Pacesetter Homes empowers first-time and move up buyers with the personalization and quality they deserve
As part of the QUALICO group of companies, Pacesetter Homes is an up and coming homebuilder in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) region of Texas. Focused on providing superior quality at an affordable price point, the company has successfully carved out a niche for itself in the first-time and move up buyer market. As Vice President, Blake Friesenhahn, begins: “We have been working diligently to define and grow the business throughout the DFW market since our first closings in 2018. In the last three years, we’ve closed just under 300 homes each year. This year, we anticipate taking that figure past the 300 mark and beyond. We are positioned to grow exponentially in the foreseeable future.”
QUALICO, a fully integrated real estate company with over 70 years of experience in homebuilding, provides guidance and support to Pacesetter Homes DFW as it continues an impressive growth trajectory. As Blake discusses: “QUALICO has a long history in property development and homebuilding. It understands the nuances of different markets and provides the division flexibility to position Pacesetter Homes to where we believe would make us successful in the DFW market.”
QUALICO and the Pacesetter brand extends across western Canada and into the US with a second division in Austin. While there are significant differences between US and Canadian operations, the two US divisions work closely together in many areas with QUALICO providing a broader group structure and systems support. “That’s been a huge asset as we’ve gone on this journey, establishing ourselves in a new market.
“QUALICO has an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset. Its flexibility is unique for a company of its size. Each division is allowed to operate in a way that is best suited for its environment and market conditions, and QUALICO’s leadership recognizes that.”
“Overall, QUALICO provides an excellent foundation – one that’s a great environment, with the support, capital, flexibility, and ability to grow. Homebuilding in the US, and certainly DFW, has changed quite a lot in recent years. Especially on the land acquisition side, that is more capital intensive than ever on homebuilders in DFW, so we’ve benefited from their support.”
Opportunity for growth
Throughout the division’s infancy and beyond, the Texas housing market has provided fertile soil for Pacesetter to grow. With significant growth in key indicators like job opportunity, relocation, and affordability, the DFW market continues to be one of the strongest in the US. Due to a lack of existing inventory in the market, demand has outweighed supply in this region for some time, so there’s plenty of opportunity for growth. For home builders, there’s a lot of positive things to come out of a market like DFW for the foreseeable future.
A strong market gave Pacesetter Homes a head start, but the company’s ongoing success is also down to its strategy, its product offerings, and focus on the customer experience. As Blake reveals: “As part of our growth plan, when looking at the DFW metroplex, we specifically targeted the northern sector from an operations standpoint to meet our initial growth goals and then spread out strategically from there. Deciding to grow in a fan, from our central location outwards, versus being in various submarkets throughout the metroplex helps with our focus and the management structure for our current size.”
Design detail 
Next is the attention to architecture and buyer choices for the price points Pacesetter has targeted. “We include architectural details that our buyers see value in and give them choices in the finish out specifications. A lot of our competition is looking for ways to reduce costs and streamline not only with their product, but their features and choices as well. However, this leads to a home design that is often uninspiring, generic and includes limited features with little choice for the buyer. We have a similar price per square foot, but with features and architectural details that we believe buyers expect at the price point we’re building in. We offer flexibility to the buyer, empowering them to have a choice in various design and finish out selections to better meet their needs.”
“A lot of buyers now are coming in with a defined budget and are expecting a certain standard for that budget. Builders that are removing features from their finish out and architecture, may be failing to meet clients’ expectations. That’s where we’re different. Just by standing on the street and looking at our elevations, you can see the difference. We pay special attention to the architectural details and the included features,” concurs Taylor Humphrey, Director of Sales and Marketing.
And finally, the focus on the customer’s experience is key to tying everything together. “We’ve positioned ourselves as reliable partners for people looking to be guided through the whole process. We believe we offer something more personalized than most builders, catering to the buyer and their specific needs.”
Pacesetter Homes is well-positioned to establish itself as one of the preferred homebuilders in the region, as Blake concludes: “We are well positioned for growth in the foreseeable future. We have lot of new developments opening this year, which should push our growth into the 400 or 500 range in 2025. Within five years, we would like to ideally be in the 750 to 1000 range. Ultimately, we’re aiming for smart manageable growth, building quality affordable homes, and focused on the customer experience of our buyers.”