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Please let us know what has happened to you, and let us know if you would like to help us make buying new houses safer.
Tell us your story.
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Kericia E. Smith
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posted 11 December 2006 16:55 CET
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Joe Lovrek
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posted 7 December 2006 09:56 CET
I purchased a home from J. Patrick Homes for $240,000, put $1500 earnest money down and opted to add tile to the living room. I then had to give them an extra $2200 to cover the cost. Two days before closing, the sales person called me and said I had to sign a new contract so the loan amount will increase $2200 to cover the difference in tile. The problem is getting re approved at the new loan amount before closing will take weeks, so we will not meet the Christmas deadline and my family's holiday is in the air because we did not get ready due to the move... Then I explained to the builder that if I go in and up the loan amount at this point, I will not get approved. He said, well it looks like we will be keeping the deposit on the tile and the earnest money... Please, whoever can help, I need it now... I will complain everywhere on the internet... |
Mary J. Finn
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posted 6 December 2006 12:53 CET
Description of Complaint
This is just the tip of the iceberg for this Ray Murphy Home.
What we are listing here is just the structural aspects of the poor workmanship:
1. The brick overhang is twice the allowable. Brian D. Murphy, builder, advocated mulch to hide the defective construction.
2. Mr. Murphy's Professional Engineer admitted " The foundation walls as poured are not truly squared diagonally."
3. The home was not built according the contracted purchased plan. Many of the rooms have been shorted.
4. Roof leak in bedroom #4 which necessitated removal of ceiling drywall and insulation requiring replacement of both and enhancing the entrance of mold, mildew and bacteria.
5. Ceiling leak in the family room due to a leak in the bathroom shower or whirlpool tub. We never received the same story twice on this defect.
6. The drywall is concave and convex on the same wall on many of the walls within the home.
7. Weight bearing boards can be seen within the registers which are twisted, split and not vertical. Lumber used still has the bark on it and is curved hidden by a pillar which is not square to the floor.
The home is tilted forward according to the Ray Murphy Home Site Manager via the framing, kitchen cabinets are held onto the wall with one screw, structural security is severely lacking, the workers did not follow the plan on many aspects, they installed a gas line for an electric cooktop which could also be a safety issue since the confidence in this builder and crew is questionable, a pantry light which could catch the contents of the paper in the pantry on fire another safety issue which we did not request, cracks already in the garage and driveway, holes in the ceilings of the bedrooms and we were never told why they were there, doors off of closets, no pad installed under the carpet on the stairs, gaps in the basement stairs, hole in the basement where the rough in is for the bathtub covered over by plastic.
The untruths that have been told by this builder and his associates as well as their behavior would truly make one sick. This is suppose to be our last dream home since we are an elderly couple both in our 80's and it has turned out to be the worst nightmare ever. We have spent over $55,000 so far as well as in good faith we put our lights, dimmers, etc. in that home upon the continued persistance of the builder which is an additional $2,800. He has tried every which way to get us to close on this home since August 2006 and the home wouldn't even be close to completion until October 2006. Our daughter had read information on this website which said basically if you close on the house you don't have much recourse. We refused to close and he is still even up to November 12th 2006 demanding that we close on that home. He has now put the house up for sale and going after us for "damages".
If we can save just one person from going through the same tragedy that we have, we would like to do so. |
B. Hennessy
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posted 5 December 2006 21:14 CET
There's been another post on this site re: Ben Ignatuk and Raptor Construction Inc. This is in regards to his work in Munster, Indiana.
In late July 2006, we contracted with Ignatuk to build a 16-by-16 room addition, and some egress work from the basement to the new attached room. We paid Ignatuk nearly 70 percent of the contracted amount. We estimate that approximately 35 percent of the work has been conducted. He exited the job.
The permit was issued in early September. Nearly three months later, we have a rough frame and shingles (though we've now done some of the additional work ourselves).
Ignatuk told us when we signed the contract that he'd have both projects done in six weeks. He then insisted throughout much of the project that we buy and pay for materials directly from the suppliers so he could continue work.
He kept no schedule we could count on. Most important, he took our money while, we are to understand, failing to pay his workers/subcontractors.
