The Edmond Sun

Opinion

October 19, 2009

Home builders focus on affordability in 20 communities

EDMOND — The late management theorist Peter Drucker once observed that every time you see a successful business you should realize that someone made a courageous decision when it was founded. And such a decision was made in Oklahoma in 1981 by two brothers, Jalal and Mohammed Farzaneh, who had emigrated to the Sooner state from Iran. In that year they started the Home Creations construction company that has allowed many Oklahomans of modest means to become homeowners.

Jalal Farzaneh, the elder of the two brothers, reports that he and his brother realized when they started their company that there was a need for moderately priced homes in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

In keeping with that objective, Home Creations has been hosting seminars at its show homes throughout the area in which prospective first-time home buyers are advised on how they can avail themselves of the $8,000 federal tax credit. Farzaneh says he and his brother realized that the purchase of a home is one of the major decisions made in the lives of their customers. Since the founding of their company they have worked with mortgage companies and related entities to ensure that those who purchase homes from them get the best deal possible. They also set up a customer care warranty center for purchasers to contact in the event they find any flaws in their homes. From a modest beginning in Moore, that company now is constructing homes in more than 20 sites in Oklahoma, including Edmond, Lawton, Midwest City, Broken Arrow and Tulsa.

The elder Farzeneh speaks with pride about the community support his company has become known for. Home Creations has participated in the Central Oklahoma Habitat For Humanity building blitz that resulted in the construction of a new home in five days time, and also has partnered with several schools in Moore to assist in offering greater educational opportunities for their students. The company also has worked with Tinker Air Force Base to support a summer reading program for the children of the Air Force personnel assigned to that facility.

Christopher Wren was the architect who designed many of the buildings in London after that city was destroyed by the great fire of 1666. He is buried in the nave of one of the structures that he designed, St. Paul’s Cathedral, in central London. On his tombstone is a Latin inscription that translates into English as, “If you seek his monument, look all around you.” And the memorial to the two Farzaneh brothers who left their home in Iran to seek a new life in Oklahoma may be the thousands of Oklahomans who were able to enjoy the benefits of home ownership as a result of the company they founded.

WILLIAM F. O’BRIEN is an Oklahoma City attorney.

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