WITH THE ECONOMY EXPANDING at 02 pe...

WITH THE ECONOMY EXPANDING at 02 percent and fourth-quarter earnings product of nearly 28 percent intended by Raymond James & Associates for six of the top 12 largest household builders--Pulte, Centex, Lennar, Ryland, Toll Brothers, and Crossmann--2001 clos trending up and set ins the record books as the best-ever year for the nation's hearth building industry.

Surging sales have left many of the nation's largest to one's home builders flush with cash and actively searching to acquire medium-sized abode builders while other housing titans are look forward toed to pull off bigger merger like Beazer's latter deal to buy ...