Richard Dugas
Analyst · JP Morgan
Thanks, Bob. As you would expect from our opening comments that demand remains relatively stable, we haven't seen dramatic changes in business conditions on a local market level. Again, appreciating the context that overall volumes are low and markets competitive, let me provide some additional comments about market conditions before opening the call to questions. On a year-over-year basis, sign-ups in our East area were up 3%, with continued strength in the greater Washington D.C., Northern Virginia market and continuing North into Pennsylvania, Delaware Valley and New York, New Jersey metro areas. South into Tennessee, the Carolinas and Georgia were down slightly to last year, but the weakness was found primarily in April, so this looks to be tax-credit related in comparing against 2010. Our Gulf Coast operations recorded a 14% increase in sign-ups, with good demand throughout Florida and Texas. Through the first half of 2011, we have been pleasantly surprised by the overall strength in Florida relative to expectations, although we still sense it may be more related to our company's specific land positions than a general market recovery. Our newly configured West area continue to face difficult demand conditions, with sign-ups down 12%. Strong demand in smaller Midwest and Pacific Northwest markets couldn't offset ongoing weakness in California and Arizona. Again, much of the year-over-year decline was driven by April's results and last year's tax credit. Beyond that dynamic, demand across most of the markets was fairly stable through the quarter. Having the business showing clear signs of stability is certainly a positive, but I think we all recognize that the broader economy has to rally in order for demand to realize a meaningful recovery. Until this happens, we can continue to improve the fundamentals of our business to deliver better margins. One example of our efforts in this area is the development of innovative new floor plans designed to better meet the needs of our first-time Centex homebuyers. These plans, which are being piloted in select communities, have been redesigned from the ground up, with an eye toward cutting per square foot cost by as much as 15% to 25% depending on the local market. As important, they have been consumer tested to help ensure acceptance by the buyer segment. We believe the improved value these houses offer, combined with new selling centers we're developing, will enhance Centex's market position while improving our overall financial results. Success with these new designs and all our efforts can only be realized through the sustained work of our employees. I want to thank them for their efforts on our behalf. Their work is directly responsible for keeping our customers delighted and for helping to rebuild the financial performance of this company. Now let me turn the call back to Jim Zeumer. Jim?