10-K
o
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
or
For the transition period from_________to_________.
Commission File No. 001-35873
TAYLOR MORRISON HOME CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
4900 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 2000, Scottsdale, Arizona85251
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (480) 840-8100
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.00001 par value TMHC New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $5,260,181,647, based on the closing sales price per share as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on such date.
The number of shares outstanding of the issuer’s common stock, as of February 21, 2024:
Class Outstanding
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of Part III of this Form 10-K are incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2024 annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year.
TAYLOR MORRISON HOME CORPORATION
FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
Table of Contents
PART I 4 Item 1. Business
16 Item 1A. Risk Factors
36 Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
36 Item 1C. Cybersecurity
37 Item 2. Properties
37 Item 3. Legal Proceedings
37 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
40 Item 6. [Reserved]
61 Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
62 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
96 Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
98 Item 9B. Other Information
98 Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
PART III 100 Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
100 Item 11. Executive Compensation
101 Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
PART IV 103 Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
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Available Information
Information about our company and communities is provided on our website at www.taylormorrison.com (the “Taylor Morrison website”). From time to time, we may use our website as a channel of distribution of material information. Financial and other material information regarding our company is routinely posted and accessible on our website. In addition, you may automatically receive e-mail alerts and other information about our company by enrolling your e-mail address by visiting the “E-mail Alerts” section of the “Investor Relations” page on our website. The information contained on or accessible through the Taylor Morrison website is not considered part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”). Our periodic and current reports, including any amendments, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are available, free of charge, on our Taylor Morrison website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In addition to our SEC filings, our corporate governance documents, including our Code of Conduct and Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the “Investor Relations” page of our Taylor Morrison website under “ESG-Governance Documents.” To the extent required by the SEC’s rules and regulations, we intend to post amendments to or waivers from, if any, provisions of our Code of Conduct (to the extent applicable to our directors, principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) at this location on the Taylor Morrison website. Our stockholders may also obtain these documents in paper format free of charge upon request made to our Investor Relations department.
We were incorporated in Delaware in November 2012. Our principal executive offices are located at 4900 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 2000, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 and our telephone number is (480) 840-8100.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included in this Annual Report or in other materials we have filed or will file with the SEC (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by us) contains or may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate to matters of strictly historical or factual nature and generally discuss or relate to estimates or other expectations regarding future events. They contain words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “can,” “could,” “might,” “should” and other words or phrases of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of our strategy or future operating or financial performance. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. This discussion is provided as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and all of our forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referenced in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those described below and under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A and below under the heading “Summary of Material Risks”.
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Summary Of Material Risks
As you read this Annual Report and other reports or public statements, you should understand that statements made herein are not guarantees of performance or results. They are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A and elsewhere in this Annual Report. Although we believe that our forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A, and elsewhere in this Annual Report, could affect our actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:
• our reliance on subcontractors; • risks related to our substantial debt ;
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Part I
4 Item 1. Business
16 Item 1A. Risk Factors
36 Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
36 Item 1C. Cybersecurity
37 Item 2. Properties
37 Item 3. Legal Proceedings
37 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
ITEM 1 | BUSINESS
ITEM 1 | BUSINESS
General Overview
Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (“TMHC”) is a leading national land developer and homebuilder in the United States and has been named America’s Most Trusted Homebuilder® for nine consecutive years (awarded by Lifestory Research). We have expanded our market footprint and product positioning through our homebuilder acquisitions and smart organic growth and serve a broad range of consumers in the entry-level, move-up and resort lifestyle segments across the country. We are also a land developer, with a portfolio of lifestyle and master-planned communities with single and multi-family detached and attached homes. With each of our consumer groups seeking varying levels of home specification and affordability considerations, we have a dynamic and flexible operating strategy and product offering that allows us to best serve each of these segments and respond quickly to changing market conditions, community by community to maximize our financial performance.
We operate under various brand names including Taylor Morrison, Darling Homes Collection by Taylor Morrison, and Esplanade. We also leverage our core homebuilding and land development expertise in alternative ways by operating the following strategic real estate related businesses:
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Our business is organized into multiple homebuilding operating components and a financial services component. Our homebuilding operating components are presented below.
Business Strategy and Operations
Our short and long-term priorities and strategies include the following:
Short-term priorities
• strategic land initiatives to mitigate risk and enhance capital efficiency;
• process and product optimization to promote operational effectiveness;
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• continuing to enhance the customer experience; and
Long-term strategies
• opportunistic land acquisition of prime assets in core locations;
• consistent delivery of competitive financial metrics;
• innovative digital marketing capabilities;
• maintaining a cost-efficient operating structure and culture; and
To support our business strategies, we maintain a balanced capital allocation approach designed to maximize long-term shareholder value. We operate our business to capitalize on market dynamics while mitigating risks from economic downturns as we recognize the cyclical nature of the housing industry. This capital allocation strategy is built on the following pillars:
• reinvest in core homebuilding operations;
• optimize debt leverage;
• reinvest in ancillary business opportunities within the industry; and
• returning capital to shareholders (i.e. share repurchase programs).
Land and Development Strategies
Prudent and disciplined acquisition of land in core locations and thoughtful community development have always been pillars of our long-term strategy. We pride ourselves on our responsible land stewardship. While we focus on investing in land in desirable locations in prime submarkets that appeal to our targeted consumer groups, we also seek to preserve natural habitats. Our proposed sites undergo project feasibility studies to assess the regulatory, market, environmental, social, and other risks and requirements. Considerations include accessibility to utilities, suspected threatened or endangered wildlife, significant or unusual noise levels, proper drainage infrastructure, and storm water pollution prevention.
Community development includes the acquisition and development of land, which may include obtaining significant planning and entitlement approvals and completing construction of off-site and on-site utilities and infrastructure. We generally operate as community developers, however in some communities we operate solely as merchant builders, in which case we acquire fully entitled and developed lots.
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In order to maximize our risk-adjusted return, the allocation of capital for land investment is performed as part of a centralized process with a disciplined approach to overall portfolio management. Our portfolio investment committee of senior executives meets on a regular basis. Annually, our operating divisions prepare a strategic plan for their respective geographies. Macro and micro indices, including but not limited to employment, housing starts, new home sales, re-sales and foreclosures, along with market related shifts in competition, land availability and consumer preferences, are carefully analyzed to determine our land and homebuilding strategy. Supply and demand are analyzed on a consumer segment and submarket basis to ensure land investment is targeted appropriately. Our long-term plan is compared on an ongoing basis to current conditions in the marketplace as they evolve and is adjusted to the extent necessary. Strategic decisions regarding community positioning are included in the decision making and underwriting process and are made in consultation with senior executives of our management team.
Consistent with our focus on capital-efficient growth, we continue to successfully increase the percentage of our total homebuilding lots controlled via options and other off-balance sheet arrangements. These arrangements include seller financing, joint ventures and land banking opportunities. We evaluate each land acquisition for the optimal financing arrangement based on projected cost of capital, duration and expected returns in order to secure prime assets, minimize risk and maximize returns.
As a party to various land banking arrangements, we acquire land in staged takedowns, which limits risk and defers cash outflows. These third-party entities use equity contributions from their owners and/or incur debt to finance the acquisition and development of the land. Such lots are included in our controlled lots for the year ended December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the allocation of owned and controlled lots held in our land portfolio, by year acquired, was as follows:
In 2023 we adjusted our methodology for reporting owned and controlled lots. Specific to owned lots, we excluded lots that have begun vertical construction. Those lots are defined separately as homes in inventory and not included above. With regard to controlled lots, we have expanded our definition to include those lots under contract with an earnest money deposit that have not yet been formally approved by our investment committee. The prior year has been recast under the new methodology.
Community Development
We create a complete development concept for each community, beginning with an overall community layout and then determine the size, style and price range of the homes, the layout of the streets and positioning of the individual home sites. After necessary governmental and other approvals have been obtained, we improve the land by clearing and grading, installing roads, underground utility lines, staking out individual home sites and, in certain communities, building distinctive entrance structures and recreational amenities. From time-to-time, we may also develop communities or construct homes for a single-family rental buyer and operator.
Each community has employees who perform construction management, sales and customer service functions, in conjunction with a local management team to manage the overall project.
The life cycle of a community generally ranges from two to five years, commencing with the acquisition of land, continuing through the land development phase, and concluding with the sale, construction, and delivery of homes.
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Actual life cycle will vary based on the size of the community, the sales absorption rate, and whether we purchased the property as raw land or as developed lots.
The construction time for our homes varies from project to project depending on geographic region, the time of year, the size and complexity of construction, the governmental approval processes, local labor availability, availability of materials and supplies, weather, and other factors.
Our dedication to service defines our customer experience and acknowledges homeowners’ suggestions to incorporate style, quality and sustainability into every community we develop. We offer a range of award-winning and innovative designs with a number of features such as single-story, multi-story, multi-family, higher density living, ranch style living, split bedroom plans and first floor master bedroom suites to appeal to diverse buyer needs. We engage architectural firms and utilize internal architectural resources to develop and augment existing plans in order to ensure that our homes reflect current and local consumer tastes. We engineer our homes for energy-efficiency and cost savings to reduce the impact on the environment. Our TM LiveWell program provides homeowners with a robust suite of healthy home features and technologies focused on providing healthier air, cleaner water, and safer paint.
Supply Chain
Based on local market practices, we either directly, or indirectly through our subcontractors, purchase drywall, cement, steel, lumber, insulation and the other building materials necessary to construct a home. While these materials are generally widely available from a variety of sources, from time to time we experience material shortages on a localized basis which can substantially increase the price for such materials and our construction process can be slowed.
Our construction, land and purchasing teams coordinate subcontracting services and supervise all aspects of construction work and quality control. We are a general contractor for all of our homebuilding projects. Subcontractors perform all home construction and land development, generally under fixed-price contracts. The availability of labor, specifically as it relates to qualified tradespeople, at reasonable prices can be challenging in some markets as a result of the uneven industry growth.
Build-To-Rent
We operate a “Build-to-Rent” homebuilding business under the brand name Yardly. Taylor Morrison serves as a land acquirer, developer, and builder of these rental communities in addition to lease-up oversight in conjunction with professional third-party onsite property management. Yardly is a brand of transformative communities built by Taylor Morrison that elevates traditional apartment living through a thoughtful blend of form and function. Attractive one-to-three bedroom floor plans, smart home technology, and a focus on pets with built-in backyards allows for improved wellness and flexible living for residents. Differentiators from most traditional apartments include ground-floor primary living, limited to no wall-sharing to reduce noise, and a doggy door included in most homes for nonstop come-and-go pet access to a private backyard.
We source projects in multiple markets including Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, Tampa, and Sarasota. These communities can be executed as wholly-owned or with capital partners and bank financing. We completed the lease-up process and associated asset sale for our initial community in late 2022. Sourcing, development and leasing related to numerous communities is ongoing with continued evaluation of hold or exit investment strategies.
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Sales and Marketing
We are committed to continuously enhancing our customer experience, including how we target and attract our consumers. Our marketing program utilizes a balanced approach of corporate support and local expertise to attract potential homebuyers in a focused, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Our goal is to identify the preferences of our customers and demographic groups and offer them innovative, well-designed, quality homes that are affordable for our customers, and efficient and profitable for us to build. We strive to maintain product and price level differentiation through continual market and customer research. We also use key indicators of market-specific supply and demand characteristics to determine the preferences of our customer base and to perform an optimal matching of consumer groups, product and community design, and community location.
