southwestern Illinois sites. A new community near Fairview Heights is currently in the planning stages, Whittaker said. Many of the company's home-buying clients are those transferring into the area and those who work at Scott Air Force Base.
   "Land is less expensive in Illinois than it is in St. Charles County," he said about the benefits of building on the East side, "and it is just 15 to 20 miles from the city of St. Louis." Whittaker said his developments differ from the competition's because they include such amenities as golf courses and swimming pools. "We are happy with how we are doing in Illinois."
   Fulford said his company sets itself apart from the competition by doing what other builders are often not willing or able to do - customize the product. "We've been in business 28 years, taking care of the customer before, during and after the sale. If it's not right, we take care of it, going above and beyond the written warranty.
   "Our company philosophy has allowed us to afford many, many repeat buyers," Fulford said. "We are now building a second and sometimes a third home for some of our customers."

...continued Missouri homebuilders dig Southwestern Illinois' housing market
during the past three years." According to a recent report published by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, there were more than 2,400 residential housing permits issued for Madison and St. Clair counties in 2002, up from 1,759 in 2000. The Madison County cities of Edwardsville and Maryville and the St. Clair communities of Shiloh and O'Fallon were issued the most single-family housing permits in 2002. In addition, the 2002 annual report published by TheAlliance of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon highlighted those municipalities' rising rank in the St. Louis new home market. The report noted that according to figures released by the Home Builders Association of Greater St. Louis, Madison County accounted for nearly 12.5 percent of the 9,529 new, single-family housing starts in the St. Louis region in 2002. St. Louis area homebuyers began looking east in the past few years as home growth in Missouri extended farther and farther west from the city of St. Louis. Commuters considered the convenience and proximity of Illinois communities to their St. Louis workplaces, driving the demand for new homes in the Illinois market. In addition, improvements to the highway infrastructure and the MetroLink increased the convenience of transportation in the St. Louis Metro East region. When St. Louis builders entered the Southern Illinois market and established operations on both sides of the river, their marketing efforts and their relationships with realtors increased awareness of what Illinois has to offer, further fueling the number of potential Metro East homebuyers, Fulford said. "Dad and I started the business in 1975, and we knew people would have to start looking toward Illinois," he said. "Along with the attractive quality-of-life features offered in the Metro East, homebuyers found they could get more land and more house for their money in Illinois, Fulford said. Fulford Homes, a division of Fulford Construction, currently has three communities and will start building The Estates at Prairie Crossings in O'Fallon, close to the YMCA. The new community has homes in the $180,000 to $220,000 price range, with presales for the lots beginning in January 2004.	Homebuilders look at what the competition is offering and try to fill holes in the market, said Fulford, whose company has developments with homes ranging from $180,000 to $500,000. The different price ranges and locations in the Metro East reflect different markets. Other factors accounting for the strong housing market in Southwestern Illinois are the low interest rates, which increases consumers' buying power, and locally, a stable economy. Missouri-based Whittaker Builders Inc., which has built almost exclusively in St. Charles County, moved into the Illinois market in the late 1990s. The company hopes its blueprint for success in St. Charles County will apply to the Metro East. According to the company's Web site, in 2001 Whittaker Homes built twice as many homes in St. Charles than any other builder. "We moved across the river because of the growth in Illinois," said Greg Whittaker, president of Whittaker Homes. The company has two residential developments in St. Clair County - Stonewolf in Fairview Heights and Eagles Landing near Shiloh - and is looking at other Southwestern Illinois sites. A new community near Fairview Heights is currently in the planning stages, Whittaker said. Many of the company's home-buying clients are those transferring into the area and those who work at Scott Air Force Base. "Land is less expensive in Illinois than it is in St. Charles County," he said about the benefits of building on the East side, "and it is just 15 to 20 miles from the city of St. Louis." Whittaker said his developments differ from the competition's because they include such amenities as golf courses and swimming pools. "We are happy with how we are doing in Illinois." Fulford said his company sets itself apart from the competition by doing what other builders are often not willing or able to do - customize the product. "We've been in business 28 years, taking care of the customer before, during and after the sale. If it's not right, we take care of it, going above and beyond the written warranty. "Our company philosophy has allowed us to afford many, many repeat buyers," Fulford said. "We are now building a second and sometimes a third home for some of our customers." staff writer: Lorraine Senci email: lsenci@ibjonline.com
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