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NuGen Homes

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Builder Corner: NuGen Homes

By Gina Mouton

This month, I had the privilege of chatting with one of our recent Achievement Award Winners, Chris Buttrum co-owner of NuGen Homes, located in Slinger, WI. Chris and his wife Missy specialize in providing a range of home-building options tailored to their customers’ needs.

How did you get into the building industry?

We have 20 years of experience in the real estate industry working as brokers running HomeWire Realty.  During this time we began to see that there wasn’t enough inventory to sell to our buyers so we began rehabbing, fixing, and flipping homes. However, as the market dynamics shifted towards sellers, we adapted by focusing on building modular homes to maintain our inventory. This led us to venture into creating spec modular homes, eventually evolving to offer high-end, custom-built homes to cater to the diverse needs of our clients. Chris runs the building portion of our business and Missy runs the brokerage portion. With both helping each other out we have become a real estate powerhouse. Currently, half of our clientele opt for custom homes, while the other half prefers our premium modular options. At our core, we are dedicated to turning customer’s housing dreams into reality.

Chris and Missy Buttrum at IBS 2024

How long have you been with Amwood?

We joined Amwood in February 2023 and have since built one home, with plans to construct three additional homes this year.

Tell us a little more about your business model.

At NuGen Homes, we specialize in building contract custom homes, spec homes, and modular homes. We no longer engage in remodeling or flipping projects, focusing solely on delivering high-quality, custom-built homes that exceed expectations. We do not have a model home, yet, but rather a live-in model and a modular model home that showcases our exceptional craftsmanship.

Where do you get your leads?

At our core, we believe in the power of connections and the strength of relationships. Through our partnership with the real estate industry, we have cultivated a network of over 500 contacts. We nurture our relationships through monthly marketing materials, including newsletters, postcards, and magazines. Leveraging the power of social media, we showcase our builds, communicate, and engage with our referral network on our personal Facebook pages. To show appreciation, we offer occasional incentives like restaurant coupons and tickets to local home shows. Furthermore, we have successfully collaborated with local television stations, seizing the opportunity to discuss various building topics on TV, further solidifying our presence and expertise in the industry.

What type of marketing has brought you the most success?

Referral leads have proven to be the most successful avenue for us.

What is the price range and type of the homes you build?

Our homes typically range from $350K to $600K, with ranch-style homes being their most frequently built design.

Total number of homes built to date?

We’ve constructed one panelized home and completed 19 modular homes. Additionally, we’ve undertaken the flipping of over 200 homes.

Reflecting on our experience with flipping, many of those properties should have been entirely rebuilt from scratch due to encountering issues like mold, lead, and asbestos. These unexpected challenges significantly inflated overhead costs and reduced our profit margins. Consequently, we’ve decided to halt flipping homes due to the unpredictability and surprises we encountered. It’s worth noting that we used to purchase these properties with cash and without inspections.

The Buttrum family

Tell us a little bit about your family.

My wife and I have been happily married for over a decade and have a blended family of 5 children from previous relationships spanning ages 16 to 25. Additionally, we are blessed to have two adorable grandkids.

Any other interesting facts you would like to share?

We have a passion for traveling and have a well-trained team of sub-contractors in place equipped to operate seamlessly even when we are away. Our partnerships, agents, and technology help us to ensure that we can travel and work remotely. This setup not only enables us to maintain our business while traveling but also ensures that our services are consistently delivered with precision and efficiency.

Closing thoughts:

Collaborating with Amwood has been incredibly fruitful. By speeding up our construction timeline we enable our skilled sub-contractors the ability to seamlessly take over. Our longstanding relationships with sub-contractors, such as our 35-year partnership with contractors, 15-year alliance with plumbers, and 10-year collaboration with carpenters, have been instrumental in ensuring the smooth progress of our project. This strategic partnership with Amwood has not only enhanced our workflow but also reinforced our commitment to delivering exceptional results to our clients.

For builders interested in being featured in future newsletters, inquiries can be directed to Gina Mouton at gi********@am*********.com or by calling 608-756-2989 ext. 104.