How Murray Homes Crafts the Exceptional
Murray Homes is an award-winning, family-owned, custom home builder with over 40 years of experience in Sarasota, Florida and the UK. Serving the greater Sarasota area from the waterfront to Lakewood Ranch, and Anna-Maria to Manasota Key, Murray Homes has been remodeling and building custom homes for over 25 years.
Like many others, a love affair with Sarasota and the Gulf Coast lifestyle began with visits to the area. President, Steve Murray’s, father, a master builder of luxury homes in London, had semi-retired in the area. Steve and his wife Bev spent many happy vacations visiting Sarasota as a young married couple and with each visit they grew to love the area more and more. 
After traveling back and forth for a few years in the late 1990s, the couple knew it was where they wanted to raise a family and build a business. It was clear that there was tremendous growth potential for new homes in Sarasota, and the market was set to explode. So, for Steve, who already had a proven track record in construction and real estate back in the UK, it was a dream to transfer his skill set, passion, and creativity to sunnier shores.
“There’s obviously a different way of building in this part of the world,” Steve shares. “You need to have a license to be a general contractor, and in Florida particularly, there are specific building codes because of the climate. So, it’s been a steep learning curve in terms of both education and experience, but now, as they say, the rest is history and here we are today. Over the years, we’ve experienced booms and busts in the sector but have learnt to pivot according to the market.”
Understanding clients
Indeed, Murray Homes is an industry leader and specializes in building and remodeling luxury waterfront custom homes that exceed client expectations. Each Murray Home is built with meticulous attention to detail, using cutting-edge technology, value-enhancing materials, and superior architecture and finishing. The team’s commitment to the highest quality standards for building and customer service, combined with unparalleled savvy for this area’s real estate market, is backed by a proven track record.
Murray Homes’ vision is not just about constructing houses; it’s about creating homes that exude warmth, comfort, and a sense of belonging. Proud to have built over 120 custom homes and estates for clients ranging from young professional families to retirees, sports professionals, and Fortune 500 CEOs, the company continues to go from strength to strength.
One key element that sets Murray Homes apart is its dedication to understanding each client’s unique aspirations. Believing in the power of collaboration, the team works closely with homeowners, architects, and interior designers to ensure that every project truly reflects the client’s vision. This personalized approach has earned Murray Homes a reputation for turning dreams into reality, one meticulously crafted home at a time.
“Since the 1990s, we have been building luxury spec homes on and around Sarasota’s waterfront and island locations,” Steve continues. “We offer a comprehensive team of veteran luxury home builders, local real estate market experts, and the area’s best designers and architects who identify exceptional opportunities and develop them into landmark homes that exceed homeowner expectations and investor needs alike. Our team can identify not only the right lot but also ascertain the commercial viability of a project. It’s a very well-oiled machine; it’s not simply a case of acquiring a piece of land, building a house and hoping it sells for the asking price. We take the entire economic process into account from beginning to end and assess the project’s commercial viability based on comparisons and market analysis.
“Alongside custom home building and this one-stop-shop spec process, we also carry out a considerable amount of high-end, luxury remodeling work, which includes whole home, kitchen or bathroom remodeling as well as historic renovations. In addition to our strong focus on aesthetics, Murray Homes is at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in luxury home construction. As a company, we embrace eco-friendly practices, incorporating energy-efficient technologies, sustainable materials, and smart home solutions. This commitment aligns with the global shift towards sustainable living and ensures that Murray Homes’ properties are equipped to meet the evolving needs of modern homeowners.”
After identifying a gap in the property maintenance market in recent years, Murray Homes has added another string to its bow with the launch of Murray Premier Services. This division focuses on custom concierge maintenance for luxury and waterfront homes and is available to any property owner. It’s tailored for homeowners who enjoy the peace of mind of employing an established and reputable company to maintain, protect and enhance the value of their home.
“Murray Premier Services,” Steve elaborates, “is a full-service home management company created to take care of any requirement from basic maintenance and remodeling to landscaping and emergency repairs. Our network of over 100 carefully selected service provider partners, who offer top-notch service, competitive prices, and quick response times, are on hand to resolve any homeowner issues.
“The final and most recent branch of our business is our cabinetry division, which specializes in designing and installing bespoke cabinetry solutions tailored to each client’s unique style and needs. In terms of our specialties, we don’t focus purely on one aspect of the business, but rather all verticals are complementary. That’s borne out of necessity as much as good business. When the pandemic struck, house buying plummeted and people shifted to remodeling their homes instead, hence why it’s important to be able to pivot and offer services accordingly. Equally from an operational perspective, being able to control multiple aspects of the construction process is beneficial from a scheduling and project delivery perspective. We’re able to exert greater control over componentry, for example, if we’re managing the production of cabinetry here in the US. This enables greater efficiency and generates cost savings.”
One of Murray Homes’ unique qualities is its unwavering commitment to quality. The team understands that building a custom home or embarking on an extensive remodeling project is a lifelong investment and takes enormous pride in delivering nothing short of exceptional craftsmanship using quality materials. From the foundation to the smallest finishing details, Murray Homes ensures that every aspect reflects a commitment to excellence.
Integrated technology
Furthermore, Murray Homes understands the importance of completing projects within budget, valuing transparency and working diligently to provide clients with accurate cost estimates and detailed budgets. With meticulous planning coupled with first-class project management skills, this ensures that each project stays on track financially without compromising on quality.
“We use cutting-edge software,” Steve continues, “to ensure clients can monitor the progress of their project. All information is centralized, so wherever the client is, they can access the project data. From CAD to VR, we integrate technology to speed up the design build process as well as showcase the project from a real estate visualization or client expectation perspective.”
Future plans
Looking to the future, Steve believes the market is likely to experience a downturn in the coming months. “In terms of real estate,” he shares, “sales and prices are decreasing, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s a natural order to maintain a healthy economy. The growth year-on-year over the last 20 years in Sarasota has been unprecedented, and even though we will see a dip, we’ll come out of it pretty quickly because we have something others don’t; we have water, and we have sun. So, people will continue to retire here. The natural beauty of where we are remains intact. It’s a very popular place that flew under the radar for many years, but it doesn’t anymore, which is why we’ve experienced inflationary activity in real estate. I think you need to have these dips to remain strong. You just need to ensure you focus your talents on your product and your position in the market, effectively.
“In five years, I’d like to think we’ll have been able to grow the remodeling division of Murray Homes as well as the cabinetry side of the business. We’re definitely growing in terms of our geographical footprint by expanding into the middle as well as further north and south of the state,” Steve concludes. “At Murray Homes we feel privileged to be able to leave an indelible mark on Sarasota’s landscape with exceptional projects that showcase our company’s ability to create homes that capture the essence of waterfront living.”