Originally published on June 12.
The family behind Yorba Linda-based HomeQuest is all about scouting opportunities.
The company got its start in 1998 with Jim Joffe, who saw the opportunity to better service existing residents of mobile home parks and RV resorts, and started a property management business to serve the entire state of California.
That niche has evolved, with HomeQuest becoming one of the largest retailer of manufactured homes in the western U.S., selling homes to a diverse customer base: from Section 8 housing participants, to those looking for a vacation home on the coast, to those jumping on the tiny-house and accessory dwelling units (ADU) bandwagon.
At the helm now is Jim Joffe’s son, Shane Joffe, who wants to help reshape the way people think about manufactured homes, both inside and outside of the industry.
“Our industry previously had a lot of stigma surrounding it, and it was also a bit old school in the way business was handled,” Shane Joffe told the Business Journal.
“My family is all about integrating new practices that helps our business and improves the customer experience.”
HomeQuest was one of five companies honored at the Business Journal’s 2023 Family-Owned Business Awards held on May 31 at the Irvine Marriott. With 13 employees, it won in the small business category.
Other family members in the business include Shane’s brother, Kyle Joffe, and Shane’s wife, Marina, who handles sales for the company.
“This is just the beginning,” Shane Joffe said when accepting the award along with his family members.
New Sales Doubling
The company partners with about seven different prefabricated home manufacturers to sell new homes ranging in size from 800 square feet to 1,200 square feet, and in price from $115,000 for smaller units within mobile parks to $225,000 for larger homes on private land.
It also sells ADU’s for existing properties; those range between 400 square feet and 800 square feet.
“The pandemic limited us in terms of how much business we could do with manufacturers experiencing supply chain and labor issues, but we’re now on track to double our new home sales this year from 2022,” Joffe said.
The firm expects to sell between 75 and 100 new homes this year as the business line grows in popularity among consumers, and the stigma surrounding manufactured homes dissipates.
Resales
A large portion of HomeQuest’s business includes resales, in which it sells existing manufactured homes on behalf of customers.
The company owns or manages about 160 mobile home parks and RV resorts across the western U.S., with a bulk of the portfolio in California. It has about 20,000 residents across these communities.
Parks in Orange County include numerous spots in Huntington Beach, Orange, and Lake Forest, according to the company’s website. For Lake Forest, the company notes that Zillow data shows that the average home for sale in the city is listed at nearly $750,000.
The average mobile home for sale in Lake Forest sells for less than $200,000 in some communities, it says.
Among pricier resales in the area, a spot in Irvine’s Meadows Senior Community is currently under contract for nearly $330,000.
Green Boost
“Our business has always been popular among mobile parks and leased land, but now the stigma of the industry is changing, and landowners are realizing that it’s a much easier and affordable way to build a home, and it’s a much greener process,” Joffe said.
The company’s manufacturing partners, such as Silvercrest Homes and Fleetwood Homes, build the homes within a controlled environment on an assembly line, limiting the release of chemicals into the atmosphere, and all the materials are used or recycled on site, according to the company.
“In single-family construction, leftover materials like wood are often thrown in the trash, whereas our manufacturers are able to recycle any leftover materials,” Joffe said.
In addition to boosting the private land business segment, Joffe has been implementing new technology strategies, such as new software programs and virtual tours, to make the homebuying process easier for customers.
“Our industry still uses carbon copies,” Joffe said. “We’re interested in updating the standard and making the experience more enjoyable for customers.”
Giving Back
The company is also interested in improving the communities it operates in.
It has partnered with Habitat for Humanity over the past several years, and every holiday season it works with the Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation to adopt families in need.
In 2022, HomeQuest partnered with its community owner clients to donate nearly $100,000 in gifts to families, and has donated nearly half a million dollars in gifts and rent assistance to its community members over the past decade.
