Nations Homes - Article
Grand Strand New Home Guide - Winter 2021
Delivering Exceptional Service & Value
Jeff Skelley, Founder & President of Nations Homes IIJeff Skelley, founder, and President of Nations Homes II started building in the Myrtle Beach area in 1979 after coming from a custom building background in Westchester NY and Pinehurst, NC. In the late 80’s Jeff sold 2/3’s of his home building business to two local businessmen and great friends. He and his partners grew their business through the 80’s and 90’s, becoming the 275th largest builder in the nation, constructing nearly five hundred homes a year. After many successful years Jeff and his partners decided it was in their best interest to sell the company to a public company during a peak market. The company was sold, and Jeff remained running the Myrtle Beach Division of the public company until he left and started Nations Homes. In 2000 Jeff joined with his original two partners, forming Nations Homes. Together, they pursued the development of communities for the next several years until the financial crisis hit.
In 2008 Jeff started Nations Homes II. Jeff said, “When the production home building market crashed, I returned to building custom homes, which is what I grew up doing.” He added, “What I am able to bring to the custom home market from the production home market is the ability to buy materials such as appliances, cabinetry and fixtures directly from manufacturers, negotiate volume pricing with sub trades, and shorten build cycles. All of which, saves money and gives a better value to our clients building custom homes.”
Traci Miles, Realtor & Kevin Surdyke, General ManagerHe has put together a great team who were hired for their expertise and proficiency. The company culture is founded on following the Golden Rule. This fosters a positive attitude, a good work ethic, and a uniform code of ethical conduct which is applied to the treatment of clients and colleagues alike. Jeff states, “After doing this for 40 years, I believe I have the best team, that I’ve ever had.”
The Nations team includes a three-person in-house architectural design staff that utilizes CAD technology to create award winning custom homes designed to each homeowner’s particular needs, all at no additional cost. In addition, a four-person interior design staff works from Nations Homes’ 2,000 square-foot Design Center enabling staff to walk homeowners through the entire selection process from exterior color samples, cabinets and floor coverings to plumbing fixtures and more. Construction manager, Jason Warner, leads five seasoned field superintendents. Heather DiGiovine, office manager, keeps all running smoothly. A team of five in-house salespeople is headed up by General Manager, Kevin Surdyke. Dan, Keith and Heather run estimating and purchasing, while Raymond handles land development.
Selections Coordinators
Construction Superintendents
Design Center - Selections Room
Working with Customers
“Wow, sounds like a lot doesn’t it?” states Kevin Surdyke as he recaps the many Nations Homes’ team members involved in the build process and all that goes into creating beautiful homes and happy customers. There are a lot of moving parts when designing and building a truly custom home involving many decisions. Builder Trend™ is a software platform we use to organize this process making all our client agreements, plans, specifications, approved selections, photographs and much more shareable with Nation Homes’ field personal and subcontractors working on the client’s home. In addition, clients have access to their own file on our website’s secure homeowner login portal to access this amazing tool.
Once the home is designed with the client, and most of the big selections chosen in our design center, the estimators go to work to get the very best quote for all the parts and pieces that go into a home to determine a final price to present to the client. If all goes well, a contract is executed and the client is introduced to the construction team at the “Transition Meeting” where every aspect of the home is reviewed in great detail, answering any questions the client may have. In addition, we present the customer with our Homeowners Manual that explains the entire process. Communication is the key in keeping everyone on the same page throughout the construction process.
Nations built (44) custom homes last year and expects to complete roughly (55) this year. This is a far cry from the hundreds of production homes Skelley built years ago. The Nations Homes of today is a much different company. Each and every home is unique, and no two plans are alike. As Surdyke explains “The common thread that defines the culture at Nations Homes is that every one of our team members shares an undeniable desire to have the customer love the home and the experience at the completion of the partnership.”
That is easier said than done. Nations Homes utilizes one of the country’s largest consumer survey services to track customer satisfaction. We use a third-party company to conduct three surveys at various stages with each of our clients. “We are very proud to have a 95% rating,” says Surdyke. “This means that 95% of Nations Homes’ customers would recommend them to a family member or friend.” This compares to builders nationwide that achieve a benchmark average of 74%. The Nations Homes team are doing something right as they have been awarded the Best Custom Homebuilder of the year for the last five years by readers of the Myrtle Beach Herald.
