The 2019 Professional Builder Housing Giants report offers a revealing look at which home builders dominate the East North Central region and how they achieved their market positions. Covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, the data shows that the top 26 builders in the region closed nearly 20,000 homes in 2018, with clear patterns in geographic strategy, market concentration, and operational scale. For builders looking to grow, the Housing Giants report provides actionable intelligence that extends far beyond a simple ranking.
The Five-State Market: Size and Distribution
The East North Central region is the industrial heartland of American home building. Each of its five states has distinct market dynamics that shape how builders compete.
Market Size by State
Ohio leads the region in total closings among the top 26 builders, with strong contributions from PulteGroup, M/I Homes, Fischer Homes, and Drees Homes. Indiana follows closely, driven by PulteGroup, Lennar, and Clayton Properties Group. Michigan’s market is notable for the dominance of regionally focused builders such as Allen Edwin Homes and Lombardo Homes. Illinois and Wisconsin, while smaller in total volume, are home to important niche and national players.
Total Closings of Top 26 Builders by State
| State | Top Builder Closings | Dominant Builder | Share of Top 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 5,894 | PulteGroup (1,053) | 47% |
| Indiana | 4,698 | PulteGroup (798) | 40% |
| Michigan | 4,505 | PulteGroup (723) | 34% |
| Illinois | 2,743 | D.R. Horton (720) | 44% |
| Wisconsin | 543 | Edward Rose (72) | 58% |
The data reveals that Ohio and Indiana together account for more than half of all top-26 closings in the region. Wisconsin, by contrast, is a much smaller market where local specialists like Tim O’Brien Homes and Kaerek Homes thrive.
Top Performers and How They Built Their Market Position
Understanding the strategies of the top-ranked builders offers clear lessons for any home builder seeking to scale operations effectively.
PulteGroup: Regional Dominance Through Multi-State Presence
PulteGroup claimed the top spot in the East North Central region with 2,996 total closings. What sets PulteGroup apart is its balanced presence across four of the five states. The builder closed 1,053 homes in Ohio, 798 in Indiana, 723 in Michigan, and 422 in Illinois. This geographic diversification spreads risk while building cumulative brand recognition across state lines.
Key factors in PulteGroup’s success include:
– A diversified product line spanning entry-level to active adult communities
– Strong land positions in high-growth suburban corridors
– Operational infrastructure that allows efficient management across multiple states
– Deep supplier and trade relationships in each local market
M/I Homes: Concentrated Strength in Two States
M/I Homes took the second spot with 1,839 closings, driven by heavy concentration in Ohio (882 closings) and Indiana (346 closings). Unlike PulteGroup’s broader distribution, M/I Homes demonstrates that deep penetration in a smaller number of states can still produce top-tier regional volume.
The company’s approach shows that builders do not need to be in every state to lead the region. By focusing on markets where they have established land pipelines and trade networks, M/I Homes achieves operational efficiency that dispersed competitors sometimes struggle to match.
Lennar: Selective High-Volume Markets
Lennar ranked third with 1,386 closings but operated in only two states: Illinois (636 closings) and Indiana (750 closings). This selective approach produced the highest per-state average among the top five builders. Lennar’s strategy demonstrates that choosing the right markets and achieving dominant share within them can be more profitable than spreading resources thinly across many states.
Fischer Homes: The Regional Specialist Model
Fischer Homes, with 1,228 total closings, operates exclusively in Ohio (811 closings) and Indiana (417 closings). As a privately held regional builder, Fischer Homes shows that local market knowledge and deep community relationships can compete effectively against national giants. Builders looking to gear up for growth can take inspiration from Fischer’s disciplined geographic focus.
Mid-Tier Builders: Diverse Strategies Between Ranks 6 and 15
The middle tier of the ranking reveals the widest variety of business models:
- Single-state specialists like Allen Edwin Homes (692 closings in Michigan) and Lombardo Homes (565 in Michigan) prove that deep local focus can produce impressive volume without multi-state operations.
- Habitat for Humanity International (682 closings across all five states) operates a fundamentally different model based on volunteer labor and community partnerships, yet still ranks among the top regional producers.
- Clayton Properties Group (614 closings concentrated entirely in Indiana) shows the power of dominating one state’s market.
- Drees Homes (568 closings across Ohio and Indiana) represents the classic regional builder model with disciplined expansion into adjacent markets.
Geographic Strategy Patterns Across the Region
The data reveals three distinct geographic strategy archetypes that builders employ to compete in the East North Central market.
