Study gives Centex high marks

Centex Homes ranks highest in customer satisfaction with new-home builders in the Las Vegas, market, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM.

In addition, Astoria, headquartered in Las Vegas, ranks highest in the New-Home Quality Study while Centex ranks highest in the New-Home Design Study. CTX Mortgage (serving Centex Homes) earns the highest rank in the New-Home Builder Mortgage Originator Study.

The New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 11th year, includes satisfaction ratings of builders in 34 of the largest U.S. home-building markets. Nine factors drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders: builder's warranty/customer service, construction manager, builder's sales staff, home readiness, price/value, workmanship/materials, recreational facilities, builder's design center and location.

Centex Homes performs well in the Las Vegas market in seven of the nine factors: builder's warranty/customer service, construction manager, builder's sales staff, home readiness, price/value, workmanship/materials and builder's design center.

Following Centex Homes in the market rankings are Del Webb and Pulte Homes, respectively.

The average customer satisfaction index score in Las Vegas is 114 -- 3 points above the 34-market average of 111.

The New-Home Quality StudySM measures the occurrence and impact of construction problems experienced by new-home owners in 34 markets.

The study uses an index that takes into account the number of problems that occur, the severity of problems and size of the home, and covers 48 different problem categories .

Astoria ranks highest in new-home quality in the Las Vegas market, followed by Centex Homes and Pulte Homes, respectively.

The New Home Design StudySM, which includes 31 markets, measures customers' experiences with design and aesthetic aspects of their new homes. Centex ranks highest in new-home design in the Las Vegas market, followed by Pulte Homes and Del Webb, respectively.

The study includes the following additional findings:

Home buyers report that having a convenient arrangement of bath fixtures is more important than the size of a master/primary bath.

The size of the kitchen and the appearance of the sink and faucets are more important to home buyers than a convenient arrangement of kitchen fixtures.

The Builder Mortgage Originator StudySM measures the experience of new-home owners in 17 markets that used a builder-owned mortgage company to originate a home loan.

CTX Mortgage (serving Centex Homes) ranks highest in builder mortgage origination in the Las Vegas market, followed by Pulte Mortgage (serving Pulte Homes) and Universal American Mortgage Co. (serving Lennar Homes), respectively.

The study results include the following key findings:

The vast majority of new-home buyers take advantage of mortgage origination services when offered by their home builder due to competitive rates, and easier and more seamless processes.

To be included in the studies, Las Vegas-area builders must have closed 150 or more homes in the market in 2006. The new homes are located in Clark County.

These studies are based on responses from 50,401 buyers of newly built single-family homes who provided feedback after living in their homes an average of four to 18 months.

There were 3,004 respondents in the Las Vegas market. For more comprehensive builder rankings for all 34 U.S. markets, visit www.jdpower.com/homes.