Boutique Communities
Nations Homes focuses exclusively on small boutique communities such as:
82 DUNES have a look all its own, with the help of Derrick Mozingo and his team of architects. “We gave this a “Southwest Indies” theme says Derrick. This (29) lot neighborhood is just a short walk to the beach, has (9) lots left and is going fast. Prices start in the low $500’s.
OCEAN VILLAGE a “low country style” gated neighborhood on Myrtle Beaches famed Golden Mile featuring (33) lots, some with hundreds of years old, magnificent oaks and views of the ocean, featuring a great amenity center and pool. The prices for these homes start in the high $400’s, with (11) lots remaining.
BEAUMONT PARK in Pawleys Island features rare 1+ acre lots and no HOA. The homes are mostly “low country” with big yards. (5) lots are available with house/lot prices start in the $400’s.
WATERSIDE EDGE and WATERSIDE POINTE an age-restricted neighborhoods in Grande Dunes featuring amazing waterway lots with shared docks and memberships to Del Webs’ and Grande Dunes’ mind blowing amenities. Nations shares the construction of these homes with (2) other great builders. Homes start in the $500’s.
Each neighborhood features professionally furnished models to showcase Nations Homes’ award-winning designs and quality workmanship. A fully decorated spec home is usually available for immediate purchase and occupancy.
Nations Homes is proud of our expertise in designing and building some of Myrtle Beaches finest Golden Mile, ocean-front homes like the featured cover home, as well. Hardly a day goes by without hearing comments like “you can tell the difference in a Nations Homes’ home just by driving by.” As many of the older ocean front homes have become more valuable for the land than for the home, we have moved older homes to a ministry in Green Sea S.C. which helps the homeless. We now have over (10) homes at Freewill Ministries run by Jim Budro. By providing a home to the ministry, the homeowner receives a tax benefit, and a clean canvas on which to build a new ocean front dream home.
“Scattered site” homes is another important aspect of our business. Nations will build anywhere within the Grand Strand. This represents almost fifty percent of our business.
Additionally, Nations Homes does quite a bit of large remodeling work taking older homes and making them look new again.
Nations Homes II considers the Realtor community an important part of the equation. According to Skelley, “We work with all realtors closely with 60 to 70-percent of our customers coming through realtors. Realtors know that Nations Homes is going to take great care of their clients.”
Customers Speak
Among the satisfied clients are Grande Dunes homeowners Andi and Jerry Crews, and Ann and Gary Lebsack, who built in Wild Wing Plantation.
Andi Crews said they met Kevin Surdyke and, “We just kind of clicked with him. We not only liked what we saw in the Nations model, but we liked what we heard from Kevin.” Andi added, “We just got such a good feeling through Kevin, and (it turned out) he was representative of what Nations Homes stands for. I think they are very professional, and they listened to what we wanted, which was extremely important to us.” Jerry echoed that and added, “One of the things I said to all of them is that when I call you, I want you to call me back. I do not care about all the other problems you have. And every time I called them, they called me back.”
Listening to and understanding needs was important to Ann and Gary Lebsack as well. They came to know Nations sales pro Joe Lesko through their friends who had switched builders. Ann said that Joe spent time with them on the phone (they were living in Nevada) before meeting him. Ann recalled, “Joe, and even Jeff the owner, spent a lot of time with us, getting to know what we would like in a house, talking to us about neighborhoods, available lots, and the area.” Gary added, “Before we even signed a contract, they spent time with us, they were very helpful.” The couple saw sites on satellite and in person, discussed whether the house would sit well on a lot, and worked through other details with Joe and his colleagues. Ann added, “They gave us their expert opinion on what it’s like to build in this area.”
“Nations Homes has been wonderful to work with. The people are friendly, helpful and caring. They have all taken the time to answer my questions or correct any problems we have had and we are extremely happy with the new home they have built for us.” — John & Sue Adams
“I was amazed at how easy the build was for me. I have done some construction and I don’t think it has ever worked as smoothly as this did and any concerns I had were addressed immediately. I always felt like I was a very important customer!” - Jeff and Sandra Cook
Peace of Mind
Nations Home II offers something else – an additional eight-year warranty for homeowners’ peace of mind. Given all these attributes: experience, services, warranties, referrals and recommendations, the Nations Homes II team believe they are an obvious choice among homebuilders. As Skelley puts it, “We work hard to make sure that homeowners get the best for their hard-earned money, and we build what we would like to live in.”
For more information about Nations Homes II, visit www.myrtlebeachcustomhomebuilder.com or call 843.449.8900.