The central element of our marketing platform is our web presence at www.taylormorrison.com which houses our suite of home-shopping digital tools placing innovation, transparency, and consumer ease at the forefront. We continually test our online shopping experience with home shoppers to refine our online shopping experience. Our full suite of online shopping products includes: an artificial intelligence enhanced chatbot to help provide information, engage the shopper, and leads; online self-service appointments to help customers schedule an appointment with ease and convenience; self-guided tours to enable customers to tour our homes privately, safely, and outside of normal business hours; and online home reservations, which allow shoppers to get an initial price based on their selection of lot, floor plan, exterior, and in some markets structural options, and to reserve their desired home configuration digitally.
These tools have proved to be instrumental to our online sales success. Shoppers can seamlessly continue their experience by visiting one of our quick-move-in and/or model homes via a self-guided or in-person tour. Customers may also use the website to schedule a phone appointment and receive a prompt response from one of our online sales managers. The website is fully integrated with our customer relationship management (“CRM”) and lead scoring system. By analyzing the content of the CRM, we focus our lead generation programs to deliver high-quality sales leads. With these leads, we are better able to increase sales conversion rates and lower marketing costs. In 2023 we further upgraded our CRM to take advantage of new automated personalization features, optimizing our email engagement program which results in targeted messaging. We are using dynamic customer insights to adapt our strategy and optimize the impact of each interaction, resulting in a better customer experience and direct sales. We believe the digital marketing strategy, which is continually refined, provides a high return on our investment. We further believe that the synergies and enhanced performance realized from our internet sales program have positioned us to move to the next phase of our online sales strategy, integrating our suite of online sales tools and resources, allowing us to offer our customers a complete online sales solution.
We also benefit from a centralized approach to in-house creative, paid and social media resulting in annual savings that is reinvested in additional media and high performing influencer campaigns to increase brand awareness. Additionally, we selectively utilize traditional advertising such as print, directional marketing, newspapers, billboards, and radio. We also directly notify local real estate agents and firms of new community openings to benefit from existing real estate agent/broker channels in each market. Pricing and incentives for our homes are evaluated weekly based on an analysis of market conditions, competitive environment, and supply and demand characteristics. For example in response to challenging market dynamics, in the latter half of 2022 and throughout 2023 we offered pricing incentives and discounts, including interest rate locks, to drive new sales.
We use furnished model homes as a marketing tool to demonstrate the advantages of our homes’ designs, features and functionality, and to enhance the visitor experience. Depending upon the number of homes to be built in the project and the product lines to be offered, we generally build between one and three model homes within each active selling community. As of December 31, 2023 we had 352 model homes compared to 216 as of December 31, 2022. Our national model home program standard, known as Portrait, is aligned with a select group of design firms. The design firms follow our Taylor Morrison standards to create an integrated marketing program and a model home
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storefront that conveys the customer preferences we have identified. Our Canvas program includes curated design collections, which are created based on consumer preference, take rate analytics, and product procurement availability. This standardized approach not only allows us to create more predictable results, but also time synergies, cost benefits, and support of our digital online sales strategy. We also use our Canvas program in our quick-move-in homes. We shifted our strategy for quick-move-in homes by releasing them for sale further along in the build cycle which allowed us to maximize margins. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 we had 3,225 and 2,288 quick-move-in homes in inventory, respectively. From a sales operations perspective, our focus on business simplification and standardization was paramount in 2023 and we intend to continue these efforts in 2024. Operational efficiencies have included standardized processes, disciplined strategic activities, and execution of national programs.
Our homes are sold by commissioned team members who work from sales offices generally located within our model homes. Our goal is to ensure our sales force has extensive knowledge of the homes, including our energy-efficient features, sales strategies and incentives, mortgage options, and community dynamics. To achieve this goal, we have ongoing training for our sales team and conduct regular meetings to keep them abreast of the latest promotions, options, sales techniques, and geographic competition. Our sales team members are licensed real estate agents, where required by law, and assist our customers in adding design features to their homes, which we believe appeal to local consumer preferences. Third-party brokers who sell our homes are generally paid a sales commission based on the price of the home. In some of our divisions, we contract with third-party design studios that specialize in assisting our homebuyers with options and upgrades to personalize their homes. Utilizing these third-party design studios allows us to manage our overhead and costs more efficiently. We may also offer various sales incentives, including price concessions, assistance with closing costs, interest rate locks, interest rate buy downs, and landscaping or interior upgrades. The use, types, and amount of incentives depend largely on existing economic and local competitive market conditions. The consumer demand for online sales tools and the evolution of digital home buying experiences has created opportunities to evolve our internal and external commission programs.
Competition
We operate in a very competitive environment and compete with large national and regional homebuilding companies and with smaller local homebuilders for land, financing and related services, raw materials, skilled management, volume discounts, and local realtor and labor resources. We also compete with the resale, or “previously owned,” home market, as well as other housing alternatives such as the rental housing market.
To maximize our sales volumes, profitability, and product strategy, we strive to understand our competition and their pricing, product and sales volume strategies, and results. Competition among residential homebuilders of all sizes is based on several interrelated factors, including location, reputation, amenities, floor plans, design, quality, and price. We believe that we compare favorably to other homebuilders in the markets in which we operate.
Seasonality
Our business is seasonal. We have historically experienced, and expect to continue to experience, variability in our results on a quarterly basis. We may have a varying amount of homes under construction, home closings, revenues and operating income from quarter to quarter. Our results may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis, and we must maintain sufficient liquidity to meet short-term operating requirements. Factors expected to contribute to these fluctuations include, but are not limited to:
• the timing of sales; • mix of homes closed;
• the timing of closings of homes, lots and parcels; • construction timetables;
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• weather conditions in the markets in which we build.
As a result of seasonal activity, our quarterly results of operations and financial position are not necessarily representative of a full fiscal year. To illustrate the seasonality of our business, a summary of quarterly financial data follows:
Three Months Ended
Financial Services
TMHF provides a number of finance-related services to our customers through our mortgage lending operations. The strategic purpose of TMHF is:
TMHF operates as an independent mortgage banker and conducts its business as a Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) Full Eagle lender. TMHF funds mortgage loans utilizing warehouse credit facilities. Revenue is earned through originating, selling, and servicing residential mortgage loans through its retail channel. Typically, loans are sold and servicing is released.
TMHF competes with other mortgage lenders, including national, regional and local mortgage bankers and other financial institutions. TMHF utilizes a multi-investor correspondent platform which gives us increased flexibility when placing loans with investors. TMHF has continued to expand and strengthen our correspondent relationships. This has created stability and consistency in our origination process and delivery.
Inspired Title operates as a title insurance agent providing title and/or escrow services. Inspired Title searches and examines land title records, prepares title commitments and polices for acquired land and homebuyers in our Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Texas markets, contracting with agents in other markets where title insurance underwriters and attorneys perform the escrow closing functions. Inspired Title competes against other title and escrow agents that provide similar services. Specific to our California markets, Inspired California Escrow provides escrow services for homebuyers in our California market and competes against other escrow agents that provide similar services.
TMIS operates as an insurance agency utilizing third-party carriers that specialize in homeowner’s insurance for new homes and offers other insurance products such as auto, flood and universal for homebuyers in all of our markets. TMIS competes against other insurance agencies that provide similar services.
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Regulation, Environmental, Health and Safety Matters
Regulatory
We are subject to various local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning zoning, building design, construction, safety and similar matters, including local regulations that impose restrictive zoning and density requirements in order to limit the number of homes that can eventually be built within the boundaries of a particular property or locality. In a number of our markets, there has been an increase in state and local legislation requiring the dedication of land as natural space. In addition, we are subject to various licensing, registration, filing, and reporting requirements in connection with the construction, advertisement and sale of homes in our communities.
In order to secure certain approvals in some areas, we may be required to provide affordable housing at below market sales prices. In addition, local and state governments have broad discretion regarding the imposition of development fees for projects under their jurisdictions, as well as requiring concessions or that the builder construct certain improvements to public places such as parks and streets, or fund schools.
TMHF is subject to various state and federal statutes, rules and regulations, including those that relate to licensing, lending operations and other areas of mortgage origination and financing. The impact of those statutes, rules and regulations can increase our homebuyers’ cost of financing, increase our cost of doing business, as well as restrict our homebuyers’ access to some types of loans. The title and settlement services provided by Inspired Title are subject to various regulations, including regulation by state banking and insurance regulators.
In order for our homebuyers to finance their home purchases with FHA-insured, Veterans Administration (“VA”)-guaranteed or U.S. Department of Agriculture-guaranteed mortgages, we are required to build such homes in accordance with the regulatory requirements of those agencies.
Some states have statutory disclosure requirements or other pre-approval requirements or limitations governing the marketing and sale of new homes. These requirements vary widely from state to state. Some states require us to be registered as a licensed contractor, a licensed real estate broker and in some markets our sales agents are additionally required to be registered as licensed real estate agents.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
We have a centralized information technology organization with its core team located at our corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, augmented with field support technicians in key locations across the U.S. Our approach to information technology is to continuously simplify our information technology platform and consolidate and standardize applications. We believe a common application platform enables the sharing of ideas and rapid implementation of process improvements and best practices across the entire company. Our back-office operations use a fully integrated, industry recognized enterprise resource planning package. Marketing and field sales utilize a leading CRM solution that tracks leads and prospects from all sources and manages the customer communication process from lead creation through the buying process and beyond the post-warranty period. Field operations teams collaborate with our supply chain management to schedule and manage development and construction projects with a set of standard and widely used homebuilding industry solutions.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We own certain logos and trademarks that are important to our overall branding and sales strategy. Our consumer logos are designed to draw on our recognized homebuilding heritage while emphasizing a customer-centric focus.
HUMAN CAPITAL
As of December 31, 2023 (figures presented are approximate)
As of December 31, 2023, none of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. We act solely as a general contractor, and all construction operations are supervised by our project managers and field superintendents who manage third party subcontractors. We use independent consultants and contractors for some architectural, engineering, advertising and legal services, and we strive to maintain good relationships with our subcontractors and independent consultants and contractors.
The people who work for our company are our most valuable resources and are critical to our continued success and execution of our strategies. Our People Services team focuses on attracting, promoting and retaining qualified employees with the expertise needed to manage and support our operations. Our top division and regional leaders average over 10 years of tenure with us. In addition, our executive leadership who are responsible for setting our overall strategy average approximately 16 years with us, and many of them have worked their entire careers in the homebuilding industry.
To attract and retain top talent in our industry, we offer our employees a broad range of company-paid benefits and highly competitive compensation packages. Our employees are eligible for medical, dental and vision insurance, a savings/retirement plan, life and disability insurance, various wellness programs and tuition reimbursement, along with other optional benefits designed to meet individual needs. We engage third party compensation and benefits consulting firms to evaluate our programs and benchmark them against our peers. We believe it is essential to provide opportunities for growth and development to recruit top talent in the labor environment. We offer over 5,000 online courses through our learning system, as well as various leadership programs designed for those in different stages of their leadership journey.
We believe in recognizing and promoting future leaders from within our organization and making diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) an ongoing important priority. We provide courses which focus on adherence to company policies on
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DEI, and our leadership team hosts town hall meetings within the organization to ensure employees have a voice and are aware and committed to DEI. In addition, we have established subcommittees consisting of diverse team members who meet quarterly to help inform our National DEI Committee’s agenda, as well as our overall DEI strategy. Our leadership team is committed to creating a collaborative and inclusive work environment and continues to develop initiatives, policies and procedures to foster greater DEI. See below for highlights and key developments relating to our workforce.
OUR WORKFORCE
As of December 31, 2023
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ITEM 1A | RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A | RISK FACTORS
Risks related to our industry, business and economic conditions
Our business is cyclical and is significantly affected by changes in general and local economic conditions.
