Metropolitan Magazine-Regent Homes

Sure, things seem scary out there, but there are time-tested strategies for surviving the tough times. It involves patience and long-term thinking; focusing on quality, reliability and reputation rather than a quick buck and a roll of the dice. It’s about building relationships based on trust, yet staying interactive and fully engaged. These are exactly the qualities embodied by Regent Homes by Beracah and just some of the reasons why it is part of the solution.

To see a Beracah Home come together is really quite a spectacle. It begins and ends in an immaculate quality-controlled warehouse that features daily, even hourly, inspections of the painstaking assembly process, which founder Wayne Collison and son Roger Collison say is completely open to the public. So you may, if you wish, see your brand-new house take shape while ensconced in its climate-controlled warehouse womb. But top-quality, off-site stick-built homes aren’t the only thing Beracah Homes has birthed lately.

Also in its nascent stages is Regent Homes by Beracah, which the Collisons have created as sort of a bridge to the homeowner that will streamline the process even further.

“The purpose behind Regent Homes,” explained its General Manager, Brian Rush, “is that it be a 100 percent turnkey operation for the benefit of the homeowner. We will be there from the very beginning until they take occupancy and beyond that, too.

“In order to achieve that tall task,” Brian elaborated, “it follows that you must have a well-defined team in the office. So, when you arrive at Regent Homes by Beracah in Pocomoke City, you will be warmly greeted by our friend and canine emissary, Lucy Ruth. After Lucy has shown her repertoire of tricks, Office Manager Gwen Smith will have David Howard, our sales representative, give you a tour of our spacious 4,000-square-foot custom model home while explaining the building process.

“Once the home’s design is established and approved,” he continued, “Cynthia Williams will guide you through the contractual process and begin working with the lending institution of your choice. Following multiple blueprint revisions and several site evaluations performed by construction superintendent Will Cooper, Beracah will begin construction of your new home.”

Not only does Regent Homes do all the legwork when it comes to things like permits and survey work, it will even find the land for you. Whether it’s a starter house, vacation home or the place you intend to spend the rest of your days, Regent Homes by Beracah is confident it is the builder for you. Uncertain about the finer aspects of your custom home? Well, that’s no problem, because Regent Homes will gladly take the reins for you. But if you instead have a crystal-clear picture of your dream home’s every nuance, you’ll be amazed at Regent Homes’ unparalleled ability to quickly and accurately execute your vision to the last detail.

There is no doubt that a significant factor in the achievement of that clear vision comes in what Brian himself brings to the table. An ambitious 34-year-old from Seaford, Del., and graduate of Washington College, Brian and his staff like to sit down with each customer and conceptually realize their new home with the help of his state-of-the-art Chief Architect graphics software.

“Chief Architect is the program of choice when it comes home design,” said Brian, who is married and the proud father of two beautiful girls. “It lets you construct, then take a complete virtual tour of your home’s layout. By the time we’re through, you’ll think you’ve already been in your house… even though it wouldn’t technically exist yet.”

What is very much in existence, however, is what Wayne, Roger and Brian regard as the jewel in the crown of Regent Homes: their tight-knit “family” of ace subcontractors.

“When we refer to our subcontractors as ‘family,’ that’s exactly what we mean,” declared Brian, “because that’s how we depend on them, and that’s how loyal they are to us. We’ve basically handpicked the best in the region based on their skill, work ethic and reputation. And since we are a local builder serving only the Lower Shore of Maryland and Virginia, our reputation is paramount.

“The result is that we have an around-the-clock team who work together brilliantly,” Brian continued, “which is practically unheard of among subcontractors. This, and the fact that each of our subcontractors gives Regent Homes preference and priority, make us not only the best at what we do but also the most reliable and probably fastest.”

In these matters, speed is certainly a key consideration because of what it translates to financially, which in turn enables Regent Homes to keep its prices lower. The typical completion time of a Regent Home is 90 days; that’s months faster than traditional construction timetables, offering an excellent hedge against market-driven deflation that could wind up making your home significantly less affordable than you’d planned. Fair to say, then, that speed doesn’t always kill; sometimes it saves.

Another thing that saves nowadays is energy efficiency, which is why Regent Homes by Beracah is not only a certified Green Advantage® construction professional, but why it is proud to offer certified Energy Star homes that are up to 40 percent more energy efficient than its conventional counterparts.

“There’s actually a lot of effort that goes into making an Energy Star house,” Brian shared. “They must go through a verified checklist in the plant by an independent company and additional testing in the field. Any air escaping from the house is detected by a process called a ‘blower door test’ as well as by thermal imaging. Fortunately, our standard 2x6 wall construction and Low-E windows make the achievement of Energy Star status considerably easier.”

“Building is a science that’s forever changing,” Roger added. “Through new technologies and products, our homes will continue to evolve, making them increasingly efficient, because it’s not enough for us to keep pace with the industry. It is our mission to stay ahead of the competition on all fronts.”

“The money you can save in your monthly budget from greater energy efficiency,” Brian pointed out, “can easily be reinvested in the form of home improvements, which will make your home worth even more in the long run.”

And for many of us, the long run — meaning how you’ve lived your life and the legacy you’ve left behind — is ultimately what it’s all about. That’s certainly true for Wayne Collison.

“You know, ‘Beracah’ comes from the Old Testament and essentially means ‘blessing,’” Wayne shared. “And that’s really what my family and I have felt about this business from its inception. As Roger has pointed out, “It’s virtually providential. We feel we’ve been very fortunate and yes, even blessed. Now if we can leave 100 percent of our customers with that same feeling, then everything will have come full circle, and I’ll feel that I’ve done something good.”