Due to the economic stability of the country and, rising incomes, the construction industry has been highlighted as a business generator in recent years. Lying in the real estate business, there is a broad range of companies, with some defined divisions, such as those that only operate in low-income or specialized in real estate and leisure markets, or even those focused on sales launches. The growth of the residential construction industry and the increase in real estate pricing from 2012 shows that the housing market is becoming more competitive. To remain profitable, the builders and developers need to adjust their strategies, seeking to meet the expectations of its consumers, surpassing competitors and adjusting to the new market dynamics. In this context, this work aims to identify the perceptions of business managers, what are the environmental factors that affect the strategy formulation by the strategic groups of companies engaged in housing construction, originated from the Michael Porter s theory of strategic groups. In order to do so, a qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews, with experts, managers of real estate market and builders developers, established in Rio de Janeiro, was realized. The results indicate the existence of strategic groups of companies, heavily influenced by its size. Several factors were identified as important to the formulation of competitive strategy in this sector, and highlight the role of government, the bargaining power of owners of land, the competition within the sector, rising costs, socio-cultural changes underway and, city economic growth in last years.