KB Home crew keen on quality

Before grading for a neighborhood starts until long after a new home is delivered to its buyer, KB Home keeps to its quality assurance program.

Steve Winn, one of four regional construction managers, oversees the on-site superintendents at the builder's Las Vegas neighborhoods.

"I have worked with KB Home for 11 years, and during that time we have developed strict guidelines ... to ensure that we build a quality home," Winn said. "Our goal is to have 100 percent customer satisfaction, and that's facilitated through building a high-quality house on time, so we can deliver on the promise to the home buyer.

"... We have a Six Step Quality Assurance program, (and) each step must be approved by a qualified team before construction is allowed to proceed to the next step."

Project manager Tony Lowrey is involved in the home-building process in its early stages. A nine-year employee of KB Home, Lowrey is part of the team that researches and plans for new neighborhoods. He consults with municipalities and utility companies before land acquisition.

"We work together with all the agencies to make sure that we can complete a project on time and within budget," Lowrey said. "We are very thorough in this stage, which gives us a decided advantage over our competition."

Customer service is also a factor in the quality assurance program. The staff works closely with the construction department to monitor the progress of each home, according to Brenda Cunningham, director of customer service.

"We do several walk-throughs of each home with our construction team to make sure that the home is ready for move-in," said Cunningham, who has been with the company for eight years. "We serve as another set of eyes for the home buyers."

A customer service representative also accompanies each buyer on a walk-through of their new home just before move-in. In the two years following move-in, the customer service department stays in touch with each buyer and handles any warranty claims on their home.

"When homeowners move-in, there is a yellow magnet on the refrigerator with the name and phone number of their customer service coordinator, so they know who to call when they have a question or need assistance," Cunningham said, adding that service is available for emergencies 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

KB Home develops neighborhoods for first-time buyers, as well as for move-up buyers. Its homes are priced from the mid-$90,000s to the high $200,000s.

The builder, the largest in Southern Nevada, recorded 3,029 sales in 2001. It closed a record 3,013 sales the previous year, according to Leah Bryant, Las Vegas division president.

"Our company is dedicated to building excellence which is demonstrated through our most valuable resource -- our employees. Our team works together to provide the highest quality home at an affordable price.

"Building thousands of quality homes every year requires the best performance from our team, and I believe our team is the best."

The builder's design center and full-service mortgage company are located at 7440 S. Industrial Road, Suite 201, just south of Warm Springs Road.

KB Home is also active in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Florida. Kaufman & Broad S.A., the company's subsidiary, is one of the largest home builders in France.

In fiscal 2001, the company delivered 24,868 homes to families in the United States and France.

Real Estate home