Editor’s note: This edition of Built for This is part of HousingWire’s ongoing exploration of homebuilding leaders and companies that are enhancing their operations in a challenging housing market. View Homes CEO Natasha Gandhi will join Signature Homes chairman Dwight Sandlin and National HomeCorp executive chairman Wade Jurney on the CEO Power Panel at the HousingWire Homebuilder Summit, taking place from October 19–21 in Dallas.
Homebuilders often find that there’s no perfect time for a business overhaul.
The process cannot halt sales, construction, land development, or customer obligations while a new CEO initiates changes in leadership, revises roles, standardizes procedures, updates technology, and determines which assets should propel the company forward.
When Natasha Gandhi stepped into the role of CEO of View Homes in March, she recognized much of this transformative work lay ahead. Now, halfway through her tenure—amid continued soft demand for new homes and affordability challenges for buyers—Gandhi has come to an unexpected realization regarding timing.
She believes that tackling these issues now is preferable.
“I would have had to do this regardless of the market conditions: whether good, great, or bad,” Gandhi explained. “I prefer to take action now, when the market is slow, rather than during a busier time when we might miss opportunities.”
In essence, View Homes is not simply enduring the downturn; Gandhi views it as an opportunity to reshape the organization so that it can manage significantly more business when demand rebounds.
Gandhi’s perspective aligns with a central theme we’ve been discussing in this Built for This series: Homebuilders have limited influence over mortgage rates, consumer confidence, material costs, land prices, or economic trends.
However, they do have control over how they organize their operations to navigate whatever challenges arise. For Gandhi, this means focusing on building a capable organization and fostering a smart operational culture right now.
From Family Business to Scalable Builder
View Homes isn’t a turnaround in the traditional sense. The company has been constructing homes for 35 years and was once ranked among the top 35 builders in the country. Last October, Hunt Companies acquired full ownership with the goal of expanding View into a larger regional enterprise. Gandhi was brought on board through a nationwide CEO search to lead this next phase.
However, what she discovered was fundamentally a loose conglomeration of entrepreneurial franchises, reminiscent of its family-owned past.
“The company has been thriving for 35 years,” Gandhi remarked. “There’s a solid foundation here, but it’s not structured to move to the next level.”
Her approach centers around establishing accountability and consistency. Different divisions had adopted unique operating methods, leading to inadequate reporting. Gandhi raised concerns over the validity of some data accessible to managers, and the enterprise-level technology lacked the necessary investment to facilitate the growth Hunt and she envision.
View Homes, at this point, is in a stabilization phase. This involves restructuring corporate leadership and making adjustments among division heads, middle management, and field employees. It also necessitates implementing standardized processes where varied practices had built up over time and clearly defining ownership of outcomes and performance metrics.
“It involves all levels of leadership,” Gandhi noted regarding this effort. “I have assembled a new corporate team.”
A company looking to expand into multiple markets needs to establish standard operations—not for the sake of uniformity, but to ensure coherence so that five divisions don’t operate as five separate entities.
At the same time, Gandhi intends to preserve the local insight that a regional builder requires. Her strategy is to establish operating parameters that allow for swift decision-making within those guidelines.
This distinction is evident even in the home sales process. Previously, she stated, sales representatives could access a pool of incentives and exercise significant freedom in their usage, often without adequate awareness of the impact on margins. The shift is toward a more structured system where the buyer’s situation, competitive landscape, and proposed offers are considered before management approves concessions.
While there are limitations, Gandhi believes that individuals can remain “flexible and agile within established frameworks.” This exemplifies scalable operational discipline in action—the aim is not to eliminate decisions but to enhance their quality and consistency.
Leverage Weak Market Conditions
It’s somewhat ironic that View is implementing these changes during this time. Navigating transitions in leadership, systems, and expectations is already challenging; doing so while competing vigorously for sales in a tough market adds another layer of complexity. Yet, Gandhi sees a strategic advantage in this.
A thriving market would create different pressures on the organization—any flaws in the operational framework could become costly as sales surged. The company might find itself overwhelmed with business that its systems and personnel were unprepared to handle.
“This is the ideal time for us to rebuild our organization,” Gandhi asserts, “given the current market conditions. We need to be poised for success when the market rebounds. In a booming environment, we would risk losing significant market share because we’re not ready for that next level of growth.”
The softer labor market has also opened new doors. Gandhi mentioned that View has been able to attract experienced talent who would have otherwise had more options during a stronger housing cycle.