Our business can be substantially affected by adverse changes in general economic or business conditions, and other events and conditions that are outside of our control, including:
• increases in short- and long-term interest rates;
• high inflation;
• supply-chains and the cost or availability of building materials;
• the availability of subcontractors, vendors or other third parties;
• housing affordability;
• the availability and cost of financing for homebuyers;
• the ability of homeowners to sell their existing homes at acceptable prices;
• mortgage financing programs and regulation of lending practices;
• demand from foreign buyers for our homes;
• the supply of available new or existing homes and other housing alternatives;
• energy prices; and
Adverse changes in these conditions may affect our business nationally or may be more prevalent or concentrated in particular regions or localities in which we operate, which effects may be magnified where we have significant operations. Additionally, governmental action and legislation related to economic stimulus, taxation, tariffs, spending levels and borrowing limits, interest rates, immigration, as well as political debate, conflicts and compromises related to such actions, may negatively impact the financial markets and consumer confidence and spending, which could adversely impact the U.S. economy and the housing market. Any deterioration or significant uncertainty in economic or political conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business.
These adverse changes in economic and other conditions can cause mortgage rates to rise, demand and prices for our homes to fall or cause us to take longer to build our homes and make it more costly for us to do so. We may not
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be able to recover these increased costs by raising prices because of weak market conditions and because the price of each home we sell is usually set several months before the home is delivered, as many customers sign their home purchase contracts before construction begins. The potential difficulties described above could impact our customers’ ability to obtain suitable financing and cause some homebuyers to cancel or refuse to honor their home purchase contracts altogether.
A slowdown or severe downturn in the housing market could have additional adverse effects on our operating results and financial condition.
During periods of industry downturn, housing markets across the United States may experience an oversupply of both new and resale home inventory, an increase in foreclosures, reduced levels of consumer demand for new homes, increased cancellation rates, aggressive price competition among homebuilders and increased incentives for home sales. The most recent significant industry downturn that began in 2008 materially and adversely impacted those in the homebuilding industry, including us. In the event of a significant downturn, we may experience a material reduction in revenues, margins, and cash flow. We cannot predict the trajectory of the U.S. housing market. Some housing markets and submarkets have been stronger than others, and there continue to be macroeconomic fluctuations and variability in operating trends, which may be significant and unfavorable.
Increases in interest rates or government fees could prevent potential customers from buying our homes and adversely affect our business or financial results.
Increases in interest rates as a result of changes to monetary policy could significantly increase the costs of owning a home or result in existing homeowners with low interest rates choosing to remain in their current homes rather than purchase a new home in a higher interest rate environment. This, in turn, could adversely impact demand for, and sales prices of, homes and the ability of potential customers to obtain financing and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Interest rates had been at historic lows for the last several years, which had made the homes we sell more affordable. During 2020 and 2021, the Federal Reserve took several steps to protect the economy from the impact of COVID-19, including reducing interest rates to new historic lows. However, in 2022 and 2023, in light of increasing inflation, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates 11 times, which caused buyer apprehension and affordability concerns, resulting in an increase in cancellations and a negative impact on our net sales orders in 2022. To mitigate these impacts we began to adjust pricing, primarily by offering finance incentives, as well as home discounts and other pricing reductions during the second half of 2022. While these pricing adjustments and incentives helped drive an increase in sales orders and a gradual normalization in cancellations beginning in 2023, there is no guarantee that these adjustments will continue to be offered or be as effective in the future. Rising interest rates also negatively impact demand for mortgage financing, which may result in lower home mortgage originations for our TMHF business. In January 2024, the Federal Reserve announced that it decided to hold interest rates at the current level and has indicated that it expects to begin cutting interest rates in 2024. Any additional increases in interest rates could negatively affect mortgage rates, real estate property values, sales orders and increase cancellations which could adversely affect our business.
Tax increases and changes in tax rules may adversely affect our financial results.
We are exposed, both directly and indirectly, to the effects of changes in U.S., state and local tax rules. For example, if federal or state laws are changed to eliminate or reduce the income tax benefits associated with homeownership, such as personal tax deductions for mortgage loan interest costs and real estate taxes, the after-tax cost of homeownership could measurably increase and diminish interest in buying a home. Additionally, increases in property tax rates by local governmental authorities can adversely affect the ability of potential customers to obtain financing or their desire to purchase new homes. Fees imposed on developers to fund schools, open spaces, road improvements and/or provide low and moderate income housing, could increase our costs and have an adverse effect on our operations. In addition, increases in sales taxes could adversely affect our potential customers who may
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consider those costs in determining whether or not to make a new home purchase, potentially reducing our customer base and reducing sales revenue.
Recently, the Biden administration has announced, and in certain cases has enacted, a number of tax proposals to fund new government investments in infrastructure, healthcare, and education, among other things. Certain of these proposals involve an increase in the domestic corporate tax rate, which if implemented could have a material impact on our future results of operations and cash flows.
If homebuyers are not able to obtain suitable financing, our sales may decline.
A substantial majority of our homebuyers finance their home purchases through lenders that provide mortgage financing. The availability of mortgage credit may fluctuate due to various factors, including regulatory changes, that may cause a more conservative risk tolerance by lenders resulting in increased levels of scrutiny of a borrower’s ability to repay. This includes those mortgages meeting the requirements of the Qualified Mortgage Definition under the Truth-In-Lending Act (Regulation Z). Investors are generally more affected by the availability of financing than other potential homebuyers. A limited availability of home mortgage financing may adversely affect the volume of our home sales and the sales prices we achieve. It could also prevent or limit our ability to attract new customers or our existing customers’ ability to resell their homes. While we typically do not write contracts to purchase contingent upon a customer’s sale of their existing home, our sales contracts do include a financing contingency that permits the customer to terminate their contract in the event they have applied for financing with the builder’s approved lender in accordance with the terms of the purchase agreement and are unable to qualify.
The liquidity provided by government sponsored entities, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as Ginnie Mae, the FHA and the VA, to the mortgage industry has been very important to the housing market. If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were dissolved, or if the federal government tightened their borrowing standards or determined to stop providing liquidity support to the mortgage market (including due to any failure of lawmakers to agree on a budget or appropriation legislation to fund relevant programs or operations), there would be a reduction in the availability of the financing provided by these institutions. Any such reduction would likely have an adverse effect on interest rates, mortgage availability and our sales of new homes.
FHA-insured mortgage loans generally have lower down-payment requirements and qualification standards compared to conventional guidelines and, as a result, the FHA continues to be a particularly important source for financing the sale of our homes. Lenders have taken and may continue to take a more conservative view of FHA guidelines causing significant tightening of borrower eligibility for approval.
In each of our markets, decreases in the availability of credit and increases in the cost of credit adversely affect the ability of homebuyers to obtain or service mortgage debt. Even if potential homebuyers do not themselves need mortgage financing (e.g., potential homebuyers financing their home purchase via a sale of their existing home), increases in mortgage costs, lack of availability of mortgages and/or regulatory changes could prevent the buyers of our potential homebuyers’ existing homes from obtaining a mortgage, which would result in our potential homebuyers’ inability to buy a new home from us. Similar risks apply to those buyers who are awaiting delivery of their homes and are currently in backlog. If our customers (or potential buyers of our customers’ existing homes) cannot obtain financing, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we experience shortages in labor supply, increased labor costs or labor disruptions, there could be delays or increased costs in developing our communities or building homes, which could adversely affect our operating results.
We require a qualified labor force to develop our communities and build our homes. Access to qualified labor may be affected by circumstances beyond our control, including work stoppages, changes in laws relating to union organizing activity and increases in subcontractor and professional services costs.
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Labor shortages can be further exacerbated as demand for housing increases. Any of these circumstances could give rise to delays and increased costs developing one or more of our communities and building homes. In addition, the vast majority of our work carried out on site is performed by subcontractors. In the past, reduced levels of homebuilding in the United States has led to some skilled tradesmen leaving the industry to take jobs in other sectors. If subcontractors are not able to recruit sufficient numbers of skilled employees, our development and construction activities may suffer from delays and quality issues, which would also lead to reduced levels of customer satisfaction and increased home warranty and construction defect claims. Further, the cost of labor may also be adversely affected by inflation and changes in immigration laws and trends in labor migration. We may not be able to recover increased costs by raising our home prices because the price for each home is typically set months prior to its delivery pursuant to sales contracts with our homebuyers. In such circumstances, our operating results could be adversely affected. Additionally, market and competitive forces may also limit our ability to raise the sales prices of our homes.
Higher cancellation rates of existing agreements of sale may have an adverse effect on our business.
Our backlog represents sales contracts with our homebuyers for homes that have not yet been delivered. We have received a deposit from a homebuyer for each home reflected in our backlog and, generally, we have the right, subject to certain exceptions, to retain the deposit if the homebuyer fails to comply with his or her obligations under the sales contract, including as a result of the homebuyer’s inability to sell his or her current home or the homebuyer’s inability to make additional deposits required prior to the closing date. In some situations, however, a homebuyer may cancel the agreement of sale and receive a complete or partial refund of the deposit.
If, for example, prices for new homes decline, competitors increase their use of sales incentives, interest rates increase, the availability of mortgage financing diminishes, current homeowners find it difficult to sell their current homes, homebuyers are concerned about rising inflation, or there is a downturn in local or regional economies or in the national economy, homebuyers may choose to terminate their existing home purchase contracts with us in order to negotiate for a lower price or because they cannot, or will not, complete the purchase and our remedies generally do not extend beyond the retention of deposits as our liquidated damages. For example, following strong demand for housing nationwide from the second half of 2020 through the first quarter of 2022, multiple increases in mortgage interest rates beginning in March 2022 caused buyer apprehension, affordability concerns, and reduced overall consumer confidence, which resulted in an increase in cancellations during the second half of 2022. To mitigate these impacts we began to adjust pricing, primarily by offering finance incentives, as well as home discounts and other pricing reductions during the second half of 2022. These pricing adjustments and incentives helped drive an increase in sales orders and a gradual normalization in cancellations beginning in 2023. However, there is no guarantee that these adjustments will continue to be offered or be as effective in the future, especially if mortgage rates continue to rise. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our cancellation rate was 12.1%, compared to 13.5% for the year ended December 31, 2022, and 6.5% for the year ended December 31, 2021.
In cases of cancellation, we remarket the home and retain any deposits we are permitted to retain. Nevertheless, the deposits may not cover the additional costs involved in remarketing the home, replacing or modifying installed options, reducing the sales price or increasing incentives on the completed home for greater marketability and carrying higher inventory. Further, depending on the stage of cancellation, a contract that is cancelled at the end of a phase may cause additional costs for the out of sequence construction or modification of the particular home. Significant numbers of cancellations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Raw materials and building supply shortages and price fluctuations could delay or increase the cost of home construction and adversely affect our operating results.
The homebuilding industry has experienced and, from time to time, may experience raw material shortages and be adversely affected by volatility in global commodity prices. These shortages and interruptions can result in significant
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cost inflation and negatively impact the timing of our closings and the pace of our sales. In particular, shortages and fluctuations in the price of concrete, drywall, lumber or other important raw materials could result in delays in the start or completion of, or increase the cost of, developing one or more of our residential communities. Our lumber needs are particularly sensitive to shortages and related cost increases. We may also face increased future home warranty and construction defect claims associated with substitute products or materials used in some instances to address supply shortages in certain served markets or communities. See – “Homebuilding is subject to home warranty and construction defect claims in the ordinary course of business that can lead to significant costs for us” below. In addition, the cost of petroleum products, which are used both to deliver our materials and to transport workers to our job sites, fluctuates and may be subject to increased volatility as a result of geopolitical events, catastrophic storms, other severe weather or significant environmental accidents. Environmental laws and regulations may also have a negative impact on the availability and price of certain raw materials such as lumber and concrete. Additionally, pricing for raw materials may be affected by various other national, regional and local economic and political factors. For example, in recent years the federal government has imposed new or increased tariffs or duties on an array of imported materials and goods that are used in connection with the construction and delivery of our homes, including steel, aluminum and lumber, raising our costs for these items (or products made with them). Such government imposed tariffs and trade regulations on imported building supplies may in the future have significant impacts on the cost to construct our homes, including by causing disruptions or shortages in our supply chain and/or negatively impacting the U.S. regional or local economies.
