The Home Store Story, by Andy Gianino, Ph.D.

How We Started

When I started selling modular homes in 1986, I was a complete novice. My Ph.D. training was in psychology, with a focus on child psychotherapy and the social development of infants. But we were in the middle of the 1980's real estate boom, and my wife and I decided to invest in building a new home for resale.

After researching the local real estate market I concluded two things: first, one reason the supply of new housing had not kept pace with demand was a shortage of skilled labor; second, the shortage was causing contractor wages to escalate, which was inflating prices beyond the means of many buyers. In our conversations with friends, we learned that many were encountering the same problems. It was impossible to find a good builder to construct a quality home at an affordable price

When I learned that factory-built homes could circumvent these problems, I decided to become a representative of a modular manufacturer so we could sell homes to everyone who needed them. When I found that building houses was more enjoyable and less stressful than my psychology work, I opened a local modular home dealership. Learning from doing, I gradually got up to speed on a very complex subject, and over the years I've been able to cultivate my business into a thriving enterprise

Who We Are Today

The Home Store's core business is retail sales of modular homes on a scattered lot basis. Our typical Customer builds a custom designed home on a lot they have purchased in the community of their choice. Since we are not tied to one particular subdivision, or even to one community, we have exceptional flexibility. In fact, our two model homes, located directly on I-91 in Whately, Massachusetts, bring us Customers from all over New England and the Hudson Valley. Over the last 20 years, we have built well over 1,000 homes in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New York.

The Home Store has developed a strong reputation as a builder of customized modular homes with a staff dedicated to comprehensive and quality Customer service. My personal background as a Ph.D. in clinical psychology has helped me build a strong people oriented organization. We have been told by many competitors that we set the benchmark for professionalism in the modular industry. We are renowned for our many informational handouts as well as for our comprehensive purchase orders, which contain multiple pages of detailed specifications.

The Home Store has always been a leader and innovator in modular construction. In 1987 we built the first two-story model home in the area. When all of the other modular home builders were focusing on the first-time home buyer, building ranches and capes, we opted to target the move-up buyer by erecting a 2,500 square foot colonial. To further distinguish ourselves from the competition, we built our new model with many upscale features, including a dramatic two-story vaulted foyer with wrap-around oak railings, a beautiful jade-green marble fireplace surrounded by wall-to-wall custom oak bookcases, and a first floor living area finished in 6-panel oak doors with oak casings, crown moldings, and chair rail. Our model presents very favorably, even when compared with more expensive stick construction.

In 1992 we set up a separate company, called Community Home Builders. Our objective was to assist Community Development Corporations and other non-profits with building affordable housing for low-income families. We contacted over 100 organizations and met with several groups. We discovered that for most CDC's it was more economically viable to rehabilitate their existing housing stock than to build new. It is worth noting, however, that most CDC's expressed interest in building new if construction funding could be located for low-income families. Since we could not locate such funding, we abandoned our efforts, with much regret, after eighteen months.

In 1994, we became a full fledged general contractor. We now employ several licensed contractors. Our field personnel provide turnkey services within 30 miles of our Whately model home center. We work with several independent contractors to provide turnkey services throughout the remainder of New England and New York.

In 1994 we joined with Ron Mace, Director for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, to launch a new line of affordable modular homes, called the Universal Home Series. Mr. Mace's designs are based on the principle that homes should be usable by all people, regardless of their age, size, abilities, or disabilities. We believe these designs will appeal to the growing number of elderly and aging baby boomers who are discovering that their homes are ill-equipped to meet their changing needs and circumstances. Since erecting a striking Universal Series T-Ranch at our Whately Model Home Center, we have doubled our traffic count, with many more buyers coming from older demographic groups.

As The Home Store has continued to grow, we have added three new offices to better serve our customers. One is in eastern Massachusetts, a second in central Connecticut, and a third in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Customer Service

We believe that The Home Store's extraordinary customer service philosophy is our defining feature. Our history of specializing in custom modular homes means we are finely attuned to the diverse needs of our clientele. Instead of trying to impose what we want on the customer, we listen carefully to each individual and strive to satisfy his or her specific requirements. By selling with integrity and providing custom assistance, we ensure that our clients always know what they are getting - and are delighted with the results.

For a detailed presentation of The Home Store's customer service edge, read through Compare Our Services Before You Build handout.