We have learned there are other cases similar to ours in our town of Munster. |
chris davis
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posted 28 November 2006 07:25 CET
Sorry I had a couple mispellings in my post. Too much emotion to think clearly. |
chris davis
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posted 28 November 2006 07:22 CET
K Hovnain/Diamond Homes/Goodman Homes - However you know them. We built a house almost 2 years ago and had built from the models available. Are neighborhood in a prestigious community was starting to take shape. Unfortunately towards the middle of our neighborhood being built-out our builder decided to "expand" their product offering, "to include some smaller more affordable floor plans". This is what Steve Pittard, the area president of K Hov told me. They then sold most of the remianing smaller more afforable floor plans to investors, mostly from California. The end result is a much smaller, less expensive house of which approximately 40% are rental properties. I am comfortable saying that if the remaining house were built comprable to mine and the handfull of my neighbors that purchased before the downsize the house would not have been flipped into rental properties. The builder has admitted to offering smaller floor plans after we purchased and also selling those off to investors. The end result is not good. We cannot sell our house for a loss right now and get feedback such as "love the house, don't care for the neighborhood" and similar.
www.khovrents.com |
Sandra
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posted 26 November 2006 17:50 CET
We sent this email to Van Zandt Homes, LLC. Keller, TX. on Nov. 11, 2006 after giving him copy in which he signed off on on Nov. 7. As of today, the builder has done very little and refuses to return calls and always has a full voice mail box when tyring to leave a message.
Our email:
We have been very patient with you in completing our home. However due to your lack of timely follow-up and the inability to contact you by phone, we have become concerned that there is no sense of urgency on your part to complete our project. We have been told that the painters will be here for the last 2 Thursdays and no one has showed. Also you were to be here to finish several projects and you have showed. Again we are very concerned and would like all the work that needs to be done to be completed by next Friday 11/17/06. We hope that you will uphold your agreement with us.
As of 11/7/06, the following items are in need of repair.
1. 2 Roof leaks in the Studio (the roof has been repaired but sheet rock on the ceiling needs to be repaired)
2. Cracked stucco on the exterior of Studio
3. All telephone lines and jacks are working (however there is extreme static on the lines)
4. Interior touch up paint/stain
5. Exterior touch up paint/stain
6. Glue on wood floors and base boards in master bedroom, 2nd bedroom and office.
7. Grout on all ceramic tile surfaces and wood (base boards and cabinets).
8. Chipped and cracked grout in multiple areas. (repaired)
9. Additional wood strips needed at base boards to cover gaps between the wood flooring and the base boards in master bedroom, 2nd bedroom and office. ( wood strips delivered but not installed)
10. The sewer line/water line caps need to be leveled off. (completed)
In addition, we need the manufacturers warranty for the Senergy Stucco product.
We also need the following items completed.
11. The windows cleaned, all paint and stucco removed from them.
12. Extension of gas line in the Master bedroom fireplace. |
megtully
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posted 26 November 2006 15:00 CET
I am writing to tell you about our experience with CRI Homes in the Atlanta, Georgia area. We purchased our newly built home from this company in August of 2004. We have experienced many problems of varying degree and nature in this home. Basically, there are WAY too many to list here!
In March of 2006, we discovered an area of cracking brick veneer. We called the builder and asked them to come and take a look at the problem. They claimed that it was just a settlement crack and not their responsibilty since the warranty period was over.
Having an extreme lack of trust for this builder, we hired a Certified Professional Engineer to investigate the cracking brick. I also called in the Cherokee County Building Inspector who agreed that an problem existed and an engineer would be someone who could diagnose the exact problem.
In May, the Engineer performed an inspection and suggested that at least TWO areas of the brick on my home were inadequately supported. He put together an inspection report with photos which we presented to the builder. CRI Homes basically said that since no code violations were found, nothing would be done to remedy the situation.
We hired the engineer to return and perform a more exhaustive and invasive investigation during which he removed some brick and mortar. He was able to refer to the Georgia Building Codes and point out to the builder (who was present) and the County Inspector, that several building codes did, in fact, appear to be violated!
At this point, the head of the Cherokee County Inspector's Office prepared a letter to CRI Homes stating that these code violations existed and that he should make the repairs.
The Builder then decided to hire his own engineer to put together a report. The engineer prepared a report based on a SET OF BUILDING PLANS and a visual examination of my home. (We were on vacation at the time, of course). This engineer came to the conclusion that the cracks in the brick should be repaired by the builder but that according to the SET OF BUILDING PLANS provided to them by CRI Homes, no code violations existed. Hello????
At this point, the building Inspector sent another letter to CRI Homes stating their neutrality until the EXACT condition could be determined by removal of the brick veneer.
In the meantime, we contacted several contractors with the specialized equipment/experience it would take to properly make these repairs. The average of 2 estimates is $9,000.00. This does NOT include any type of "surprises" that may come up....
At this point, I began my "campaign" to try to get the builder to pay for these specialized repairs of these proven construction defects. What a joke! I wrote to the Better Business Bureau, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, the developer of my community, the developer of another community where he is building currently, the department of Consumer Affairs, ETC. His next step was to offer to make a "repair of the brick". YIKES! This is NOT a brick issue, it is a structural issue. Since we have NO trust for this builder, why would we allow him to repair something so vital to the structure of this home?
