Orlando Business Journal: Canadian homebuilder plans Orlando expansion

Canadian homebuilder Alair Homes is now poised to bring its unique new approach to homebuilding to the U.S. by targeting Orlando as a key growth market. The British Columbia-based brand, which also dabbles in residential and commercial contracting, plans to expand its U.S. presence by franchising and wants to sign new franchisees in greater Orlando, said Blair McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Alair Homes.

Alair Homes offers homebuilders more transparency than ever with its proprietary software that can be utilized to put project management, photo sharing and progress reporting at a homebuyer's fingertips.

"We translate real-time costs every day by 5 p.m. [The buyers] make decisions on where their dollars are spend and get to watch a live budget online," McDaniels told Orlando Business Journal.

McDaniel said Alair's franchising concept offers a support system and buying power from all 52 offices nationwide, giving franchisees a leg up from the standalone companies. By franchising with Alair Homes, franchisees can focus on building and designing homes while the company gives support on marketing, sales and operations.

“Given the success in the last year in the Arizona market, which has a lot of parallels to the Florida market after the downturn, we’re excited to come into a market that is changing dramatically,” McDaniel said.