An Interview with Armadillo Homes in San Antonio, TX
In this exclusive interview you will learn what sets Armadillo Homes apart with John Giacobbe - San Antonio's New Construction Realtor & Richard Muzquiz from Armadillo Homes.
John: Hey everybody, John Giacobbe, I'm out here today at Armadillo Homes visiting my friend Richard Muzquiz. If you're looking for a brand-new home in the new year, you're gonna wanna see what Richard Muzquiz has to say. Come join me. Hey everybody, John Giacobbe, I'm out here today at Armadillo Homes meeting with my friend Richard Muzquiz out here. Wanted to share with you guys a little bit more about Armadillo Homes and what they have to offer. Richard, can you tell our audience out there a little bit more about yourself, what did you do before getting into new construction home sales?
Richard: Sure, so before new construction home sales I was a realtor, I was a general real estate agent. I did that for a number of years, before that I was a loan processor and a loan officer, and also I was in the military, I was in the army.
John: Well, thank you for your service, we appreciate that. Now, we're out here today at Armadillo. Richard, I want you to tell our audience a little bit, or what would you say is the most unique value proposition or biggest selling feature about Armadillo Homes?
Richard: I think our biggest thing as Armadillo, as a company, is our motto of help, don't sell. So and for us, we're really big on listening to the customer, what their wants and what their needs are before making any recommendations. As the professionals, we need to step back, understand what our clients are wanting before we make any type of recommendation to them. Or try and offer them any type of home.
John: Awesome, well I really like that motto, help not sell, so that's a really powerful thing. Now, with Armadillo Homes Weston Oaks, we're a few miles outside of 1604. What would you say is the biggest draw or appeal to people who are looking at moving in this area?
Richard: I think the biggest thing, 'cause we get a lot of people from out of state movin' into this area, I think their biggest thing and what I hear most, most of the time is gonna be the fact that they feel that they're getting the whole country living being away from the city, but yet close enough to the city where they feel like okay, they're not too far out, where they're living in the middle of nowhere. But, again, we're only about 20 minutes away from downtown, so that's one of the biggest draws out here.
John: Now I know you've mentioned to me in the past, that the tax rate over here outside of Potranco and 1604, a couple miles out, is a little lower. Can you tell us what that is and why people should know about that?
Richard: Absolutely and it's something that's different about us out here, we are outside the city limits. So the tax rate out here is 2.2%. Also this area does qualify under the USDA programs.
John: Okay, so huge savings, you know, on a monthly mortgage payment, right. Now, why should a buyer decide to go with a new construction versus a pre-own?
Richard: I think one of the biggest things, coming from real estate myself, and always understanding what the clients are looking for, whether it's a resale or a new construction, most times people will chose new construction because of the fact that they're not coming in having to do any type of repairs, they're not coming into someone else's issues or problems, so I think with a new builder, you are getting a lot of warranties on the home that transfer with you or with the home, versus a resale where a lot of people come in having to do some kind of remodeling, repairs, things like that.
John: With builders I know the warranty is a big thing. Can you tell us a little bit more about the warranty that Armadillo Homes has to offer?
Richard: Sure, so Armadillo Home offers a three-stage warranty. We offer our one-year warranty which is kind of like a vehicle, it's a bumper to bumper, covers everything about the home. There is a two-year warranty on the structure of the home and then there is a 10 year warranty on the foundation of the home.
John: Okay, well it sounds like a great warranty. So everything is covered.
Richard: Sure.
John: Now, if one of our viewers out there were interested in building a house from the ground up, what is that process look like with Armadillo Homes?
Richard: Well, the process with us, again, it's all about helping the customer find the right home and helping them choose the right home, not trying to sell them one of our houses or something that we have available or trying to push. We wanna make sure we understand what they're looking for. First, we start off by choosing the home site or choosing the home plan. What space, how much space they're needing, how many bedrooms, bath, then from there, if they have a home to sell or they're working, then we kinda plan, have them get together with an agent, kinda come up with a timeframe of how much time they need on their side. And then come up with a mutual plan to start building their home. Whether we're doing a delayed start on their home or starting immediately, it's all about their timeframe.
John: What is the building process take with Armadillo Homes? How long does it take?
Richard: Well the building process from start to finish is gonna be about, about five to six months.
John: Okay, now I notice some of the amazing selections you guys have on finishes with Armadillo. How does the design process work with making their selections?
Richard: Oh so, absolutely, one of the good things that we have here at Armadillo, is that we're not a custom home builder but we allow our customers to make, or our clients to make a lot of customizations to the home. So we actually do have our design centers in house. So when somebody comes in, a family comes in, wants to build a house, when they leave here they know exactly what they're paying for the home, what it's gonna look like, we're not sending them out to a design center to be upsold again or anything like, anything different. We have the design centers here. We let them know what's gonna be standard. And at Armadillo, so many things are standard with us that we're not having to upsell you with anything or upgrade you to anything else.
John: I think that's one of the really unique features about Armadillo is the fact that you guys are doing the design center in house. And from my viewpoint that would really save somebody a lot of time and they leave knowing exactly what they're getting.
Richard: Absolutely, and that's one of the things that people love the most about us.
John: Awesome, now if somebody were interested in buying a new house, when should they get started?
Richard: I think they should get started according to their time frame, like I said, if they have a home to sell or whatever their living arrangement is, it's always good to come talk to us, let us know what you need and we will work around your schedule and kinda come up with something that works for you because as I mentioned before, if you have a home to sell, it's a good idea to get with an agent, come up with a plan of action, how much time that agent's gonna need to sell your home and then let us know so that we can all work together as a group and as a team to make sure that that family's experience is a smooth transition.
John: And I couldn't agree with you more, as an agent, it's really important that we look at what the market is doing, how quickly a house could sell, that way we can line up our timeframe, so that's an important thing that we need to look at to determine time frame for a new home buyer. Now, if somebody were interested in learning more about Armadillo Homes, where should they go to get more information or take a look at what is available.
Richard: Sure, you can always visit us at www.ArmadilloHomes.com/WestonOaks. That takes you directly to our community here. You can also email me directly at rmuzquiz@armadillohomes.com. Or reach my cell at 210-702-0119.
John: Very good, okay, well thank you so much Richard, I appreciate you coming on John Giacobbe's Builder of the Week and look forward to helping more families.
Richard: Thank you so much, good to be with you.