The Multi-State Generalists
These builders operate across three or more states in the region, leveraging scale and brand recognition:
– PulteGroup (4 states, 2,996 closings)
– Edward Rose Building Enterprise (5 states, 686 closings)
– Habitat for Humanity International (5 states, 682 closings)
– Epcon Communities (5 states, 365 closings)
Multi-state generalists benefit from diversified market exposure. When one state’s economy slows, activity in another state can offset the decline. This model requires significant operational infrastructure and the ability to manage different regulatory environments, labor markets, and buyer preferences.
The Two-State Corridor Players
A strong cluster of builders focuses on the Ohio-Indiana corridor, one of the most active home building zones in the region:
– M/I Homes: Ohio and Indiana
– Fischer Homes: Ohio and Indiana
– Drees Homes: Ohio and Indiana
– Westport Homes: Ohio and Indiana
– Hovnanian Enterprises: Illinois and Ohio
The Ohio-Indiana corridor benefits from strong population growth in metropolitan areas such as Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Dayton. Builders who focus on this corridor can achieve operational density that makes managing subcontractors, materials procurement, and sales teams more efficient.
The Single-State Specialists
Some of the most interesting stories in the data come from builders who operate in just one state:
– Allen Edwin Homes: Michigan only (652 closings)
– Lombardo Homes: Michigan only (565 closings)
– Eastbrook Homes: Michigan only (414 closings)
– MJC Cos.: Michigan only (308 closings)
– Infinity & Co.: Michigan only (196 closings)
– Robertson Brothers Homes: Michigan only (184 closings)
– Hills Properties / Inverness Homes: Ohio only (336 closings)
– Rockford Homes: Ohio only (228 closings)
– Tim O’Brien Homes: Wisconsin only (189 closings)
– Kaerek Homes: Wisconsin only (140 closings)
Michigan stands out as the state where single-state specialists have been most successful. Seven of the top 26 builders operate exclusively in Michigan, reflecting the state’s strong home building traditions, distinctive regional building codes, and a buyer base that values local builders with deep community ties.
The single-state specialist model offers several advantages:
– Deeper understanding of local permitting and code requirements
– Stronger relationships with local trades and suppliers
– More focused marketing and brand recognition within the state
– Lower overhead from multi-state management infrastructure
– Faster decision-making on land acquisition and product development
Actionable Lessons for Builders From the Data
The 2019 Housing Giants data for the East North Central region contains lessons that apply to builders of every size, whether they operate in one community or across multiple states.
Lesson 1: Geographic Focus Creates Operational Efficiency
The data clearly shows that builders who concentrate their activity within a geographic corridor outperform those who spread thinly across the entire region. Builders pursuing market expansion strategies should prioritize adjacent markets where existing operational infrastructure can be leveraged rather than jumping to distant states.
Lesson 2: Product and Price Point Diversification Matters
The most successful builders in the region offer products at multiple price points. PulteGroup’s broad portfolio covers first-time buyers, move-up families, and active adults. Builders who serve only one buyer segment face greater risk when that segment’s demand softens.
Lesson 3: Local Market Knowledge Is a Competitive Moat
Single-state specialists like Allen Edwin Homes (652 closings in Michigan alone) prove that deep local knowledge can generate volume that rivals national builders. Local builders understand regional permitting nuances, weather-related construction timing, and the specific design preferences of buyers in their state.
Lesson 4: The Middle Market Requires Clear Differentiation
Builders ranked between 6th and 15th face the most competitive pressure. They compete against both national giants above them and agile local specialists below them. Success in this tier requires a clear value proposition: either operational scale, geographic specialization, or a unique product offering that competitors cannot easily replicate.
Lesson 5: Strategic Land Position Drives Long-Term Success
While not explicitly shown in the closing data, the pattern of consistent year-over-year volume among top builders points to well-managed land pipelines. The ability to control lots in high-demand submarkets, at the right price, with entitled approvals in place, is the foundation that enables the closing volumes reported in the Housing Giants data.
Five Steps to Improve Your Regional Position
- Audit your geographic concentration. Map your current closings by county and identify opportunities to deepen your presence in existing markets before expanding to new ones.
- Benchmark against the right peers. Compare your per-state efficiency against builders of similar scale rather than against the national giants.
- Invest in operational infrastructure. The builders who manage multiple states effectively have systems for procurement, scheduling, and quality control that support geographic reach.
- Develop a clear geographic strategy. Decide whether you will be a multi-state generalist, a two-state corridor player, or a single-state specialist, and build your business model to match.
- Track the right metrics. Beyond total closings, measure closings per state, closings per community, and closings per sales associate to understand where your operation is most efficient.
The East North Central region offers substantial opportunities for builders who understand its unique market dynamics. By studying how the top performers have structured their geographic footprint, product offerings, and operational approach, any builder can identify a path to stronger market position and sustainable growth. The Housing Giants data is not just a ranking. It is a strategic roadmap for builders who know how to read it.