Royal Homes of North Carolina - Article 2024
Triad New Home Guide - Summer 2024
Customer Service Is At Its Core
It was a sunny day in March and Bob Woodard was happy to talk about one of his favorite subjects – Royal Homes of North Carolina, the company he built with partners Barry Siegal and Willard Tucker. The company has come a long way in a short time to become one of the region’s most reputable homebuilders.
In a home still under construction in the Eagle Ridge neighborhood (Summerfield), Woodard looked back at his Royal Homes journey. He gives credit first and foremost to the people who make up Royal Homes. "I have the best people in our company that I could ever work with," Woodard smiled. "I have never placed an ad for employees in 14 years. Someone always shows up and they are always the perfect fit."
The Road to Royal
Some might be surprised to learn that Woodard’s background is in the food industry. His first job after college at University of Mississippi was at Bojangles where he rose through the ranks in Memphis as manager, and eventually was transferred to Charlotte to the corporate headquarters.
During his time at Bojangles, his star continued to rise and he worked with franchise owners throughout the Southeast.
The economy tanked and suddenly, Woodard was out of work and had a family to support. "I did whatever it took to feed my family," he said. "I sold cars, bottled water, and insurance, anything to make money." His move to the real estate industry started with a national builder in a warranty position. Woodard’s background was not in real estate, but it was strong in customer service. The selling point landed him the job.
The move upwards continued and Woodard got his general contractors license. Superintendent and construction manager positions followed, until he was promoted to Division Vice President.
Woodard’s belief in customer service was honed in every position. Exceptional customer service eventually would become a hallmark of the Royal Homes brand and the "Royal Homes Touch."
The Royal Touch
Enter Siegel and Tucker, land developers he had worked with. After the economic downturn of 2008, they "had a lot of land on their hands and needed to do something with it," he said. The two reached out to Woodard to gauge his interest in starting a home building business.
The meeting that started Royal Homes started with a yellow legal pad and an idea. "The three of us got together and put our plans on paper," Woodard said. "It was May 2010 and we pulled four building permits – two in Brightwood Farm and two in Glennstone."
Royal Homes closed two homes in October 2010 and it was off to the races. Initially he was the field guy at Royal Homes and did anything else needed. He met new home customers as he swept floors. "That is how I met people and connected with them," he said. "It was as grassroots as grassroots could be."
"Every year we sold more homes," Woodard continued. "In 2015-16 we sold about 50 homes. We soon needed more lots and we were averaging about 100 homes annually." The hard work was recognized by the Triad Business Journal, which ranked Royal Homes as a "Top Ten builder." In 2022, Royal Homes was ranked as "the number 7 best builder." Woodard is proud to be on the list that also includes national builders.
The Royal Connection
"Making connections with people is what we do," said Woodard. "The company kept growing and I couldn’t do everything, so I started hiring people." Woodard gave up doing administrative work and sales. The last job he relinquished was warranty work. Now his superintendents handle warranty work and meet with customers. His commitment for doing the right thing was passed onto his staff.
"I know it is cliché, but if something is not right we make it right," he continued. A hallmark of customer service is accessibility to Royal Homes, and every homeowner has his cell phone number. Woodard looked at his phone and said, "About 850 home owners are in my phone contacts."
The Royal Builder Difference
Unlike many builders, Woodard does not believe in bonuses for build times. "We run a tight schedule but our build time is more like 150 days than the average 115 days," he said. "I don’t want a home thrown together fast so someone can get a bonus. At any time there is a problem the construction manager can stop the process."
Instead of a builder bonus, Royal gives incentives for great customer service, quality control, homeowner closing checklist, and energy efficient standards. "We believe these things are more important than how fast we can build a house, and these are things that are more important to homeowners," said Woodard.
The Royal Niche
In the building hierarchy, Royal Homes classifies itself as a middle of the road price point builder, but one that is competitive with custom homes due to their level of customer service and options. "We are not a custom home builder, but we offer more options than most home builders at our level," he explained. "We offer 12 cabinet colors, six door styles, 12 paint colors, and more. We use a lot of the same materials as custom builders, and with our level of options, we offer an exceptional home buying experience."
The Royal experience has resonated with consumers who Woodard says are often repeat customers with some being a three-peat. "I can’t think of any better compliment than a repeat customer."
Royal Employees
Since starting his company, "perfect fit" employees have organically shown up, and Woodard has never had to advertise for employees. He laughed at the memory of Jamey Colvin, now his purchasing manager, who he met when Jamey was changing light bulbs at the main office. Royal Homes later built his home.
Dawn Otremba is Royal Homes’ Operations Coordinator, who Woodard met at a home closing. She asked if Woodard was hiring and after hearing about Otremba’s experience in the concrete business, it was a green light. Ten years later she is still working at Royal Homes.
Woodard believes in his homes and has lived in several. He lived in Glennstone and built his family the Chelsea Plan, which they loved until "the kids got bigger and the house got smaller." He built the second home six houses down on the same street.
Royal Home Buyers
Royal Homes serves first-time homeowners, the move-up buyer, relocation customers, and second-home buyers. "Homeowners are all demographics," he said. "We have a product that will suit anyone." When looking for a location to build a community, Royal Homes looks at a school system first and foremost. "It is the number one driver of home sales followed by convenience to amenities."
Royal Service
Phyllis Bridges, Design Center Coordinator and neighborhood agents like Jonathan Durham give clients the red carpet treatment when buying a home.
"The amount of options we can offer new homeowners is something that sets us apart from other builders," said Bridges. "From picking out the exterior façade to the floors and fixtures in between, we have a multitude of choices from brick to hardware. I spend a lot of time researching vendor sites," she continued. Listening to clients is equally important. "I can read people easily and when they can’t visualize a design concept I am their vision."
Bridges starts with a virtual session with new homeowners. Color selections are usually first on the agenda. Later a short product review session is held in person. In between appointments, Bridges stays busy designing inventory homes to set the tone for a neighborhood.
"We get homeowners from across the U.S. from New York to California who are relocating here for jobs at Honda Jet, Herbalife, and other companies," she said.
Jonathan Durham likes the hands-on approach exemplified by Royal Homes when working with clients and potential homeowners. The sales agent for Kyndall Run makes a point of connecting homebuyers with buyer’s agents. "We make it a point to promote the realtor community, host realtor events, and stay connected with them," Durham said.
A Royal Future
The horizon looks good for Royal Homes with development planned. The next community slated for development is Dillon Ridge in Summerfield. Additionally, Royal Homes projects it will close approximately 120 homes in 2024. "We have 600 lots slated for future development," he said. "We are busy and the future looks bright for Royal Homes."
Woodard loves his communities like a proud papa. Sometimes on a sunny weekend afternoon, he will get the urge to drive through an older neighborhoods to see how it stood the test of time. "Our homes still look good years later," he smiled.