State Has Most Housing Giants

Three Dallas-based builders--Lincoln Property Co., Centex Corp. and Trammell Crow Residential Cos.--ranked as the largest home builders in the nation, but California still has more than three times as many “housing giants� as Texas, according to Professional Builder magazine.

The 20th annual report of the nation’s 400 largest builders, published in the July issue of the trade journal, shows that California has 115 firms on the list of “giants,� with Newport Beach-based William Lyon Co. ranking the highest, at eighth, with 1986 sales volume of $692,141,000 for 6,297 units.

The next highest ranking California firm is Los Angeles-based Kaufman & Broad Home Corp., 15th with 1986 sales volume of $525.2 million for 4,559 housing units.

Lincoln Property Co., one of 36 Texas builders on the list--down from 53 in the 1986 compilation--had 1986 sales of $2,233,218,000 for 7,266 rental units. Centex, the second-ranking builder, with sales of $1,303,897,000 for 5,960 units, was the only builder to rank in the top 10 for all 20 years.

Trammell Crow Residential, the third-ranking firm, had sales volume of $1,074,620,000 for 14,545 units, more than 14,000 of them apartments.

The decline in the number of Texas-based builders on the list can be attributed to the housing depression in the Oil Patch states where the builders are most active. The three largest firms, although based in Texas, are active throughout the nation.

Other high ranking California-based firms are: Fleetwood Enterprises, Riverside, 18th, with sales volume of $471 million for 34,743 units (all mobile homes); Watt Industries, Santa Monica, 22nd, with sales volume of $405,178,000 for 1,913 units; Lewis Homes, Upland, 23rd with sales volume of $398,537,000 for 3,473 units.

Also, Pacific Lighting Real Estate Group, Santa Ana, 24th, $398,517,000, 2,960 units; CoastFed Properties, Beverly Hills, 26th, $383,516,000, 3,423 units, and A. G. Spanos Construction Inc., Stockton, 27th, $381,200,000, 4,996 units.

Others are, Pacific Scene Inc., San Diego, 30th, $333,628,000, 3,272 units; Robertson Homes, Stockton, 31st, $321,840,000, 4,464 units; Goldrich & Kest Industries, Culver City, 32nd, $321,472,000, 2,127 units.

More are, Shapell Industries, Beverly Hills, 33rd, $312 million estimated; 1,600 units estimated (firm is privately held); Standard Pacific L.P., Costa Mesa, 34th, $310,608,000, 1,697 units, and the Lusk Co., Irvine, 37th, $302,413,000, 843 units.

The Anden Group, Sherman Oaks, ranked 38th with sales volume of $302 million for 2,000 units; Mission Viejo Co., Mission Viejo, ranked 39th with sales of $300 million for 2,008 units, and Citation Homes, San Leandro, ranked 46th with an estimated sales volume of $250 million for an estimated 1,980 units.