We are particularly exposed to rapid increases in construction costs for those homes that are in our backlog because we are generally unable to pass increases in such costs on to our customers who have already entered into purchase contracts.
Inflation or deflation could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Inflation can adversely affect us by increasing costs of land, materials and labor, which we have experienced in 2022 and 2023. In addition, as discussed above, inflation is often accompanied by higher interest rates, which historically has had a negative impact on housing demand, as well as increasing the interest rates we may need to pay for our own capital financing. In such an environment, we may not be able to raise home prices sufficiently to keep up with the rate of inflation, and our margins could decrease. An oversupply of homes relative to demand and home prices being set several months before homes are delivered may make any price increase difficult or impossible. Efforts by the government to stimulate the economy may increase the risk of significant inflation and its adverse impact on our business or financial results.
Deflation could also affect us adversely. A significant period of deflation could cause a decrease in overall spending and borrowing levels. This could lead to a further deterioration in economic conditions, including an increase in the rate of unemployment. Deflation could also cause the value of our inventories to decline or reduce the value of existing homes below the related mortgage loan balance, which could potentially increase the supply of existing homes and have a negative impact on demand and our results of operations.
Furthermore, a material decline in oil and gas prices may increase the risk of significant deflation and its adverse impact on our business or financial results, as the economies of some of the markets in which we operate are impacted by the health of the energy industry.
The homebuilding and mortgage and title services industries are highly competitive and if our competitors are more successful or offer better value to our customers, our business could decline.
We operate in a very competitive environment with competition from a number of other homebuilders in each of our markets. We compete with large national and regional homebuilding companies and with smaller local homebuilders for land, financing and related services, raw materials, skilled management, volume discounts, local realtor and labor
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resources. We also compete with the resale, or “previously owned,” home market, as well as other housing alternatives such as the rental housing market. Additionally, some of our competitors have longstanding relationships with subcontractors and suppliers in markets in which we operate and others may have greater financial resources or lower costs than us. Competitive conditions in the homebuilding industry could make it difficult for us to acquire suitable land at acceptable prices, cause us to increase selling incentives, reduce prices and/or result in an oversupply of homes for sale. These factors have adversely affected demand for our homes and our results of our operations in the past and could do so again in the future.
Additionally, our mortgage and title services businesses compete with other mortgage lenders and title companies, including national, regional and local mortgage banks and other financial institutions, some of which may be subject to fewer government regulations or, in the case of mortgage lenders, may have a greater range of products, greater access to or a lower cost of capital or different lending criteria and may be able to offer more attractive financing to potential customers.
If we are unable to compete effectively in our homebuilding and mortgage and title services markets, our business could decline disproportionately to our competitors, and our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Any increase in unemployment or underemployment may lead to an increase in the number of loan delinquencies and property repossessions and have an adverse impact on us.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7% as of December 2023, and the labor force participation rate was 62.5% which is 0.9 percentage points lower than the participation rate in February 2020. While the relatively low unemployment rate is an encouraging sign, a substantial portion of new jobs created have been relatively low-wage jobs or part-time jobs. People who are not employed, are underemployed, who have left the labor force or are concerned about low wages or the loss of their jobs are less likely to purchase new homes, may be forced to try to sell the homes they own and may face difficulties in making required mortgage payments or qualifying for new mortgage financing. Therefore, any increase in unemployment or underemployment may lead to an increase in the number of loan delinquencies and property repossessions and have an adverse impact on us both by reducing demand for the homes we build and by increasing the supply of homes for sale.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate because of the seasonal nature of our business and other factors.
Our quarterly operating results generally fluctuate by season as a result of a variety of factors such as the timing of home deliveries and land sales, the changing composition and mix of our asset portfolio, and weather-related issues.
Weather-related problems, typically in the fall, late winter and early spring, may delay starts or closings and increase costs and thus reduce profitability. In some cases, we may not be able to recapture increased costs by raising prices. In addition, deliveries may be staggered over different periods of the year and may be concentrated in particular quarters. Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate because of these factors. See Item 1—Business—Seasonality.
Unusual weather events as well as the increased focus by investors and other stakeholders on sustainability issues, could increase our costs, damage our reputation and/or otherwise adversely impact our operations or stock price.
Some of our business is in areas that are particularly vulnerable to unusual weather events, such as from the increased frequency and severity of storms, flooding, sustained rainfall, wildfires, and drought. For example, in recent years, hurricanes in Florida and winter storms and unseasonably cold weather in Texas left millions without electricity and significantly impacted utility prices in Texas. Such severe weather events can delay home construction, increase costs by damaging inventories, reduce the availability of building materials, and increase transportation delays further
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increasing stress on our supply chain and negatively impact the demand for new homes in affected areas, as well as slow down or otherwise impair the ability of utilities and local governmental authorities to provide approvals and service to new housing communities. Furthermore, if our insurance does not fully cover our costs and other losses from these events, including those arising out of related business interruptions, our earnings, liquidity, or capital resources could be adversely affected.
Additionally, increasing governmental and societal attention to environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as climate change, human capital, and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess, monitor and report. These factors may alter the environment in which we do business and may increase our ongoing costs of compliance and adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows, and stock price. If we are unable to adequately address such ESG matters or we or our subcontractors fail to comply with all related laws, regulations, policies and expectations, it could negatively impact our reputation, our business results, and the price of our common stock.
An inability to obtain additional performance, payment and completion surety bonds and letters of credit could limit our future growth.
We are often required to provide performance, payment and completion and warranty/maintenance surety bonds or letters of credit to secure the completion of our construction contracts, development agreements and other arrangements. We believe we have obtained credit facilities to provide the required volume of such surety bonds and letters of credit for our expected growth in the medium term. However, unexpected growth may require additional facilities. We may also be required to renew or amend our existing facilities. Our ability to obtain additional performance, payment and completion and warranty/maintenance surety bonds and letters of credit primarily depends on our credit rating, capitalization, working capital, past performance, management expertise and certain external factors, including the fluidity of the markets for such bonds. Performance, payment and completion and warranty/maintenance surety bond and letter of credit providers consider these factors in addition to our performance and claims record and provider-specific underwriting standards, which may change from time to time.
If our performance record or our providers’ requirements or policies change, if we cannot obtain the necessary renewals or amendments from our lenders, or if the market’s capacity to provide performance, payment and completion or warranty/ maintenance bonds or letters of credit is not sufficient, we could be unable to obtain such bonds or letters of credit from other sources when required, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Homebuilding is subject to home warranty and construction defect claims in the ordinary course of business that can lead to significant costs for us.
As a homebuilder, we are subject to home warranty and construction defect claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Construction defects may occur on projects and developments and may arise a significant period of time after completion. Unexpected expenditures attributable to defects or previously unknown sub-surface conditions arising on a development project may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
We maintain products and completed operations excess liability insurance, obtain indemnities and certificates of insurance from subcontractors generally covering claims related to damages resulting from faulty workmanship and materials and maintain warranty and other reserves for the homes we sell based on historical experience in our markets and our judgment of the risks associated with the types of homes built. Although we actively monitor our warranty reserves and insurance coverage, because of the uncertainties inherent to these matters, we cannot provide assurance that our insurance coverage, our subcontractor’s indemnity and warranty arrangements and our reserves together will be adequate to address all of our warranty and construction defect claims in the future. We record
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changes in estimates to pre-existing reserves as needed. The reserve estimate is based on assumptions, including but not limited to, the number of homes affected, the costs associated with each repair, and the effectiveness of the repairs. Due to the degree of judgment required in making these estimates and the inherent uncertainty in potential outcomes, it is reasonably possible that actual costs could differ from those recorded and such differences could be material, resulting in a change in future estimated reserves. In addition, contractual indemnities with our subcontractors can be difficult to enforce. We may also be responsible for applicable self-insured retentions and some types of claims may not be covered by insurance or may exceed applicable coverage limits. Additionally, the coverage offered by and the availability of products and completed operations excess liability insurance for construction defects is currently limited and costly. This coverage may be further restricted or become more costly in the future.
In California we operate under an Owner Controlled Insurance Plan (“OCIP”) for general liability exposures of most subcontractors (excluding consultants), as a result of the inability of subcontractors to procure acceptable insurance coverage to meet our requirements. Under the OCIP, subcontractors are effectively insured by us. We have assigned risk retentions and bid deductions to our subcontractors based on their risk category. These deductions are used to fund future liabilities. The cost of the future liabilities as they are realized could exceed the value of the deductions, which could increase our costs leading to a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Our reliance on subcontractors can expose us to various liability risks.
We rely on subcontractors in order to perform the construction of our homes and, in many cases, to select and obtain raw materials. We are exposed to various risks as a result of our reliance on these subcontractors and their suppliers. The subcontractors we rely on to perform the actual construction of our homes are also subject to a significant and evolving number of local, state and federal laws and regulations, including laws involving matters that are not within our control. If these subcontractors who construct our homes fail to comply with all applicable laws, we can suffer reputational damage and may be exposed to liability.
These subcontractors are independent from us under normal homebuilding industry practices. We do not have the ability to control what these independent subcontractors pay or the work rules they impose on their employees. However, various federal and state governmental agencies have sought, and may in the future seek, to hold contracting parties like us responsible for our subcontractors’ violations of wage and hour laws, or workers’ compensation, collective bargaining and/or other employment-related obligations related to subcontractors’ workforces. Governmental agency determinations or attempts by others to make us responsible for our subcontractors’ labor practices or obligations could create substantial adverse exposure for us in situations that are not within our control and could be material to our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to manage land acquisitions, inventory and development and construction processes could result in significant cost overruns or errors in valuing sites.
We own and purchase a large number of sites each year and are therefore dependent on our ability to process a very large number of transactions and make a number of budgetary assumptions which include, among other things, evaluating the site purchase, designing the layout of the development, sourcing materials and subcontractors and managing contractual commitments efficiently and accurately. If we do not manage this process efficiently or our estimates for development costs are not accurate, it could result in the community not generating the returns we expected when underwriting the project and acquiring the property.
In addition, we incur many costs even before we begin to build homes in a community. Depending on the stage of development of a land parcel when we acquire it, these may include: costs of preparing land, finishing and entitling lots, installing roads, sewers, water systems and other utilities; taxes and other costs related to ownership of the land on which we plan to build homes; constructing model homes; and promotional and marketing expenses to prepare for the opening of a new home community for sales. Moreover, local municipalities may impose development-related
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requirements resulting in additional costs. If the rate at which we sell and deliver homes slows or falls, or if our opening of new home communities for sale is delayed, we may incur additional costs, which would adversely affect our gross profit margins and will lead to a longer period of time for us to recover our costs, including those we incurred in acquiring and developing land.
In certain circumstances, a grant of entitlements or development agreement with respect to a particular parcel of land may include restrictions on the transfer of such entitlements to a buyer of such land, which may increase our exposure to decreases in the price of such entitled land by restricting our ability to sell it for its full entitled value. In addition, inventory carrying costs can be significant and can result in reduced margins or losses in a poorly performing community or market. Further, if we were required to record a significant inventory impairment, it could negatively affect our reported earnings and negatively impact the market perception of our business.