Hunt’s ownership further alters the equation. While View remains a regional private builder, it operates within a larger real estate firm that views the investment horizon as long-term. Gandhi describes Hunt’s capital as patient, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for future market conditions.
“Their sole guidance is that when the market comes back, we need to be ready,” she states. Patient capital allows for breathing room but recognizes that this time must be used effectively. This is the challenge Gandhi has embraced.
Address Past Issues While Planning for the Future
Transforming the organization does not absolve View Homes from dealing with the existing economic realities on its balance sheet. Gandhi notes that the company has legacy assets unlikely to provide attractive long-term returns. She urges the executive team to address these assets promptly rather than cling to an aspirational margin while incurring costs for completed homes. This may involve accepting lower margins on some homes and even losses on others.
“We’re not aiming to give these assets away,” she clarifies. “We’re not conducting any fire sales, but we seek a balanced approach.” View intends to replace outdated investments with more strategic ones moving forward.
“Our focus is on making selective and strategic investments,” Gandhi affirms. “We’re not just acquiring land for the sake of filling our pipeline; that’s not necessary.”
New land must function effectively as an investment, even if market conditions worsen. The distinction between legacy assets and fresh investment strategies is critical. A common misstep during downturns is to let older issues dictate future decisions.
View is focused on resolving current challenges while establishing higher standards for future opportunities. A similar assessment is taking place regarding product offerings. Gandhi and her team are reviewing View’s plans to identify revenue-generating and non-revenue-generating areas. While first-time buyers remain vital in certain markets, there’s a recognition of growth potential among move-up and second-move-up buyers, especially in Colorado. The team is collaborating with architects on new product series for upcoming communities.
Ultimately, the overhaul of operations, land strategy, and product development converge around a central question: Who is View Homes as a company? What is its vision moving forward? Specifically, what business does View want to be positioned to scale?
Rebuilding Core Operations
Technology plays a pivotal role in this vision, but Gandhi is deliberately avoiding the impulse to rush into acquiring the latest tech solution and label it as transformation. View is assessing its entire technology landscape, which includes CRM systems, financial processes, and the broader enterprise technology stack. Gandhi acknowledges that the existing technology is inadequate for supporting the anticipated growth of the company.
Instead of hastily implementing replacements, the organization is conducting a thorough examination of its current systems, its needs, and how different components should be integrated. Once the comprehensive review is completed, Gandhi anticipates that implementation will take 12 to 18 months.
“We are diligently diagnosing our current state and identifying where we want to go,” she says.
Should View commence a 12-to-18-month technology implementation during today’s weaker market, much of this groundwork could align with the timeline for when Gandhi plans to position the company for accelerated growth. AI will be a consideration in this planning as well. Gandhi aims for the chosen enterprise systems to integrate AI capabilities as they develop, but AI is not the central focus of the transformation.
Technology must align with clear business accountability, improved information flow, and standardized processes that are already being established within the company. Otherwise, a builder risks significant investment into automating inconsistencies.
Never Neglect the Fundamentals
With over two decades of experience in homebuilding, Gandhi often confronts a recurring sentiment that arises during challenging market phases: the call to return to basics.
“I believe we should never stray from the fundamentals,” she asserts. “Deviating from the basics isn’t an option.”
In booming markets, it’s easier to forget these principles. Rising prices and high demand can obscure process deficiencies, hasty decisions, and costs that become evident in tougher circumstances.
“In flourishing markets, the temptation is to divert from foundational practices,” Gandhi notes. “We might cut corners.”
Her vision for View centers around fostering a results-driven culture composed of individuals who understand the industry, embrace accountability, and are eager for growth.
In contrast, CEO Dwight Sandlin from HousingWire Homebuilder Summit can draw on a well-honed operating system at Signature Homes. Sandlin’s company relies on years of accumulated best practices including customer research, real-time information, construction efficiency, cost controls, product discipline, and accountability. For instance, Signature’s 100-day construction cycle is a testament to its commitment to continuous improvement in building processes.
Gandhi is starting from a different foundation, seeking to implement more of the necessary organizational framework to support the next stage of growth for this successful 35-year-old builder.
While Signature Homes illustrates the outcomes of long-established operating discipline, View Homes exemplifies what it takes to build that foundation while still moving forward.
“Change, in any context, is challenging,” she states, especially amid a difficult market. “It brings a great deal of uncertainty.”
However, waiting for the uncertainty to dissipate could undermine the very objective.
