Darcy Baylis- Owner Builder

 

In 1991, I graduated from The University of Texas with a B.S in Applied Learning and Development and worked as a special needs teacher for 6 years in Pflugerville ISD and Eanes ISD.

During my last couple of years of teaching, I hired a builder to construct a house for me. It was at this time that my father suggested that I sub it all out myself, but I didn’t think it was possible since I was working full-time and didn’t have any experience in the building industry.

 

After going through the homebuilding process with this builder, I realized that I was indeed capable and that it was just a matter of being organized and managing a project well. I purchased a book about homebuilding and bought 3 lots across the street from my newly built home. My dad financed my first spec house on these lots and acted as the on-site supervisor since I was still teaching full-time. My first house sold in January of 1999.

 

The following year, while still teaching, I built and sold my second spec house. After that success, I decided to go into homebuilding full-time building. In order to do that, I sold my new house that I had lived in for 2 years for a good profit. I then moved into an inexpensive rental until I was certain that my business plan was solid and it would be profitable.

 

Although my business was profitable over the years, starting about 2007, my then husband and I started to concentrate a little more on his business since I was mostly staying home with our three children. Unfortunately, in 2012 we went through a divorce which caused financial hardship in the following years. It has taken some time to recover.

 

In May of 2014, I sold my personal home, which was built under the direction of Aubrey Homes. Since it was my personal house, it didn’t go through the Aubrey Homes financials. However, I made a significant profit and used some of it to pay off all of the debt related to my divorce.

 

            It was also in 2014 that I used my time to build a new single story home for my aging parents.Now that my youngest child is in school, I am ready to grow my business. My vision for the future of Aubrey Homes is to build larger higher end homes (2100 sq. ft. +) than I have in the past and to grow my business bigger than it has ever been before. I would like to be able to employ several other people and be a pillar in the Lake Travis area community. As a woman owned company in a male dominated industry, I believe that I have the ability to reach an untapped demographic using a “woman-centric” approach.

 

 I am a current member of the Greater Austin Home Builders Association. In 2014, I was a Max award winner for my work on a house that I built in Briarcliff. This year, Janet Hobbs, owner of Hobbs Ink, and I will be entering my parents’ house in the Max awards.

 

            Another reason why I want to grow Aubrey Homes is to have a philanthropic impact in my community as well as the world. In 2015, I have made it my mission to help support two different humanitarian efforts. The first is SafePlace which is a shelter for men and women involved in domestic violence, sexual assault, and abusive situations. The second is called The Last Well. They are a Christian-based missions group whose goal is to provide clean water, through the drilling of new wells, to the entire nation of Liberia by the year 2020. Each time I sell a house in 2015 a portion of the profits will go to each charity.

 

As Aubrey Homes continues to grow, I look forward to building a long lasting relationship with Anthem Bank and Trust which will be mutually beneficial for years to come.

 

fromdarcy@aubreyhomesinc.com