If land and lots are not available at competitive prices, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our long-term profitability depends in large part on the price at which we are able to obtain suitable land and lots for the development of our communities. Increases in the price (or decreases in the availability) of suitable land and lots could adversely affect our profitability. Moreover, changes in the general availability of desirable land, geographical or topographical constraints, competition for available land and lots, limited availability of financing to acquire land and lots, zoning regulations that limit housing density, environmental requirements and other market conditions may hurt our ability to obtain land and lots for new communities at prices that will allow us to be profitable. If the supply of land and lots that are needed for development of new communities becomes more limited because of these or any other reason, the cost of land and lots could increase and the number of homes that we are able to build and sell could be reduced, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
If the market value of our land inventory decreases, our results of operations could be adversely affected by impairments and write-downs.
The market value of our land and housing inventories depends on market conditions. We acquire land for expansion into new markets and for replacement of land inventory and expansion within our current markets, and there is often a significant lag time between when we acquire land for development and when we sell homes in our communities. This risk is exacerbated particularly with undeveloped and/or unentitled land.
There is an inherent risk that the value of the land owned by us may decline after purchase. The valuation of property is inherently subjective and based on the individual characteristics of each property. We may have acquired options on or bought and developed land at a cost we will not be able to recover fully or on which we cannot build and sell homes profitably. In addition, our deposits for lots controlled under option or similar contracts may be put at risk, and depressed land values may cause us to abandon and forfeit deposits on land option contracts and other similar contracts if we cannot satisfactorily renegotiate the purchase price of the subject land. Moreover, all valuations are made on the basis of assumptions that may not prove to reflect economic or demographic reality. If housing demand decreases below what we anticipated when we acquired our inventory, our profitability may be adversely affected and we may not be able to recover our costs when we build and sell houses. In addition, we may incur charges against our earnings for inventory impairments if the value of our owned inventory, including land we decide to sell, is reduced or for land option contract abandonments if we choose not to exercise land option contracts or other similar contracts, and these charges may be substantial.
We may not be able to use certain deferred tax assets, which may result in our having to pay substantial taxes.
We have significant deferred tax assets, including net operating losses that could be used to offset earnings and reduce the amount of taxes we are required to pay. Our ability to use our net operating losses is dependent on a
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number of factors, including applicable rules relating to the permitted carry back period for offsetting certain net operating losses against prior period earnings and the timing and amount of future taxable income. If we are unable to use our net operating losses, we may have to record charges to reduce our deferred tax assets, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We have significant operations in certain geographic areas, which subjects us to an increased risk of lost revenue or decreases in the market value of our land and homes in these regions from factors which may affect any of these regions.
We currently operate in several states with a concentration in the Western United States and a significant presence in California. Negative factors affecting one or a number of the geographic regions at the same time could result in a relatively greater impact on our results of operations than they might have on other companies that have a more diversified portfolio of operations. To the extent that regions in which our business is concentrated are impacted by an adverse event, we could be disproportionately affected compared to companies whose operations are less geographically concentrated.
We participate in certain unconsolidated joint ventures, including those in which we do not have a controlling interest, where we may be adversely impacted by the failure of the unconsolidated joint venture or the other partners in the unconsolidated joint venture to fulfill their obligations.
We have investments in and commitments to certain unconsolidated joint ventures with related and unrelated strategic partners generally involved in real estate development, homebuilding, Build-to-Rent, and/or mortgage lending activities. For example, in April 2022, we established a joint venture with Värde Partners (“Värde”), a leading global alternative investment firm, to develop rental properties as a part of our Build-To-Rent program. The venture includes $850 million in equity commitments, funded 60 percent by Värde and 40 percent by the Company. The venture provides Värde with the exclusive opportunity to invest in the acquisition and development of Build-To-Rent projects identified by the Company that meet the venture’s investment guidelines. At December 31, 2023, our total investments in unconsolidated joint ventures was $346.2 million.
To finance our joint ventures, our unconsolidated joint ventures often obtain loans from third-party lenders that are secured by the unconsolidated joint venture’s assets. To the extent any of our joint ventures default on obligations secured by the assets of such joint venture, the assets could be forfeited to third-party lenders.
We have provided non-recourse carve-out guarantees to certain third-party lenders to our unconsolidated joint ventures (i.e., guarantees of losses suffered by the lender in the event that the borrowing entity or its equity owners engage in certain conduct, such as fraud, misappropriation of funds, unauthorized transfers of the collateral or equity interests in the borrowing entity, or the borrowing entity commences a voluntary bankruptcy case, or the borrowing entity violates environmental law, or hazardous materials are located on the property, or under other circumstances provided for in such guarantee or indemnity). In the future, we may provide other guarantees and indemnities to such lenders, including secured guarantees, in which case we may have increased liability in the event that a joint venture defaults on its obligations to a third party.
If the other partners in our unconsolidated joint ventures do not cooperate or fulfill their contractual obligations to the joint venture due to their financial condition, strategic business interests (which may be contrary to ours), or otherwise, we may be required to spend additional resources (including payments under the guarantees we have provided to the unconsolidated joint ventures’ lenders) or suffer losses, each of which could be significant. Moreover, our ability to recoup such expenditures and losses by exercising remedies against such partners may be limited due to the contractual terms of the joint venture agreement, potential legal defenses they may have, their respective financial condition and other circumstances. Furthermore, because we lack a controlling interest in our unconsolidated joint ventures we cannot exercise sole decision-making authority, which could create the potential risk of impasses on decisions and prevent the joint venture from taking, or not taking, actions that we believe may be in
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our best interests. In addition, as our relationships with our partners are contractual in nature and may be terminated or dissolved under the terms of the applicable joint venture agreements, including buy-sell provisions, we may not continue to own or operate the interests or assets underlying such relationship or may need to purchase additional interests or assets in the venture to continue ownership. In the event a joint venture is terminated or dissolved, we could also be exposed to lawsuits and legal costs.
Information technology failures and data security breaches could harm our business.
We use information technology and other computer resources to carry out important operational and marketing activities as well as maintain our business records, including information provided by our customers. Many of these resources are provided to us and/or maintained on our behalf by third-party service providers pursuant to agreements that specify certain security and service level standards. Our ability to conduct our business may be impaired if these resources are compromised, degraded, damaged or fail, whether due to a virus or other harmful circumstance, intentional penetration or disruption of our information technology resources by a third party, natural disaster, hardware or software corruption, failure or error (including a failure of security controls incorporated into or applied to such hardware or software), telecommunications system failure, service provider error or failure, intentional or unintentional personnel actions (including the failure to follow our security protocols), or lost connectivity to our networked resources. A significant and extended disruption in the functioning of these resources could impair our operations, damage our reputation, expose us to significant costs to restore these networked resources and cause us to lose customers, sales and revenue.
Privacy, security, and compliance concerns have continued to increase as technology has evolved. As part of our normal business activities, we collect and store certain confidential information, including personal information of homebuyers/borrowers and information about employees, vendors and suppliers. While we have implemented systems and processes intended to secure our information technology systems and prevent unauthorized access to or loss of sensitive, confidential and personal data, including through the use of encryption and authentication technologies, and have increased our monitoring capabilities to enhance early detection and rapid response to potential security anomalies, and, to date, have not had a significant cybersecurity breach or attack that had, or is likely to have, a material impact on our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition, our security measures may not be sufficient for all possible occurrences and may be vulnerable to hacking, employee error, malfeasance, system error, faulty password management or other irregularities. Further, development and maintenance of these measures are costly and continue to increase and require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. If we fail to maintain the security of the data we are required to protect, or if we were to be subject to a material successful cyber intrusion, such occurrences could result in business disruption, damage to our reputation, financial obligations to third parties, fines, penalties, regulatory proceedings and private litigation with potentially large remediation and related costs, and also in deterioration in customers’ confidence in us and other competitive disadvantages, and thus could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Additionally, state governments, most notably California, Nevada, Texas and Colorado, have enacted or enhanced their data privacy regulations, and other governments are considering establishing similar or stronger protections. These regulations impose certain obligations for securing, and potentially removing, specified personal information in our systems, and for apprising individuals of the information we have collected about them. We have incurred costs in an effort to comply with these data privacy risks and requirements, and our costs may increase significantly as such risks become increasingly complex or if new or changing requirements are enacted, and ultimately based on how individuals choose to exercise their rights. For example, in November 2020, California voters approved Proposition 24 (Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative), which became effective as of January 1, 2023 and has increased data privacy requirements for our business. Despite our efforts, any noncompliance could result in our incurring substantial penalties and reputational damage.
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We may incur a variety of costs to engage in future growth or expansion of our operations or acquisitions of businesses, and the anticipated benefits may never be realized.
As a part of our business strategy, we may make acquisitions of, or significant investments in, businesses. Any future acquisitions, investments and/or disposals are accompanied by risks such as:
• diversion of our management’s attention from ongoing business concerns;
Acquisitions can result in dilution to existing stockholders if we issue our common stock as consideration, or reduce our liquidity if we fund them with cash. In addition, acquisitions can expose us to valuation risks, including the risk of writing off goodwill or impairing inventory and other assets related to such acquisitions. The risk of goodwill and asset impairments will increase during a cyclical housing downturn when our profitability may decline.
Dispositions have their own risks associated with the separation of operations and personnel, the potential provision of transition services and the allocation of management resources. Dispositions may also result in lost synergies that could negatively impact our balance sheet, income statement and cash flows. Additionally, while we would seek to limit our ongoing exposure, for example, through liability caps and time limits on warranties and indemnities, some warranties and indemnities may give rise to unexpected and significant liabilities. Any claims arising in the future may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. We may not able to manage the risks associated with these transactions and the effects of such transactions, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
A major health and safety incident relating to our business could be costly in terms of potential liabilities and reputational damage.
Building sites are inherently dangerous and pose certain inherent health and safety risks to construction workers and other persons on the site. Due to health and safety regulatory requirements and the number of projects we work on, health and safety performance is critical to the success of all areas of our business. Any failure in health and safety performance may result in penalties for non-compliance with relevant regulatory requirements, and a failure that results in a major or significant health and safety incident is likely to be costly in terms of potential liabilities incurred as a result. Such a failure could generate significant negative publicity and have a corresponding impact on our reputation, our relationships with relevant regulatory agencies or governmental authorities, and our ability to attract customers and employees, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Ownership or occupation of land and the use of hazardous materials carries potential environmental risks and liabilities.
We are subject to a variety of local, state and federal statutes, rules and regulations concerning land use and the protection of health and the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants to water and air, storm water run-off, the presence of and exposure to asbestos, the handling of hazardous materials and the cleanup of contaminated structures and properties. Further, some environmental laws (including many addressing releases of
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ITEM 1A | RISK FACTORS
hazardous substances) impose strict liability, which means that we may be held liable for environmental conditions on property we own, or previously owned, which we did not create or know about, or which resulted from conduct that was lawful. Contamination or other environmental conditions at or in the vicinity of our developments could also result in claims against us for personal injury, property damage or other losses. Such liabilities, and the costs of defending against such claims, may be substantial, and insurance coverage may be limited or non-existent. The presence of such substances at or in the vicinity of our properties, or the failure to remediate such substances properly, may also adversely affect our ability to sell the affected land or to borrow using it as security. Environmental impacts from historical activities have been identified at some of the projects we have developed in the past and additional projects may be located on land that may have been contaminated by previous use.
Negative publicity or poor relations with the residents of our communities could negatively impact sales, which could cause our revenues or results of operations to decline.
