They consider themselves the Burger King of home builders.
"You can have it your way," said Vice President Steve Zuckerman. "We never say no."
Home customization has given Zuckerman Homes a name in the market over the years, something that community developers who have set home models won't typically do, until recently, to sell more homes.
The four-generation family business started in 1924 in Queens, N.Y., and then moved to South Florida in the early 1960s where Mel Zuckerman merged his home building company with his father's. Since Meyer Zuckerman started the business, they have built more than 10,000 homes — more than 6,000 homes in Florida and southern Georgia.
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"They are a very tough competitor, in the sense that they don't delegate a lot," said Michael Levy, a real estate developer for more than 25 years who has worked with the Zuckerman Group, and now as a competitor. "All the Zuckermans are always available. They are very comfortable making changes to your home. They are terrific in creating your dream."
Since the housing market crash in 2007, Andrew Zuckerman, CEO of the company, and his brothers and nephew have managed to keep the company afloat, but like many companies, they had to tighten their belts.
"We had to trim expenses and try to keep as many key people as possible," said Ryan Zuckerman, 28, who joined the family business in 2003.
He would not say exactly how many employees were let go, except that Zuckerman Homes "had to let go people who had been working with us for years."
What saved them was their adaptation to the market by converting some homes to rentals and by lowering prices, said Steve Zuckerman.
Currently, they have 17 rented homes, five unoccupied homes and 14 lots available for sale.
"Rent covers more than expenses," he said. "As long as we have a positive cash flow, we are fine."
Recently, the Federal Housing Administration certified a community in Naples, called Mariposa, as eligible for FHA loans, which has helped with sales, said Ryan Zuckerman.
Having FHA approved homes allows the buyer to make a down payment as small as 3.5 percent of the purchase price. The buyer can also get financing more easily.
"This tremendously opens up the market for us," Ryan Zuckerman said.
The Zuckermans deal directly with the buyers. If a buyer has a question for them or wants to make a change with one of the building plans, they can personally talk to one of the Zuckermans, and they will make it happen. Once a week, a Zuckerman will go out to the building site to monitor the homes' progress.
"They are totally hands on," said Lorie Pellegrini, who bought a home from Zuckerman Homes 20 years ago at Embassy Lakes in Cooper City. "If there was anything that we weren't sure about, they would go out there and stay right on top of it. We never had any problems."
Now that the market has shown slight signs of stabilization, the Zuckermans are starting to think positively about the future of the housing market. Mortgage rates are at record lows, with a 30-year fixed rate at 4.44 percent, according to Freddie Mac.
"Once we get through short sales and foreclosures, there will be new demands," Steve said. "But, people need to know where the interest rates are right now. They are pretty low."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-zuck-building-family-20100813,0,2350165.story
