For the past five years, to this day, an 800-pound gorilla has taken a seat at the table in every meeting. Taylor Morrison meeting room in each office of the organization. From the headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, to the three national operating regions, to the division centers in 20 markets in 12 states, to the sales centers in 345 actively selling neighborhoods, that gorilla is physically present in the room – in all those conference rooms that involve Taylor Morrison’s approximately 3,000 team members.
That 300-pound gorilla is, in Taylor Morrison’s case, disguised as an approximately 18-inch tall, impossible-to-not-love plush teddy bear.
“When we introduced our ‘love the customer’ initiative internally five years ago, what we did, I know this may sound strange, was to have this bear in all of our meeting rooms across the country,” says Sheryl Palmer. “We don’t want our people to ever forget that the voice of the customer needs to be at the table, right? We can sit here and talk about the business and make financial decisions, and we should always do that, underlined by a good understanding of what our customers want. It’s a silly metaphor, but it’s a daily reminder for our teams.”
Ernest Hemingway is said to have said, “The best way to know if you can trust someone is to trust them.” Hemingway’s quote addresses the most important thing about trust, which is that the verb form, “trust,” is essential to its meaning, period.
Trust: an action word
Trust is not a badge – like one Good cleaning seal – and it’s not something that just happens either. Trust is a two-way action, and only comes about when someone clearly says what they are going to do and clearly does what they say they are going to do. Repeatedly. Trustworthy. Predictable. Without hesitation.
Earning evidence-based recognition as the “Most Trusted” Home Building Organization is ever an honor that signals a company’s commitment and investment to stand out and clearly say what it’s going to do and clearly do what it says it’s going to do.
Earning that distinction eleven years in a row is something else entirely, echoing what homebuilding strategy legend Larry Webb would call a key operational driver for any company looking to succeed in the homebuilding business.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘Who are we as a company?’” Webb urges fellow homebuilders. “And you have to ask yourself who you want to be.”
That 2026 marks the 11the the year in a row that Lifestory Research’s annual consumer and homebuyer survey concluded that Taylor Morrison ranks first among single-family homebuilders, providing an unequivocal answer to both of these questions.
“This is no longer just a moment of happiness,” says Sheryl Palmer The builder’s newspaper. “This is part of who we are and our legacy. Eleven years is a long time. When I sent a video to my team to announce it on Tuesday morning, I emphasized how long eleven years is. Our children go to kindergarten and reach high school in eleven years. Think of all the high-tech fads that come and go in eleven years. That adds up to a long time. From this honor alone, it has shifted to who we are and how we operate, which allows us to deliver results for our shareholders. And, if you don’t I don’t think you can succeed financially. I think we start with who we are, how we treat each other, what’s important to our customers and to us, what’s important to the quality of our communities, and recognizing the impact we have on people’s lives. When they buy a home, it’s more than just an investment.
Reliability is never just a “how did we get here” steady state. Because it’s always about continuing to practice and improve through the up-and-down cycles of housing construction, through policy turbulence and uncertainty, and through the increasing pressures of cost-of-living challenges.
“In good and bad markets, I think trust is something that customers would highly value in the organization, and that starts internally,” says Palmer. “It is especially important in a market where stress can be greater. Not everything goes as planned, but how we respect and trust each other is where it starts.”
Why Taylor Morrison’s 11-year streak matters now
In a market flooded with options and driven by pricing, incentives and amenities, Lifestory Research trusts America’s Most Trusted® Home Builder Study centers as a differentiator that survives cycles. In 2026, Taylor Morrison achieved a Net Trust Quotient Score of 115.7: the highest ever for the brand, and the highest score in the entire residential construction category.
There is more than sentiment behind the number. It reflects thousands of systems, behaviors, and choices that team members make every day. The company’s internal rallying cry of ‘Love the Customer’ continues to shape products, policies and practices, helping the company meet the increasing expectations of digitally fluent, trust-sensitive consumers and of business and channel partners drawn to a builder-of-choice.
“Trust is simply embedded in everything we do,” says Palmer. “Yes, it’s hard work, but I think this is the way we work. It’s really in the DNA of the organization. You’ve heard me talk about our No Asshole Rule and the important role of everyone within the organization. If that is properly respected, it becomes a natural habit for our customers.”
That kind of trust – both inward and outward – has a direct business impact. This year, Taylor Morrison recorded the highest year-over-year increase in trust scores, and active adult brand Esplanade also rose in the rankings. The message? Trust connections.
Operationalizing trust in a digital world
Palmer points to Taylor Morrison’s digital innovations – from reservation systems to AI-powered chatbots – as evidence that trust and technology must evolve together.
“We build that trust with people through our website, through interactions and through phone calls,” she says. “A high percentage of buyers never visit a community in person before making a deposit, so there needs to be trust from the very first click.”
She describes how 40% of buyers deposit money online, and 40% of them have never physically stepped into a model home. That invisible decision-making arc—enabled by consistent digital messaging, seamless customer service, and responsive tools—requires a deep commitment to data-driven empathy and clarity.
“We’ve been training our chatbot for over a year to answer questions, not just about Taylor Morrison, but about communities, home buying, neighborhoods – everything,” she says. “That’s where trust lives now. In those moments. On that screen. In that tone.”
Shared trust across the ecosystem
In Taylor Morrison’s case, trust is not something limited to sales, marketing or even customer service. It is embedded in land transactions, construction planning, zoning discussions and even communications with investors. The company’s internal mantra – reflected in the customer’s teddy bear mascot – is that every decision, even those that seem operational or financial, must pass through the filter of “what does the customer need?”
That level of cultural integration is not accidental. It has been designed, maintained and revisited.
“We spend a full day with our board on innovation and how it is part of the way we do business,” Palmer said. “But we don’t do it just to check a box or say we’re using AI. We do it to understand and respond to customer needs. All of these things (the research, the design, the care) build trust.”
A parallel lesson from Trilogy by Shea Homes
Taylor Morrison’s eleven-year series finds a similar benchmark in Trilogy, Shea Huizen‘ resort lifestyle brand, which took the top spot in the Active Adults category for the 14th year in a row. The Net Trust Index score of 117.2 was the highest in the entire study, across all segments.
“It’s true that people don’t always remember what you said or did, but they do remember how you made them feel,” said trilogy president Jeff McQueen. “Our entire team leads with heart.”
Like Taylor Morrison, Trilogy has embedded empathy and consistency at every touchpoint in the construction cycle – from web interactions to in-person experiences in the boutique and resort-level communities. And like Taylor Morrison, they see trust not as a marketing message, but as a way of doing business.
Trust as the ultimate long game
Taylor Morrison’s repeated distinction isn’t just about outperforming peers, it’s about embedding a customer-centric mindset deep into the operating core.
“There is no description I would like more than ‘our customers trust us,’” Palmer says. “That’s what matters to our team members. That’s what we’re proud of. And that’s what drives results.”
For homebuilding strategists watching these rankings from the sidelines, the message is clear: Trust isn’t earned with slogans or surveys. It is built by making tough decisions with the customer in mind, aligning internal cultures around mutual respect, and adapting – thoughtfully and continuously – to the changing ways people search for, buy and live in homes.
In other words, trust is not an inheritance. It is a living strategy.
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