OP here. I know the quality isn't what you'd get from a smaller builder. Tract builders make me sad in a lot of ways (exteriors are very similar, cost-cutting measures are intensified by the savings realized over a large volume of homes vs. just a few). We're looking to buy an existing house and I suspect we'll end up with one built by a tract builder so I was curious whether there was any branding among them kinda like Walmart vs Target.

Out of the three in the OP, NV is definitely the better builder. We've lived in a Centex home before and it was good as well. I have no experience with Ryan, but as another poster has already mentioned, the Ryan brand is owned by the same group that owns NV.

Tract builders are always going to be focused on churning out home after home after home. They know they have a recognizable brand so they are not going to look at every home as a marketing opportunity as the small builders would. You do get a good price for a home because the tract builders are able to force their subcontractors to work for nearly no profit or even at a slight loss just to keep their crew busy.

Of course if you are not building on your own lot, you may not have much of a choice but to go with a tract home builder. One of the best smaller local tract home builders that I know of went out of business after the last real estate boom ended.

Tract builders

All are track builders. If you want to build on your own lot try StanleyMartin. They are somewhat better than any you have mentioned

Do these builders only do large developments or will they build on your own lot?

I have heard too many complaints about Ryan. We looked at buying a Ryan home in a new community. Their houses are not cheap and they make you purchase certain features to get something that you want. When I saw how they build their houses, very quick using cheap labor and supplies, we backed out. I live near 2 Ryan development sites and have watched the houses being built. Tyvek being put on after days of rain and then left on forever before siding was installed. This is a big no no. Dry wall problems are another biggie. The stories I have heard about rhe cheap contractors they use are disgusting.

Anonymous wrote:Is there a general consensus on which of the home builders are better (i.e. Ryan Homes, NV, Centex, etc.)? Obviously the quality is going to vary somewhat by the specific model but just curious if there's a general perception as to which builders are better.

Well, NV is the upscale version of Ryan, so that one is pretty clear.

Is there a general consensus on which of the home builders are better (i.e. Ryan Homes, NV, Centex, etc.)? Obviously the quality is going to vary somewhat by the specific model but just curious if there's a general perception as to which builders are better.