To say that homebuilding is in Marnie Oursler’s genes is closer to the truth than not. She is a fifth-generation homebuilder, learning how to build homes from her father. Growing up, she was exposed to all different aspects of home construction, so it was no surprise when she started her own business, Marnie Custom Homes, in 2007. Not long after that, the real estate bubble burst, but because of the niche business Marnie created, she believes she wasn’t impacted as much as other builders were. Marnie only builds homes for people who own property, and the area where she builds is essentially between Fenwick Island and North Bethany. Most of her business comes from word-of-mouth advertising, although she does have a website and social media presence. She builds eight to 10 homes each year.

Marnie’s work was noticed by folks on HGTV, and she ultimately signed an agreement committing her to a weekly show for two seasons. When that was over, she did one more season on HGTV’s “Dream House.” While she enjoyed the exposure, the work was demanding and took her away from what she really loves to do – building houses. She is much more comfortable walking the site or checking out a home under construction than she is sitting in her office. In fact, she doesn’t have a desk in her office. One of the main reasons she has limited her building to a more confined geography is she wants to be able to visit every home under construction every day.

Marnie’s background in homebuilding, along with a master’s degree from Duke University, has no doubt been part of her formula for success. She also credits the culture within her business that she and her leadership team have been able to create. Additionally, Marnie believes a major aspect of her role as leader of the organization is to instill a culture of teamwork. It’s important to her that everyone on her team knows she will have their back, and, likewise, she knows she can always count on them. Another important part of the culture is gratitude. Every meeting at Marnie Custom Homes concludes with people talking about what they are grateful for. In addition, there is an internal gratitude posting in her office where staff members talk about their gratitude for each member of the team. And as with any core value, in any company, Marnie feels compelled to ensure she models those values as the company’s leader.

COVID certainly had an impact on Marnie’s business. The supply chain problems were a real issue to manage. Because Marnie builds homes typically between Labor Day and the following June, she and her team had to get very good at ordering and tracking materials so as not to extend the length of time to build a home. Those efficiencies her team developed have now been hard-wired into her business systems and processes, and she really enjoyed seeing the personal growth on her team, coming from the challenges they had to overcome. One positive outcome for the homebuilding business that came from the pandemic is people started spending more time at their homes at the beach. As a result, homeowners were making decisions to expand or remodel, as many considered making their beach home their primary residence.

As Marnie looks into her crystal ball, she doesn’t see a slowdown in people spending more time at the beach. To meet that continuing demand, it’s important that Marnie holds onto the people she has on her team. Because they all share a passion for innovative design, Marnie looks forward to them continuing to grow as a team and working together to continually improve upon the homes they build.

Marnie feels it’s important to give back to the community, and her company sponsors many local events and charities, like Beebe Healthcare and the Breast Cancer Fund. Her company also provides a scholarship every year at East Carolina University for any student who wants to attend school there and study construction management. 

Marnie’s most rewarding moment was when her company was named Custom Builder of the Year in 2022. She took her whole team, as well as her father, to Las Vegas to share in the recognition. She was also the first woman to ever win the award. 

The success of Marnie Custom Homes is no doubt due to Marnie’s love for building homes and exceeding the expectations of her customers. While the growth in the area will certainly provide opportunities for Marnie and her team, there’s no question where you will always be able to find her – walking through each home making sure that every last detail has been addressed.