AMBERWOOD HOMES - The Industry Leader In Creating Affordable Custom Homes

IN THE MEDIA
Billy Johnson of Amberwood Homes, Why He's # 1
by: Our Real Estate Community - Volume 2|2007

MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE FOR VALLEY HOME OWNERS SINCE 1985

Locally owned and operated, Amberwood Homes has been making dreams come true for home owners in thriving communities throughout the Valley of the Sun since 1985. Billy Johnson, President of Amberwood Homes, has built thousands of homes in various cities in the State of Arizona. Amberwood Homes started as a small company building only one house at a time. One house turned into two, two turned into four, and the rest is history. It may have been Billy’s charm and charisma that helped get the company up and running, but the business principals he has followed has set the foundation for a solid place in Arizona’s custom home market for many years past and many years to come.

Amberwood Homes has been rated the number one custom home builder by the Business Journal for the past eight years in a row. Being number one doesn’t come easy; it takes a lot of planning and strategic thinking to make Amberwood’s communities and homes the best they can be. More importantly, it takes a combination of talented and skilled people in the office and in the field to make each year better than the last. “No one individual can make a company. It’s the combination of good leadership and a group of very talented people that contribute to overall success. From the time you enter our doors, whether at the corporate office or at a sales site, the first person you meet should be a representative of the whole”, says Billy. “This is why it is important to try and recruit the best of the best. Even if it means paying a little bit more for those people, you will see the results in the end”, he continued.

Most people don’t understand the complexity of building a home, let alone a custom home. Every component of the wheel is important in order to keep it turning, and no component is more important than the next. From purchasing to project management and from receptionist to accounts payable; every appointed position within the whole is imperative to its continuing function. As Billy Johnson likes to say, “It’s not my company, it’s our company.”

Billy Johnson is not your normal owner or high level executive; he takes part in every aspect of the company’s business on a day to day basis. One of the major contributors to the success of a business is staying involved.

“Don’t take your eye off it because the business will not run itself. Stay involved and delegate authority to the best people you can employ”, he said. And continues, “Trust your employees but always continue to provide guidance and support to obtain the end result you want.” Amberwood has an open door policy in every office that helps contributes to effective communication and execution.

Numerous employees from Amberwood have moved on to bigger and better things - their own companies. With Billy’s assistance, former employees have taken the values and principle’s they’ve learned while working for him and have gone on to achieve great success of their own. He believes in always being supportive, whether you are still working for him or whether you have chosen to move on, he is always there for you if you need him. With the knowledge and experience gained from working at Amberwood, you should be able to use those skills for success in many other areas of the business world.

It’s not easy being a home builder, let alone a home builder in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The financial obligations can be overwhelming making it difficult to stay afloat. Many home builders have come and gone in the time Amberwood has existed because they don’t watch their business. There will be many more to come, and many more to go in Arizona’s growing future. Amberwood continues to be successful by dealing from a position of strength. “Try to carry very little or no debt because it increases your strengths.” says Billy. “People try to grow too fast. If you grow too fast, you expose yourself to growing weak.” he continued. “In situations where the market has taken a turn for the worse, like Arizona recently experienced, it places a significant impact on your longevity.”, he continued.

Billy believes that a lack of funds to continue operating is the biggest downfall of builders. As the old saying goes, “Make hay when the sun shines…… but don’t forget to store some for the winter.”

Amberwood believes that much of the success and profits in building homes are made long before you ever see sticks in the air. “You must understand and have insight about your present market and be very analytical when acquiring and developing your land.” says Billy. He continues, “That’s why; again, it is important to hire the right people to assist you in doing so. “

When you get past the financial and land development stage of being a home builder, you must have the best in the field to continue with the follow through. “As a General Contractor, your choice in sub-contractors is also a large part of your success. The cheapest is not always the best and the best is not always the most expensive”, says Billy. “You must find experienced, dedicated, and talented individuals to work for you because they are an extension and representative of who you are. We choose our sub-contractors because we have no hesitation in believing they will do the best job possible. We feel that they can do just as well, if not better, than anyone else in their field. "Their reputation is our reputation", he added.

When you are at the stage where you have completed your due diligence, acquired and developed land, and employed the right people, you are ready to build homes. When offering homes for sale, Amberwood’s philosophy is very basic and always has each discriminating home owner in mind; it is the principle of Partnership. This is why at Amberwood Homes we will take the time to understand the unique needs of each homebuyer. Combined with the other foundations of the company; honesty, integrity, hard work, and the love for building beautiful homes, you are sure to receive a high quality product that will endure happiness for years to come.

Prior to construction, they ask their home buyers to participate in the design of their new home. Some call the approach visionary, but to us it is simple: they want their home owners to be happy with their new home, now and long into the future. From years of experience, they learned that the best way to gain confidence from home buyers is to include them every step of the way and combine their unique sense of design and an Amberwood designers’ creative experience to produce the perfect dream home. The finishes and features are not regimented by some corporate decree, and the floor plans are not duplicates of every other home on the block. At Amberwood Homes, there is no restriction in any way to pre-designed cookie cutter floor plans that other builders will not or cannot adjust to fit each family's lifestyle. Instead, their home owners have the freedom to stretch their imagination and choose the size, style and amenities they have always dreamed of. After all, it is one of the largest investments a person can make in a lifetime and they want everyone to have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we turn over the keys a new home.

By now you can see that Amberwood Homes eliminates the undesirable headaches usually associated with building a custom home. The normal process of creating a design, drawing up blueprints, getting bids and finding the right contractors can take months. They handle everything from start to finish. They believe that designing and building a custom home should be one of life's ultimate experiences. And because Amberwood is an established company, each home buyer can be assured of attentive and personalized support all the way. Even after their home owners move into their new home, they are just a phone call away.

Amberwood Homes currently has subdivisions in the Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler and Phoenix areas. In addition, custom homes can be built in Tempe, Mesa, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Fountain Hills, and Maricopa/Pinal Counties Arizona. “So if you can imagine it, we can build it.”