Builder and Developer

Nick Slevin, the developer of the ABC Green Home project, returned to NBC’s Water Zone podcast with Robb Starr. Slevin breaks down the evolution of the ABC Green Home Project, from its inception as a challenge to industry standard “greenwashing” to building homes that comfortably beat California’s strict Title 24 codes by 40%.

D.R. Horton is set to build a 195-home subdivision on a 265-acre lot in Goochland, Va. The homes will average between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet on lots that range from 1 to 5 acres. Goochland supervisors approved plans for the Rural Hill on the James in 2021. “They saw that there was a huge shortage of land in the region,” said Long & Foster Real Estate Kyle Yeatman. “D.R. Horton wanted the project the most.

Mungo Homes announced the acquisition of McGuinn Homes, a South Carolina-based homebuilder. In the past three years, McGuinn Homes posted a substantial increase in new home sales from 337 in 2023 to over 1,000 in 2025. McGuinn Homes’ presence in  Augusta, Georgia, and Aiken, South Carolina, was a driving factor in this strategic acquisition. Mungo Homes is a Clayton Home Building Group builder, owned by larger subsidiary Berkshire Hathaway.

According to the National Association of Home Builders’ Home Building Geography Index (HBGI), residential construction is playing a larger role in rural and suburban markets. Among the seven HBGI categories, non-metro/micro counties recorded the highest concentration of residential construction employment.

Cotality released its July 2026 U.S. home price insights report on July 7, 2026. According to the report, the U.S. housing market is building momentum. Following a steady two-year slowdown, home price appreciation accelerated in May, ticking up to an annual pace of 0.8% from April’s 0.6%. This acceleration indicates that beneath a seemingly frozen surface, local demand is aggressively testing the constraints of elevated mortgage rates.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey on July 2, 2026, showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.43%. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage eased slightly this week, averaging 6.43%,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist.

Jul 8, 2026 1:35 PM Meghan Billings’ interest in residential construction came unexpectedly. When she set out to build her custom home, her contractor fell ill. Instead of stalling the project, Meghan stepped in. As a mom with young kids, she remembers her unconventional office for the project: her local Chick-fil-A in the corner, on her laptop, watching her kids play.

On July 8, 2026, Dream Finders Homes presented its fifth offer to acquire Beazer Homes. While a merger of the two companies would create the sixth-largest homebuilder in the nation, the Board of Directors at Beazer Homes publicly rejected Dream Finders Homes’ third offer in May. The most recent offer values Beazer Homes at  $32.00 per share in cash, a steady increase from its first offer in February at $28.50 per share in cash.

This issue of Builder and Developer features the celebration of women advancing the homebuilding industry.

One of the most notable shifts we’ve observed in homebuilding has been the evolution of wellness. What was once largely focused on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water conservation and high-performance systems has expanded into a broader discussion about how homes support everyday life. Those elements remain essential, but today’s homebuyers view wellness more holistically, urging the industry to respond.