Our next step was to hire an attorney. The stress of dealing with Howard Levy and CRI Homes was too much for me to deal with. I THOUGHT hiring a lawyer to ensure I was taking all of the right steps in preparing for a potential lawsuit would be a relief. Not so! We paid a retainer of $1500 to a lawyer who sent a few emails and prepared a letter which outlined what we expected in a repair IF we were to allow CRI to make them. This basically got us nowhere!!!!
Our next step was to file a demand for arbitration since our new home sales contract was written with one of these arbitration clauses. I sent in $125 on the advice that it would be an expedited consumer claim since it was around$9000 for repairs and we would of course, ask for reimbursement of attorney's fees. I got a phone call from the AAA saying they needed $850 more before my demand would be filed.
I also found out it was going to take much longer than we had anticipated.
Out of sheer exhaustion and inexperience, we feel that we have to allow this builder to "attempt" to make these repairs. It is so sad and frustrating to be in this position! We DO NOT trust this builder to make these repairs correctly yet, the expense to get them to accept resonsibility is not something we can afford!!!
Their last repair of our driveway has ended up in a Grand Canyon sized crack that dissects the entire driveway in half. I have an estimate of $950.00 to repair THAT!!! In our experience, thier "repairs" are worse than the original problem!
As of last week, we invited the builder to have his engineer return to our home for a more invasive inspection that would be performed in the same fashion as the one performed by the engineer we hired. He backed down and used the excuse that these two engineers would never be able to agree on the exact scope of the problems. He also suggested that we should sign an agreement that once the "repairs" are made, we can't take him to court or arbitration. Yeah, right.
So, here we are, 8 months later, with two cracks in our house, and more than $2000.00 in debt over a house that was built incorrectly. I have spent countless hours on the phone, computer, and in the library trying to get this builder to do what is right-build our house the RIGHT WAY!
Our largest financial AND emotional investment has been nothing but a NIGHTMARE thanks to Howard Levy and Brant Lane of CRI Homes. These individuals couldn't care less about providing the quality product they promise.
My neighbors have had similar experiences with this builder. There are several homes that have suffered the same type of problems. Most neighbors do not have the energy or persistence to continue to put up with Howard Levy and CRI Homes, so they just give up. I will encourage anyone who has problems with them to keep up the "good fight" and if nothing more, we can start a CRI "support group". |
Serban Tatu
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posted 19 November 2006 15:17 CET
http://csinchomeowners.blogspot.com/ - a place for owners of homes built by CS Inc to share their experiences. CS Inc is owned by Craig Shepard in Snohomish County, Washington and is run by his son Kip Shepard. CS Inc is represented by The New Home Team, whose goal is to is to "develop our builders' consistent profitability." |
carol
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posted 13 November 2006 19:27 CET
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pete perron
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posted 11 November 2006 04:56 CET
John Dougherty, Sandy Ridge Construction, Cell – 828-551-5051
Breach of Contract Line Items for 218 Hawthrorne Drive:
Could choose Moen Showhouse bathroom fixtures, then disallowed our selections
Could choose door hardware, then disallowed our selections
Told us he would put granite in the master shower, then changed his mind
Told us we could choose our paint colors and then tried to make us pay for each room
Told us we had to have cabinets selected by 10/9 or else he would not close on time
We selected on 10/9 and received confirmation from his cabinet contractor
He did not order the cabinets until late the next week
He told our realtor that we were in breach of contract because we did not get our selections in on time and therefore he was moving the closing to Jan 19
Told us to use his granite contractor who did not have any granite within our allowance
Was belligerent to our family on 11/7 when we showed our kids the house
Told me that all of his contractors hate me even though I haven’t spoken with most
Made negative comments about us being from New Jersey
Never once showed us around the house or spoke to us when we arrived
Belittled my wife when she asked for clarification about the granite and carpet selections
Accosted my wife on the front porch about the paint selections we made after he had kicked our family out of the house
Told our realtor in front of our children “Get them out of here… We are done” on 11/7
Told us he had other people begging to buy the house and that he didn’t want to sell to us
Told our realtor that he would not sell to us on 11/8 and would refund all of our money
Told our realtor on 11/9 that he would not refund our money until we could prove that our $3,620 check was cashed by contractor
Told our realtor on 11/10 that even though we provided proof of the check cashing, he wouldn’t return our money even though he wouldn’t sell to us |
Toll Brothers Inc. homeowner
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posted 8 November 2006 09:35 CET
Binding arbitration in contracts and warranties let Toll Brothers Inc the America's largest luxury home builder fly under the radar.
