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John Hall Homes owners considered going out of business when industry hit a low Continued from page 2
For information call 630377-1515, visit www.johnhallhomes.com or email johnjr@ johnhallhomes.com. Hall’s company has notched at least a dozen sales in the past few years at The Reserve. “Here is the story on The Reserve,” Hall said. “Things were really in a bad freefor-all when Janco Group (a Chicago real estate investment company) bought out Ryland Homes in 2009. They were looking for ways to inspire people to start building again and one of the things they did is hire us to build a spec house (build at your expense and hope a customer comes along quickly to buy it) when nobody else was doing it. They put their guts and reputation on the line, but they wanted to prove that neighborhoods in the Fox River Valley, such as The Reserve, were the best deals around. They wanted one of our classic designs and that is what we built.” And today Hall continues to build and sell spec as well as client-financed housing. Gary Janko is senior managing director, principal and founder of Janko
Group. His career spans 37 years in the acquisition, development and financing of real estate. The real estate portfolio exceeds $250 million. Founded in 1969, John Hall Homes has been building homes for 43 years. Shoppers can visit 2020 Dean St., suite A, in St. Charles. When the new-home building industry hit a low ebb in 2008, the owners of John Hall Homes considered going out of business. “We had only two houses going in 2008. In a normal year, we like to see nine to 11 or more going up,” Hall
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said in a 2010 interview. “It was dreadful.” The family gathered during the 2008 Christmas season with its subcontractors to discuss survival. The family included marketing manager Hall, his brother, site manager Joshua; and their sister, interior decorator Jessica Jungman-Hall. “We sat down with our subcontractors and discussed the challenges in the market. We also talked about opportunities, but to succeed we had to change the way we did business. We had to maintain the quality
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developer (Remington Glen LLC) defaulted on the project, which entered foreclosure in 2010. “I think everyone in the area is excited to know an established builder like Meritus Homes is coming into the area and taking control of the property to finish it the right way,” Brunhofer said six months ago. Prior to 2010, the original developer promised to repair streets, sidewalks and sewers. The year 2010 came and went with no activity so the city took charge.
See BUILDERS, page 4
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and value we offered to our clients, but we had to trim our operating margins and profits,” Hall said. More than 90 percent of the subcontractors agreed to new terms, and the rest is a story of sales success. This is the second foray into St. Charles for Meritus Homes. Last August the company opened Remington Glen, a town house development on a foreclosed piece of property near Peck Road and Route 64. Meritus acquired the remaining opportunities to build in the Remington Glen property after the original
Debora McKay 630-587-4672 630-542-3313
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All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation of discrimination.” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.
• Thursday, January 10, 2013
• BUILDERS
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com
Provided photo
LEFT: John Hall Homes is active in building custom homes at The Reserve subdivision in St. Charles. RIGHT: Custom kitchens in John Hall Homes single-family houses at The Reserve include hardwood floors, granite countertops, a center island, stainless-steel built-in appliances and upper and lower cabinetry.