Centex, Pulte Top J.D. Power Satisfaction Rankings

New York, NY, September 13, 2007--Home owners in the 34 largest markets were most satisfied with new homes constructed by publicly traded homebuilders Centex Corp. and Pulte Homes Inc., according to a new J.D. Power and Associates study released Wednesday.

Centex, based in Dallas, rated highest in overall customer satisfaction in 14 of the markets, including in Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Francisco, J.D. Power's 2007 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Survey showed.

Pulte, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and its units Del Webb and DiVosta, topped the satisfaction rankings in 11 of the top markets, including Philadelphia, Houston, and Orlando, Fla.

The rankings come amid a major downturn in the housing sector that has left a glut of unsold homes on the market. Builders have been cutting prices and offering incentives to drive demand in some markets, but J.D. Powers said customer satisfaction takes on more importance during the housing slump.

"New-home builders must now increase their focus on providing buyers with a satisfying purchase experience -- which is a shift from the order-taking mode that was common in the industry until recently," said Paula Sonkin, vice president of real estate and construction industries practice.

"Differentiation through customer satisfaction, new-home quality, design and mortgage origination become especially important," she said.