According to HousingWire, National Home Corp. is demonstrating a focused approach to entry-level homebuilding that emphasizes disciplined execution over complexity. The company, which was co-founded in late 2021, recently achieved approximately 18% gross margins while maintaining on-plan closings and exceeding planned starts. Under the leadership of CEO Michael Bergman, who stepped into the role at the beginning of this year, the builder is pursuing an ambitious growth trajectory while maintaining operational discipline.
The company's operating model centers on simplicity and efficiency. National Home Corp. purchases finished lots, builds standardized floor plans repeatedly, and maintains a spec construction approach with minimal buyer options. This deliberate repetition applies to materials purchasing as well, using consistent concrete, windows, doors, and roofing supplies across communities. The philosophy reflects founder Wade Jurney's long-standing approach to homebuilding, which prioritizes affordability by working backward from what entry-level households can actually afford to pay rather than building first and pricing second.
Bergman's strategic focus is on scaling production through what he calls "stability and immersion." The company closed 550 homes in 2025 after hitting 747 closings the year prior, which represented a market-driven step backward. However, Bergman's early tenure as CEO has produced results above plan across key metrics. In the first quarter of this year, the company started 23 more homes than planned and generated 100 net sales above projections. The second quarter saw an additional 107 starts above plan, demonstrating consistent operational momentum despite challenging market conditions.
The company is now targeting approximately 1,200 homes under active construction by year-end, which Bergman suggests could theoretically support between 1,500 to 1,800 closings in 2027 depending on market conditions and operational capacity. This represents significant growth from the 800 homes Bergman expects to close this year, which itself is a 45% increase from 2025. Bergman acknowledges that managing this scaling presents real operational challenges and requires his leadership team to "break through different barriers" as the organization grows.
What I am seeing locally in the Bay Area and East Bay is that this kind of disciplined, back-to-basics approach to entry-level building makes real sense for our market right now. Too many builders have been chasing margin rather than volume, and that's priced working families out of new construction. If National Home Corp. or others apply this model here, focusing on what actual buyers can afford and removing unnecessary complexity from the building process, they could help address some of the undersupply issues we're facing in Fremont and surrounding communities. The affordability challenge in our region demands exactly this kind of thinking.
