Ryland claims that they’ve built more than 285,000 thousand homes over the course of 30 years, starting with a master planned community in Maryland and growing from there. The name came about because the creator of the company saw a sign in Maryland with the M and A missing and liked the way the name looked.

Ryland has over 1,200 employees across its building area and has revenues of $1.2 billion in 2009. The present leadership includes CEO Larry Nicholson and president Yoshitsugu Motoda.

They have had a tough beginning to 2011. Home orders declined 17% in the first quarter of the year and their share price was down more than $19 million, nearly $5 million less than last year at the same time. Revenues dropped 30% from last year, although March started showing some signs of recovery. Yet they continue building new home communities, up to 218 from 177 at this time last year.

Ryland Homes is known for its customer service and its attention to detail, and they will work with potential home owners to try to give them what they want while also building communities with homes that are ready to move into.

Victorville is in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert of California. According to the 2000 census it has a population of 64,029. It has grown rapidly, however—the state of California estimates the population at 107,72 as of May 2008. Victorville is on historic Route 66 and is in fact the home of the Route 66 museum. There are many fascinating wilderness preserves in the Mojave Desert. Its dry, warm climate, natural beauty and romantic association with the historic Route 66 may make it the ideal place for you to build your dream home.

Home prices have plummeted, due to the tanking economy If you can afford to buy, however, this revaluation of property ensures that your property will almost certainly go up in value. Besides, if you need a house, and dream of building it yourself, no time is a bad time to build.

There are several advantages to buying a home now. For starters, building supplies are cheap. The cost of drywall has dropped 40 percent. Lumber has dropped too, somewhere in the range of 20 percent. With the falling land prices, its’ already looking like a bargain. The downturn in the economy has also affected labor rates, leaving many skilled tradesmen looking for an entrance into the labor market. Chances are the labor rates will be good. Before you build, you have to cost it out, and don’t forget to include the cost of the land prepping the lot (grading, utilities, etc.), the cost of a building permit, school fees and, of course, the house itself.