Unfavorable media or investor and analyst reports related to our industry, company, brands, marketing, personnel, operations, business performance, or prospects may affect our stock price and the performance of our business, regardless of its accuracy or inaccuracy. Our success in maintaining, extending and expanding our brand image depends on our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media environment. Adverse publicity or negative commentary on social media outlets, such as blogs, websites or newsletters, could hurt operating results, as consumers might avoid or protest brands that receive bad press or negative reviews. Customers and other interested parties could act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. Accordingly, we could suffer immediate harm without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.
In addition, we can be affected by poor relations with the residents of communities we develop because these residents sometimes look to us to resolve issues or disputes that may arise in connection with the operation or development of their communities. Efforts made by us to resolve these issues or disputes could be deemed unsatisfactory by the affected residents and subsequent actions by these residents could disrupt sales or adversely affect our reputation. In addition, we could decide or be required to make material expenditures related to the settlement of such issues or disputes or to modify our community development plans, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Legal and regulatory risks.
New or changing government regulations and legal challenges may delay the start or completion of our communities, increase our expenses or limit our homebuilding or other activities, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations.
The approval of numerous governmental authorities must be obtained in connection with our development and construction activities, and these governmental authorities often have broad discretion in exercising their approval authority. We incur substantial costs related to compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Any increase in legal and regulatory requirements may cause us to incur substantial additional costs, or in some cases cause us to determine that a property is not feasible for development. Various local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning building, health and safety, site and building design, environment, zoning, subcontracting, sales and similar matters apply to and/or affect the housing industry. In addition, our ability to obtain or renew permits or approvals and the continued effectiveness of permits already granted or approvals already obtained depends on factors beyond our control, such as changes in federal, state and local policies, rules and regulations and their interpretations and application. Furthermore, we are also subject to various fees and charges of government authorities designed to defray the cost of providing certain governmental services and improvements. For example, local and state governments have broad discretion regarding the imposition of development fees for projects under their jurisdictions, as well as requiring concessions or that the builder construct certain improvements to public places such as parks and streets, or fund schools.
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Further, government agencies routinely initiate audits, reviews or investigations of our business practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, which can cause us to incur costs or create other disruptions in our business that can be significant. Further, we may experience delays and increased expenses as a result of legal challenges to our proposed communities, whether brought by governmental authorities or private parties.
We have faced, and may face in the future, substantial damages or be enjoined from pursuing important activities as a result of existing or future litigation, arbitration or other claims.
We are involved in various litigation and legal claims, including actions brought on behalf of various classes of claimants. For example, in 2023 we paid $64.7 million resulting from a judgment in a case in Florida relating to our collection of club membership fees in connection with the use of our club amenities. See Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings in the Notes to the Consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information. We establish liabilities for legal claims and regulatory matters when such matters are both probable of occurring and any potential loss is reasonably estimable. We accrue for such matters based on the facts and circumstances specific to each matter and revise these estimates as the matters evolve. In such cases, there may exist an exposure to loss in excess of any amounts currently accrued. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of these legal and regulatory matters, we generally cannot predict the ultimate resolution, the related timing or the amount of any eventual loss. To the extent the liability arising from the ultimate resolution of any matter exceeds the estimates reflected in the recorded reserves relating to such matter, we could incur additional charges that could be significant. Unfavorable litigation, arbitration or claims could also generate negative publicity in various media outlets that could be detrimental to our reputation.
Regulations regarding environmental matters and climate change may affect us by substantially increasing our costs and exposing us to potential liability.
We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations, which may affect aspects of our operations such as how we manage storm water runoff, wastewater discharges and dust; how we develop or operate on properties on or affecting resources such as wetlands, endangered species, cultural resources, or areas subject to preservation laws; and how we address contamination.
Developers and homebuilders may become subject to more stringent requirements under such laws. In addition, some of these requirements that significantly affect how certain properties may be developed are contentious, attract intense political attention, and may be subject to significant changes over time. For example, regulations governing wetlands permitting under the federal Clean Water Act have been the subject of extensive rulemakings for many years, resulting in several major joint rulemakings by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that have expanded and contracted the scope of wetlands subject to regulation; and such rulemakings have been the subject of many legal challenges, some of which remain pending. It is unclear how these and related developments, including at the state or local level, ultimately may affect the scope of regulated wetlands where we operate. Although we cannot reliably predict the extent of any effect these rulemakings regarding wetlands, or any other environmental requirements that may take effect may have on us, they could result in time-consuming and expensive compliance programs and in substantial expenditures, which could cause delays and increase our cost of operations. Our noncompliance with environmental laws could result in fines and penalties, obligations to remediate or restore habitat, permit revocations and other sanctions.
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In addition, there is a growing concern from advocacy groups and the general public that the emission of greenhouse gases and other human activities are causing significant changes in weather patterns and temperatures and the frequency and severity of weather events and natural disasters. There is a variety of legislation and other regulation being implemented or considered, at the federal, state and local level relating to energy and climate change. This legislation and these regulations involve matters including carbon dioxide emissions control and building codes that impose energy efficiency standards, as well as standards to improve the resiliency of buildings to climate-related impacts such as flooding, storm surges, severe winds, wildfires and other extreme weather-related stress on buildings. Such requirements could significantly increase our cost to construct homes. Energy-related initiatives affect a wide variety of companies throughout the United States and the world and, because our operations are heavily dependent on significant amounts of raw materials, such as lumber, steel and concrete, they could also have an indirect adverse impact on our operations and profitability to the extent the manufacturers and suppliers of our materials are burdened with expensive cap and trade and similar energy related taxes and regulations. Furthermore, some of our homes and land development projects may be in locations that are susceptible to the physical impacts of climate change, and we may experience losses that are not adequately covered by insurance in the event of an adverse event, or may not be able to find buyers for homes and developments in locations perceived as vulnerable to the physical impacts of climate change.
Utility and resource shortages or rate fluctuations could have an adverse effect on our operations.
Several of the markets in which we operate have historically been subject to utility and resource shortages, including significant changes to the availability and cost of electricity and water. Shortages of utility resources and natural resources in our markets, particularly of water, may make it more difficult for us to obtain regulatory approval of new developments and have other adverse implications.
For example, certain areas in which we operate, particularly the Western United States, have experienced and continue to experience severe drought conditions. In response to these conditions, government officials often take a number of steps to preserve potable water supplies. To address the state’s mandate and their own available potable water supplies, local water agencies/suppliers could potentially: restrict, delay the issuance of, or proscribe new water connection permits for homes; increase the costs for securing such permits, either directly or by requiring participation in impact mitigation programs; adopt higher efficiency requirements for water-using appliances or fixtures; limit or ban the use of water for construction activities; impose requirements as to the types of allowed plant vegetation or irrigation for outdoor landscaping that are more strict than state standards and less desired by consumers; and/or impose fines and penalties for noncompliance with any such measures. These local water agencies/suppliers could also increase rates and charges to residential users for the water they use, potentially increasing the cost of homeownership.
Any of the foregoing, individually or collectively, could adversely affect the regional economies in which we operate, which may limit, impair or delay our ability to acquire and develop land and/or build and deliver homes, increase our production costs or reduce demand for our homes, thereby negatively affecting our business and results of operations.
Risks related to our financial services business.
Our financial services businesses are subject to risks, including risks associated with our ability to sell mortgages we originate and to claims on loans sold to third parties.
While we intend for the loans originated by TMHF, our financial services business, to be sold on the secondary market, if TMHF is unable to sell loans into the secondary mortgage market or directly to large secondary market loan purchasers such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, TMHF would bear the risk of being a long-term investor in these originated loans. Being required to hold loans on a long-term basis would subject us to credit risks associated with the borrowers to whom the loans are extended, would negatively affect our liquidity and could require us to use
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additional capital resources to finance the loans that TMHF is extending. In addition, although mortgage lenders under the mortgage warehouse facilities TMHF currently uses to finance our lending operations normally purchase our mortgages within approximately 20-30 days of origination, if such mortgage lenders default under these warehouse facilities TMHF would be required to fund the mortgages then in the pipeline. In such case, amounts available under our $1 Billion Revolving Credit Facility and $100 Million Revolving Credit Facility (together, the "Revolving Credit Facilities") and cash from operations may not be sufficient to allow TMHF to provide financing required by our business during these times, and our ability to originate and sell mortgage loans at competitive prices could be limited, which could negatively affect our business. Further, an obligation to commit our own funds to long-term investments in mortgage loans could, among other things, delay the time when we recognize revenues from home sales on our statements of operations.
Our financial services businesses may also be responsible for losses associated with mortgage loans originated and sold to investors (including loans originated by companies we have acquired) in the event of errors or omissions relating to certain representations and warranties made to secondary market purchasers that the loans sold meet certain requirements, including representations as to underwriting standards, the type of collateral, the existence of primary mortgage insurance and the validity of certain borrower representations in connection with the loan. Accordingly, mortgage investors could seek to have us buy back loans or compensate them for losses incurred on mortgages sold based on claims that we breached our limited representations or warranties. If, due to higher costs, reduced liquidity, residential consumer loan putback demands or internal or external reviews of its residential consumer mortgage loan foreclosure processes, or other factors or business decisions, TMHF is unable to make loan products available to our homebuyers, our home sales and financial services results of operations may be adversely affected.
We enter into interest rate lock commitments (“IRLCs”) to originate residential mortgage loans held for sale, at specified interest rates and within a specified period of time (generally between 30 and 60 days), with customers who have applied for a loan and meet certain credit and underwriting criteria. These commitments expose us to market risk if interest rates change and the underlying loan is not economically hedged or committed to an investor. We also have exposure to credit loss in the event of contractual non-performance by our trading counterparties in derivative instruments that we use in our rate risk management activities. We aim to manage this credit risk by selecting only counterparties that we believe to be financially strong, spreading the risk among multiple counterparties, by placing contractual limits on the amount of unsecured credit extended to any single counterparty, and by entering into netting agreements with counterparties, as appropriate.
Our financial services and title services businesses may be adversely affected by changes in governmental regulation.
Changes in governmental regulation with respect to mortgage lenders and title service providers could adversely affect the financial results of this portion of our business. Our financial services businesses are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations, which, among other things: prohibit discrimination and establish underwriting guidelines; provide for audits and inspections; require appraisals and/or credit reports on prospective borrowers and disclosure of certain information concerning credit and settlement costs; establish maximum loan amounts; prohibit predatory lending practices; and regulate the referral of business to affiliated entities. In addition, our title insurance operations are also subject to applicable insurance and banking laws and regulations as well as government audits, examinations and investigations, all of which may limit our ability to provide title services to potential purchasers.
The regulatory environment for mortgage lending is complex and ever changing and has led to an increase in the number of audits, examinations and investigations in the industry. The 2008 housing downturn resulted in numerous changes in the regulatory framework of the financial services industry. Any changes or new enactments could result in more stringent compliance standards, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations
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and the market perception of our business. Additionally, if we are unable to originate mortgages for any reason going forward, our customers may experience significant mortgage loan funding issues, which could have a material impact on our homebuilding business and our Consolidated financial statements.
The prices of our mortgages could be adversely affected if we lose any of our important commercial relationships.
We have longstanding relationships with members of the lender community from which our borrowers benefit. TMHF plans to continue with these relationships and use the correspondent lender platform as a part of its operational plan. While we believe that our current commercial relationships are strong, if our relationship with any one or more of those banks deteriorates or if one or more of those banks decide to renegotiate or terminate existing agreements or otherwise exit the market, TMHF may be required to increase the price of our products, or modify the range of products TMHF offers, which could cause us to lose customers who may choose other providers based solely on price or fees, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks related to our indebtedness
Constriction of the capital markets could limit our ability to access capital and increase our costs of capital.
