by Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
While many local builders were swallowed by national builders or simply closed their doors during the last five years, Seda Construction has remained strong.
“We are doing well and we are not going anywhere,” said Heather Dunwoody, director of Sales and Marketing for Seda Construction. “We will hopefully be the last man standing.”
The company has survived by doing smart business, paying attention to the customers and doing the right thing.
“Sometimes in the building industry, as in other fields, people think they can make more money if they cut corners here and cut corners there,” said Linda Semanik, president of the “Build on Your Lot” division and wife of Seda founder John Semanik. “But, we are not planning on selling or going anywhere. When you build a product, you want to make sure you can service that product.”
Seda has a large referral business from their military customers, previous customers and Realtors, a referral business which has kept them strong as well.
“A lot of people are living in their second or third Seda home,” said Semanik.
Since Seda is an inventory builder, she said, they know it is important to look at the big picture and move forward to where they need to be.
Seminak says that Seda looks at the building market on a smaller level than national companies and adjusts accordingly.
“Since we are a local builder, we can afford to build inventory because we are only building here,” said Dunwoody. “We build inventory and we sell it. A Realtor, military family or someone relocating here knows that they can come to us and we will have it available to them. We have homes at different stages so whatever point they are looking for something, we will have it available.
“When all the other builders have pulled back from building inventory and we have moved forward with inventory, so we really don’t have the competition because no one else has the inventory we have.”
Semanik said it all boils down to building the right product for the right market. They build product at the right price point that they know will sell. If a buyer wants a higher price point and has a lot, they can fulfill that need as well.
Seda was founded in 1982, is headquartered on Jacksonville’s Southside and has 40 employees.
The company, says Semanik, has responded to the market by expanding its services. In addition to building communities, there’s a division called “Build on your Lot.”
“We take the Seda plans that we have drawn and engineered and those who have a lot of their own, we take the house they want and put it on their lot,” said Semanik. “It saves the buyer thousands of dollars because we already have the plans drawn and can make changes as needed. They really get a custom home at production home prices. Since we build so many houses a year, our prices are better.”
Seda Construction builds Seda-only communities and within new and existing communities with other builders. The company is in Nassau, Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties.
They build 150 to 200 homes a year with an average price point about $220,000.
“We have neighborhoods were we are in the $160,000’s range and other neighborhoods where we are in the $300,000’s range,” said Dunwoody.
Though their production amount has dropped in recent years, they are still going strong through smart building.
“Build on your lot has actually increased with the market the way it is,” said Semanik. “A lot of people bought lots and held them for awhile. Now that pricing and interest rates are so good, they are taking advantage of both of those.”
The Build on Your Lot division builds homes starting around $300,000 and range up to a $1 million.
“We do have some large plans that we built many years ago,” said Semanik. “Since 1982, we have developed quite a few house plans.”