D.R. Horton, one of the nation's largest home builders with six tracts in the central San Joaquin Valley, is undergoing some internal shifts. Not too surprising, considering how badly new homes are selling.

The company has apparently shifted some functions from Fresno to Southern California. A sign on the office door at River Park says its temporarily closed. A call to corporate in Texas elicited an e-mail response. Here's a portion: "Our Fresno sales, construction and customer service will continue to be managed locally, while certain support functions will now be handled by our LA Ventura division office."

Horton's a fairly large player in the area, accounting for 7% of the market share, according to Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, which tracks new-home activity. Many home builders and related companies, such as title, finance and real estate firms, have cut back in this downturn. In addition, companies are putting excess land up for sale, providing buying opportunies for investment firms and other builders stockpiling for the future.

Anyway, here's the link to Horton's response to my questions about the apparent downsizing in Fresno.
If you hear more, let me know