We fund our operations with cash from operations, capital markets financings and borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facilities and other loan facilities. The expansion and development of our business may require significant capital, which we may be unable to obtain. Further, our capital requirements may vary materially from those currently planned if, for example, our revenues do not reach, or our costs exceed, expected levels or we have to incur unforeseen capital expenditures to maintain our competitive position. If this is the case, we may require additional financing sooner than anticipated or we may have to delay or abandon some or all of our development and expansion plans or otherwise forego market opportunities. Volatile economic conditions and the constriction of the capital markets could reduce the sources of liquidity available to us and increase our costs of capital. If the size or availability of our banking facilities is reduced in the future, or if we are unable to obtain new, or renew existing, facilities in the future on favorable terms or otherwise access the loan or capital markets, it would have an adverse effect on our liquidity and operations.
Our substantial debt could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and prevent us from fulfilling our debt-related obligations.
We have a substantial amount of debt. As of December 31, 2023, the total principal amount of our debt (including $153.5 million of indebtedness of TMHF) was $2.0 billion. Our substantial debt could have important consequences for the holders of our common stock, including:
• increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic or industry conditions;
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• placing us at a competitive disadvantage to less leveraged competitors.
We cannot ensure that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us through capital markets financings or under our Revolving Credit Facilities or otherwise in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness, or to fund our other liquidity needs. We may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness, on or before its maturity. We cannot ensure that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. In addition, we may incur additional indebtedness in order to finance our operations, to fund acquisitions, or to repay existing indebtedness. If we cannot service our indebtedness, we may have to take actions such as selling assets, seeking additional debt or equity or reducing or delaying capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances. We cannot ensure that any such actions, if necessary, could be effected on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
Restrictive covenants in the agreements governing our Revolving Credit Facilities and other indebtedness may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies.
The agreements governing our Revolving Credit Facilities limit our ability, and the terms of any future indebtedness may prohibit or limit our ability, among other things, to:
• incur or guarantee additional indebtedness;
• make certain investments;
• repurchase equity or subordinated indebtedness;
• pay dividends or make distributions on our capital stock;
• sell assets, including capital stock of restricted subsidiaries;
• enter into transactions with our affiliates;
• incur liens; and
• designate any of our subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.
In addition, the indentures governing our Senior Notes contain covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to incur certain liens securing indebtedness without equally and ratably securing the Senior Notes and enter into certain sale and leaseback transactions, subject to certain exceptions and qualifications.
The agreements governing our Revolving Credit Facilities contain certain “springing” financial covenants that, if triggered, require Taylor Morrison Home III Corporation, a Delaware corporation and our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, and its subsidiaries to comply with a maximum debt to capitalization ratio and a minimum consolidated tangible net worth test.
The restrictions contained in the indentures governing all of our Senior Notes and the agreements governing our Revolving Credit Facilities could also limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions, meet capital needs or make acquisitions or otherwise restrict our activities or business plans.
A breach of any of the restrictive covenants under the agreements governing our Revolving Credit Facilities or any of our Senior Notes could allow for the acceleration of the Revolving Credit Facilities and all Senior Notes. If the indebtedness under our Revolving Credit Facilities or the Senior Notes were to be accelerated, we cannot assure you that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full that indebtedness and our other indebtedness.
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The discontinuation of LIBOR could affect our borrowing costs.
The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) was the primary basis for determining interest payments on borrowings under each of our warehouse facilities and our Revolving Credit Facilities. On March 5, 2021, ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) confirmed it would cease publication of Overnight, 1, 3, 6 and 12 month US Dollar LIBOR settings immediately following the LIBOR publication on June 30, 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the New York Federal Reserve, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as the recommended risk-free alternative rate for US Dollar LIBOR. In response to the planned discontinuation of LIBOR, our warehouse facilities agreements as well as our Revolving Credit Facilities have been restructured to use SOFR as the primary basis for determining interest payments.
At this time, it is not possible to predict the full effect that the discontinuance of LIBOR, or the establishment of alternative reference rates such as SOFR, will have on us or our borrowing costs. SOFR is a relatively new reference rate and its composition and characteristics are not the same as LIBOR. Given the limited history of these rates and potential volatility as compared to other benchmark or market rates, the future performance of these rates cannot be predicted based on historical performance. The consequences of using SOFR could include an increase in the cost of our variable rate indebtedness.
Risks related to our organization and structure
Provisions in our charter and by-laws and provisions of Delaware law may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third party, which might diminish the value of our common stock. Provisions in our debt agreements may also require an acquirer to refinance our outstanding indebtedness if a change of control occurs.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated by-laws contain certain provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable, including the following:
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may affect the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain business combinations for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We have elected in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Nevertheless, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.
The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.
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Under our Revolving Credit Facilities, a change of control would be an event of default, which could therefore require a third-party acquirer to obtain a facility to refinance any outstanding indebtedness under the Revolving Credit Facilities. Under the indentures governing our Senior Notes, if a change of control were to occur, we would be required to make offers to repurchase the Senior Notes at prices equal to 101% of their respective principal amounts. These change of control provisions in our existing debt agreements may also delay or diminish the value of an acquisition by a third party.
Our charter provides to the fullest extent permitted by law that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain legal actions between the Company and our stockholders, which could increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit the ability of our stockholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum viewed by stockholders as more favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees.
Our charter provides to the fullest extent permitted by law that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or stockholders, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended from time to time, or (iv) any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The choice of forum provision may increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us or our directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions. The exclusive forum provision in our charter will not preclude or contract the scope of exclusive federal or concurrent jurisdiction for actions brought under the federal securities laws including the Exchange Act or the Securities Act or the respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Any of the above risks could have a material adverse effect on your investment in our common stock.
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ITEM 1B THROUGH ITEM 4
ITEM 1B | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C | CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy
We maintain a comprehensive cybersecurity program, including policies and procedures designed to protect our systems, operations, and data. We perform risk assessments on a quarterly basis to identify and remediate potential cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. In connection with our assessment of potential cybersecurity risks, our Information Technology ("IT") team engages in threat modeling, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. For each identified risk, our IT team will estimate the likelihood of occurrence and potential impact, which will guide the Company in assessing and prioritizing risks. We have also implemented a process to evaluate and review potential cybersecurity risks arising from our use of third-party vendors. As part of our vendor engagement protocols, we will consider, among other things, each potential vendor’s data backup procedures, incident reporting protocols and data privacy and encryption practices. Once a new vendor is onboarded, we monitor their cybersecurity posture utilizing a third-party cybersecurity ratings provider.
In addition to our internal exercises to test aspects of our cybersecurity program, we engage independent third parties semi-annually to assess the risks associated with our IT resources and information assets. Among other matters, these third parties analyze information on the interactions of users of our information technology resources, including employees, and conduct penetration tests and scanning exercises to assess the performance of our cybersecurity systems and processes. Annually, we examine our cybersecurity program with these third parties, evaluating its effectiveness in part by considering industry standards and established frameworks, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST"), as guidelines. As a mortgage company, we are also associated with the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council.
For material cybersecurity risks, we’ve developed mitigation plans to reduce the risk’s likelihood of occurrence and/or its expected impact. Such mitigation plans have involved, among other things, implementing additional technology controls or policies, increased training for company personnel or obtaining additional insurance for the identified risk. Our IT team monitors material risks over time and updates the Company’s mitigation plans as appropriate. IT also regularly reports to the leadership team on the status of material risks, mitigation plans and incidents related to such risks.
We also maintain a data breach response plan, which is intended to be aligned with the NIST framework, and which is reviewed annually and conveyed to our team members through our mandatory cybersecurity training. We also retain experienced cybersecurity consultants that can assist us in the event of a serious breach, and maintain a cyber insurance policy.
For a discussion of how risks from cybersecurity threats affect our business, see “Part 1. Item 1A. Risk Factors – Risk Related to our Business – Information technology failures and data security breaches could harm our business” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cybersecurity Governance
Management is responsible for ongoing assessment and oversight of cybersecurity risks that could significantly impact our operations, finances or reputation. This includes identifying information assets and data systems that are
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critical to business functions, determining the vulnerability of those systems to potential cyberattacks, and developing comprehensive protections and response plans.
To fulfill these responsibilities, management relies on IT and cybersecurity leadership who possess specialized expertise in relevant areas. Our cybersecurity team is led by our Chief Information Officer ("CIO"), who has more than 25 years of experience working in information technology, of which more than 20 have been with Taylor Morrison. With over ten years of experience developing cybersecurity programs, the CIO leads security control implementation, risk and compliance monitoring, security tool management, and incident response planning.
Reporting to the CIO, the Director of Information Security possesses expert knowledge in threat modeling and vulnerability testing methodologies. The Director of Information Security leads efforts to build security into all IT processes and procedures to protect against risks related to data leakage, broken authentication, injection flaws, improper encryption, and attacks on other application vulnerabilities.
Supporting the CIO and Director of Information Security is a team of IT Security professionals who collectively hold the following degrees and certifications: Master’s degree in cybersecurity; Certified Information Systems Security Professional; Certified Ethical Hacker; Security +; Microsoft Certified Professional; Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate; and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
Supported by these skilled leaders, management conducts quarterly cyber risk reviews, maintains a cybersecurity risk register, authorizes risk mitigation budgets and activities, and ensures appropriate resources are devoted to protecting against rapidly evolving cyber threats. The Audit Committee and the Board of Directors are also regularly updated on cybersecurity risk assessments, policy changes, significant incidents, and preparedness levels. This enables management to provide oversight, set risk tolerances, and support a comprehensive cybersecurity program that manages material cyber risks to the organization.
The CIO updates the Board of Directors biannually on the state of the cybersecurity program, which includes a discussion of the most important cybersecurity risks facing the Company, an update on notable cybersecurity incidents and recent threats, and a summary of the results of the Company’s recent independent cybersecurity assessments, among other items. In addition, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors receives quarterly cybersecurity updates, which include reports on key cybersecurity metrics, cybersecurity headlines, current risks and mitigation strategies.
ITEM 2 | PROPERTIES
We lease office facilities for our homebuilding and financial services operations. We lease our corporate headquarters, which is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. At December 31, 2023, the lease on this facility covered a space of approximately 25,000 square feet and expires in December 2027. We have approximately 46 other leases for our other division offices and design centers. For information on land owned and controlled by us for use in our homebuilding activities, please refer to Item 1—Business—Business Strategy and Operations — Land and Development Strategies and Note 4—Real Estate Inventory in the Notes to the Consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
ITEM 3 | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The information required with respect to this item can be found under Note 14—Commitments and Contingencies—Legal Proceedings in the Notes to the Consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
ITEM 4 | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Not applicable.
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Part II
40 Item 6. [Reserved]
61 Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
62 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
96 Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
98 Item 9B. Other Information
98 Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
ITEM 5 | MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
The Company lists its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol “TMHC”. On February 21, 2024, the Company had 429 holders of record of our common stock. This does not include the number of stockholders who hold shares in TMHC through banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.
Stock Performance Graph
The following shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or incorporated by reference into any of our other filings under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.
