You've heard this story before.
Father owns a company and son is around it so often that he decides he wants to follow in his dad's footsteps.This scenario fits Dan Nixon, who, along with wife Kathy, owns New Tradition Homes, a company operating out of Nixon's home in Ogden building custom homes from Brigham City to Layton.
Now 30 years old, Nixon said he started working for his father, Jack Nixon, a Logan developer and builder, at age 11 and by the ripe old age of 13 was framing houses, a job that continued through high school.
Nixon, whose youthful appearance could qualify him for another go around in high school, said that rather than take shop classes he took classes in financing and typing, classes that attracted mostly girls. He was preparing for his life's work rather than turning out some wood or metal projects and obtained his real estate license at 18, the minimum age for such an endeavor.
"I wanted to be like my father and be in the same business," he said, standing on the front porch of his latest custom home, a gorgeous creation for the recent Weber Basin Home Builders Association Parade of Homes. "But I am also independent and want to be on my own."
After high school, Nixon served a mission in New York for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then went to Utah State University. The Logan native sold real estate during his college days and graduated in 1985 with a degree in finance and a minor is economics.
In 1985 he moved to Ogden and developed and built 80 homes, including the one in which he lives. "I really had to learn the building business including obtaining zoning changes and making sales because I didn't use Realtors. I had plenty of responsibility on my shoulders," he said.
Late in 1988 Nixon obtained his contractor's license and started his own business, New Tradition Homes, but retained some contact with his father in housing development. He still is involved with his father's business on a limited basis.
So far, Nixon has constructed 25 homes, the first in the $100,000 to $150,000 range, but lately has gotten into the $130,000 to $400,000 range.
In 1985, shortly after moving to Ogden, Nixon got involved in the Weber Basin Home Builders Association and this year is president. This is the third year he has built a home for the association's Parade of Homes, which featured six custom houses in the $170,000 to $260,000 range at 200 S. 1950 East.
Nixon has no employees, preferring to use subcontractors for every phase of the building. The bulk of his time is spent with buyers and coordinating the subcontractors so the work goes smoothly and deadlines are met.
He builds some houses on speculation, more than most builders, he said, but that gives him the freedom to design a home with the features that he wants. And because there are many 30-to-40-year-olds coming into the custom home market, Nixon feels that his age is an advantage because he talks their language.
Like other builders, Nixon finds that custom-home buyers these days want large master bedrooms with large bathrooms. They also like formal dining rooms and houses with a variety of angles and not the square boxey look.
Buyers are very sophisticated these days, Nixon said, and "they really know what they want."
One of the things they want is unusual-shaped windows. Nixon said aluminum windows are losing out in the price range of houses he offers and wooden windows are too expensive. Vinyl windows that look a lot like wood are the most popular compromise.
"The key to my success has been to maintain a direct contact with the buyer and keep them happy. Sometimes it costs me money, but I do whatever it takes to make them happy," he said.