The 41-year-old Colorado firm posted 2000 calendar revenue of $138 million and closed on 354 homes last year. Sanford currently owns or controls through option contracts about 1,600 buildable lots in prime locations in metro Denver.

Locally based and publicly traded Beazer previously said it plans to use its common stock to pay for up to 20% of the purchase price. The $64-million price includes the repayment of Sanford's existing debt load and payments for the firm's net assets and equity.

Beazer has also released preliminary unit net orders for July that show the 809 total orders are up 28.8% from 628 in July 2000. There were 272 orders in the Southeast (227 last July), up 19.8%; West, 307 (235), up 30.6%; Central, 110 (73), up 50.7%; and Mid-Atlantic, 120 (93), up 29%.