This chart compares the cumulative total return on our common stock with that of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Index (the “S&P 500”) and the Standard & Poor’s Homebuilding Index (the “S&P Homebuilding Index”). The chart assumes $100.00 was invested at the close of market on December 31, 2018, in the common stock of Taylor Morrison Home Corporation, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Homebuilding Index, and assumes the reinvestment of any dividends. The stock price performance on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN AMONG TMHC, THE S&P 500 AND THE S&P HOMEBUILDING INDEX FROM DECEMBER 31, 2018 TO DECEMBER 31, 2023
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Dividends
We currently intend to use our future earnings to develop our business and for working capital needs and general corporate purposes, to fund our growth, to repay debt and possibly to repurchase shares of our common stock, and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. See Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We have not previously declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The Company’s stock repurchase program, allows for repurchases of the Company’s common stock in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other transactions. The stock repurchase program is subject to prevailing market conditions and other considerations, including our liquidity, the terms of our debt instruments, statutory requirements, planned land investment and development spending, acquisition and other investment opportunities and ongoing capital requirements. The program does not require the Company to repurchase any specific number of shares of common stock, and the program may be suspended, extended, modified or discontinued at any time. Our Board of Directors can also increase the amount available for repurchase under the program or extend the program. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 2,814,956 and 14,568,364 shares of common stock, respectively.
The table below represents our share repurchase activity for the quarter ended December 31, 2023:
(in thousands)
(1)
On December 15, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized a $500 million renewal of our stock repurchase program until December 31, 2025. This authorization replaced our prior $500 million repurchase authorization, which was originally announced on May 31, 2022 and scheduled to expire on December 31, 2023.
ITEM 6 | [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7 | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
General Overview
Our principal business is residential homebuilding and the development of lifestyle communities with operations across 11 states. We provide an assortment of homes across a wide range of price points to appeal to an array of consumer groups. We design, build and sell single and multi-family detached and attached homes in traditionally high growth markets for entry level, move-up, and resort lifestyle buyers. We operate under various brand names including Taylor Morrison, Darling Homes Collection by Taylor Morrison, and Esplanade. We also have a “Build-to-Rent” homebuilding business which operates under the Yardly brand name. In addition, we develop and construct multi-use properties consisting of commercial space, retail, and multi-family properties under the Urban Form brand name. We also have operations which provide financial services to customers through our wholly owned mortgage subsidiary, TMHF, title services through our wholly owned title services subsidiary, Inspired Title, and homeowner’s insurance policies through our insurance agency, TMIS. Our business is organized into multiple homebuilding operating components, and a financial services component, all of which are managed as four reportable segments: East, Central, West and Financial Services, as follows:
Central Austin, Dallas, Denver, and Houston
Annual Overview and Business Strategy
We benefit from a well-balanced, diverse mix of our portfolio and operating strategy. We have expanded our market footprint and product positioning through homebuilder acquisitions and smart organic growth and serve a broad range of consumers. We have a dynamic and flexible operating strategy that allows us to serve our consumers and respond to market conditions, community by community to maximize our financial performance. Since interest rates began rising in early 2022, this flexible but prudent approach has driven important shifts in our pricing strategies, financing incentives, starts volume and land investments as we adapted to the changing market environment to minimize risk and recalibrate affordability, while maintaining strong performance metrics including gross margin.
We continuously adjusted pricing across our portfolio based on market conditions to drive sales while also protecting the value of our backlog. Pricing adjustments are utilized in a variety of ways including finance incentives, adjustments to the pricing of lot premiums, and options and upgrades, and in some instances base price adjustments. Each community’s buyer profile mix of adjustments is dependent on its backlog, inventory, duration, and competitive dynamics.
Our balance sheet remained strong for the year ended December 31, 2023, with over $1.8 billion in total liquidity. We believe we have a balanced capital allocation approach and continue to allocate capital and manage our land portfolio to acquire assets that have attractive characteristics, including good access to schools, shopping, recreation and transportation facilities. In connection with our overall land inventory management and investment process, our management team reviews these considerations, as well as other financial metrics, in order to decide the highest and best use of our capital.
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Factors Affecting Comparability of Results
For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized $11.8 million and $24.9 million in inventory impairment charges. Impairment charges are recorded to Cost of home closings or Cost of land closings on the Consolidated statement of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2021, no such impairment charges were incurred.
For the year ended December 31, 2023 we paid a $64.7 million legal settlement relating to an existing claim. The charge was recorded to Other expense, net on the Consolidated statement of operations. No similar substantial charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we recognized $4.2 million, $33.2 million, and $7.6 million in pre-acquisition abandonment charges, respectively. These charges are recorded to Other expense, net on the Consolidated statement of operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized a gain of $14.5 million related to land transferred to unconsolidated joint ventures. This gain is recorded in Other expense, net on the Consolidated statements of operations. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2021, we did not realize such gains.
For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized $0.3 million of loss on extinguishment of debt and a $13.9 million of gain on extinguishment of debt, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we did not incur a gain or loss on extinguishment of debt.
For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 we recognized $17.1 million, $4.8 million, and $9.6 million in insurance losses relating to Beneva Indemnity Company ("Beneva"), respectively. Such losses are included in Other expense, net on the Consolidated statement of operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized $14.7 million of expense relating to the impairment of our investment in one of our unconsolidated joint ventures. This charge is included in Net (income)/loss from unconsolidated entities on the Consolidated statement of operations. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2021, no such impairment charges were incurred.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
General
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, impacting our reported results of operations and financial condition.
Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by management, which have a material impact on the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the recognition of income and expenses. The estimates and assumptions used by management are based on historical experience and other factors, which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The significant accounting policies that management believes are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results are described below.
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Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognized in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The standard’s core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
Home and Land Closings Revenue
Under ASC 606, the following steps are applied to determine home closings revenue and land closings revenue recognition: (1) identify the contract(s) with our customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the performance obligation(s) are satisfied. Our home sales transactions, have one contract, with one performance obligation, with each customer to build and deliver a home (or develop and deliver land). Based on the application of the five steps, the following summarizes the timing and manner of home and land sales revenue:
• Revenue from closings of residential real estate is recognized when the buyer has made the required minimum down payment, obtained necessary financing, the risks and rewards of ownership are transferred to the buyer, and we have no continuing involvement with the property, which is generally upon the close of escrow. Revenue is reported net of any discounts and incentives.
• Revenue from land sales is recognized when a significant down payment is received, title passes and collectability of the receivable, if any, is reasonably assured, and we have no continuing involvement with the property, which is generally upon the close of escrow.
Amenity and Other Revenue
We own and operate certain amenities such as golf courses, club houses, and fitness centers, which require us to provide club members with access to the facilities in exchange for the payment of club dues. We collect club dues and other fees from club members, which are invoiced on a monthly basis. Revenue from our golf club operations is also included in amenity and other revenue. Amenity and other revenue also includes revenue from our Urban Form operations and Build-to-Rent operations.
Financial Services Revenue
Mortgage operations and hedging activity related to financial services are not within the scope of Topic 606 and are recognized at the time the related real estate transactions are completed, usually upon the close of escrow. Generally, the loans TMHF originates are sold to third party investors within a short period of time, on a non-recourse basis. Gains and losses from the sale of mortgages are recognized in accordance with ASC Topic 860-20, Sales of Financial Assets. TMHF generally does not have continuing involvement with the transferred assets; therefore, we derecognize the mortgage loans at time of sale, based on the difference between the selling price and carrying value of the related loans upon sale, recording a gain/loss on sale in the period of sale. Also included in Financial services revenue/expenses is the realized and unrealized gains and losses from hedging instruments. ASC Topic 815-25, Derivatives and Hedging, requires that all hedging instruments be recognized as assets or liabilities on the Balance sheet at their fair value. We do not meet the criteria for hedge accounting; therefore, we account for these instruments as free-standing derivatives, with changes in fair value recognized in Financial services revenue/expenses on the Consolidated statement of operations in the period in which they occur.
Real Estate Inventory Valuation and Costing
Inventory consists of raw land, land under development, homes under construction, completed homes, and model homes, all of which are stated at cost. In addition to direct carrying costs, we also capitalize interest, real estate taxes, and related development costs that benefit the entire community, such as field construction supervision and
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related direct overhead. Vertical construction costs are accumulated and charged to Cost of home closings at the time of home closing using the specific identification method. Land acquisition, development, interest, and real estate taxes are allocated to homes and units generally using the relative sales value method. Generally, all overhead costs relating to our materials procurement process, the vertical construction, and construction utilities are considered overhead costs and are allocated on a per unit basis. These costs are capitalized to inventory from the point development begins to the point construction is completed. Changes in estimated costs to be incurred in a community are generally allocated to the remaining lots on a prospective basis. For those communities that have been temporarily closed or development has been discontinued, we do not allocate interest or other costs to the community’s inventory until activity resumes. Such costs are expensed as incurred.
The life cycle of the community generally ranges from two to five years, commencing with the acquisition of unentitled or entitled land, continuing through the land development phase and concluding with the sale, construction and delivery of homes. Actual community lives will vary based on the size of the community, the sales absorption rate and whether we purchased the property as raw land or as finished lots.
We capitalize qualifying interest costs to inventory during the development and construction periods. Capitalized interest is charged to Cost of home closings when the related inventory is charged to Cost of home closings.
We assess the recoverability of our inventory in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment. We review our real estate inventory for indicators of impairment on a community-level basis during each reporting period. If indicators of impairment are present for a community, an undiscounted cash flow analysis is generally prepared in order to determine if the carrying value of the assets in that community exceeds the estimated undiscounted cash flows. Generally, if the carrying value of the assets exceeds their estimated undiscounted cash flows, the assets are potentially impaired, requiring a fair value analysis. Our determination of fair value is primarily based on a discounted cash flow model which includes projections and estimates relating to sales prices, construction costs, sales pace, and other factors. However, fair value can be determined through other methods, such as appraisals, contractual purchase offers, and other third party opinions of value. Changes in these expectations may lead to a change in the outcome of our impairment analysis, and actual results may also differ from our assumptions.
In certain cases, we may elect to cease development and/or marketing of an existing community if we believe the economic performance of the community would be maximized by deferring development for a period of time to allow for market conditions to improve. We refer to such communities as long-term strategic assets. The decision may be based on financial and/or operational metrics as determined by us. For those communities that have been temporarily closed or development has been discontinued, we do not allocate interest or other costs to the community’s inventory until activity resumes and such costs are expensed as incurred. If we decide to cease development, we will evaluate the project for impairment and then cease future development and marketing activity until such a time when we believe that market conditions have improved and economic performance can be maximized. Our assessment of the carrying value of our long-term strategic assets typically includes subjective estimates of future performance, including the timing of when development will recommence, the type of product to be offered, and the margin to be realized. In the future, some of these inactive communities may be re-opened while others may be sold.
In the ordinary course of business, we enter into land purchase agreements with various sellers to acquire lots. Real estate not owned under these agreements is reflected in Consolidated real estate not owned with a corresponding liability in Liabilities attributable to consolidated real estate not owned in the Consolidated balance sheets. As a method of acquiring land in staged takedowns, while limiting risk and minimizing the use of funds from our available cash or other financing sources, we may transfer our right under certain specific performance agreements to entities owned by third parties (“land banking arrangements”). These entities use equity contributions from their owners and/or incur debt to finance the acquisition and development of the land. We incur interest expense on these arrangements. Interest is based on remaining lots to be purchased and is capitalized for the percentage of lots in each project actively under development, with the remainder expensed and included in Interest (income)/expense,
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net on the Consolidated statement of operations. The entities grant us an option to acquire lots in staged takedowns in return for a non-significant, non-refundable cash deposit. We are not legally obligated to purchase the lots, but would forfeit any existing deposits and could be subject to financial and other penalties if the lots are not purchased. We do not have an ownership interest in these entities or title to their assets and do not guarantee their liabilities. As such, these entities are not consolidated. These land banking arrangements help us manage the financial and market risk associated with land holdings.