Toll is building in 21 states and has a history of claims, building code violations, lawsuits and complaints.
The company marketing is misleading, deceptive and false.
It is almost a year since we moved in and we can't resolve issues with Toll Brothers. After warranty repairs (performed twice) our house has building code violations (some created during warranty work), over 100 items remaining and 191 items alleged to be completed.
Toll Brothers marketing boast “No other builder is as committed to quality as Toll Brothers”. In our opinion Toll doesn’t know how to build quality homes.
They build junk. |
Bryan C Moore
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posted 4 November 2006 17:37 CET
My wife and I got married August 2, 2004. As part of our wedding present from my mother. She cosigned for us to get a doublewide modular from Clayton Homes in Greensboro. We were treated like royalty until we got the C O. Then the salesman tried to get us..he told my wife and I as long as we were not in the house on the first of the month that Clayton was making the mortgage payment. He called my 67 year old mother on June 13 and told her that if she did not have the payment in by the 15th that they were going to reposess the house. He had my 67 year old mother running around about to have a heart attack because he had the payment book and she did not know how, where, or how much the payment was. Come to find out, he had been making the payments late every month and Vanderbuilt called us and told us they were going up on the payment because the payments were being made late. Their so called handymen that were supposed to do the punchlist work were incompetent of doing even simple carpentry. One of them took a brand new door out of the carton and drilled a hole in the wrong spot and tried to cover it with putty, then installed the door crooked (not plumb) and did not put the chain on the screen door that stops it from hitting the handrail on the steps. We got about 3 months of this crappy service, then it stopped. Their handyman had told them that the punchlist work was done. We called for 6 months trying to get them to get to our punchlist. They sent a different guy out there and he was no better than the first.
Now it is November of 2006. We got the C O in June of 2005. A year and a half later, the regional manager from Charlotte, Bobby Alberts came down here with a few other people and looked at the house. He told me to give him a price for me to do the work myself. I got a contractor to come here and give him an estimate. I sent him the estimate of over $18,000 and he offered me $3,500. I told him no. He told me that he guessed that his men had to come back and do the work. I told him to get his man to do the punch list for $3,500. He returned Friday November 3, 2006 and started going over the punchlist with me again and said "Can you just live with it like it is"? I answered him "Do your doors in your house look like this and do your ceilings look like this"? and he answered "No". I said "Then why do I have to live with mine like this, we have a contract for a finished house not a do-it-yourself house".
He refuses to do anymore of the punchlist and told me just to take him to court. His salesman always told us "It's no problem, we do it all of thew time for our customers" ..... I guess going to court over not fulfilling the contract is another service provided by Clayton Homes. Their website claims "Let your homebuying experience be a positive one". Well, my wife and I are not having a positive experience with our home, we are not getting any service and what we get looks like a kindergarten kid finished it. Their handymen do not know what flat, square, or plumb is. We have had 3 different landscapers here and there is 4 feet of old electric line sticking out of my back yard where the old power meter was and water settling in the drive. Each person they send down here does not have a clue as to what to do to make the house right. The last handyman came down here October 18th called himself straightening a door and now when you close the door about 20 times or so, the hinge pin wedges itself up from the hinge because the hinges are in a bind from the door being crooked. Several of my doorframes are crooked. Bobby Alberts looked at them Thursday night and said that they were not that bad and that we could just live with it like that.
We paid a lot of money for a home and expect some sort of quality craftsmanship to be put into the finish. I now have to talk to a lawyer and probably hire him. I am in fear that this house will never get finished to our satisfaction. I am stressing a lot over this and it is causing personal problems with my wife and I. We are starting to argue over things about the house among other stress related problems. We feel as that we bought a used Yugo from a used car salesman, not a home from a reputable dealer. We are totally being ripped off and no one at Clayton Homes in Greensboro, Charlotte, or Tennesee even cares. We would just like our home finished properly by someone with quality morals. |
Rumple Stiltskin
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posted 30 October 2006 07:50 CET
Citizen complaint:
The tip of the iceberg? Have these people complied with all regulations and taken an ethics course? Are the following examples of realestate transactions between willing buyers and sellers, or something more? Arm's length transactions? Theft can take many forms and some thieves are more sophisticated than others. Health effects of the realestate industry, some good, some bad for society.
Excerpts from the article at HADD.com, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, Headline News
Steal of a deal
Houses bought at inflated prices. Millions in loan proceeds allegedly pocketed. All ending in foreclosure. In Colorado, it's one part of a nation-leading problem.
By David Olinger
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/29/2006 03:56:18 PM MST
The buyers "saw our big signs on Parker Road and came in, just like any other customer would," he said. "Investors buy multiple properties. They were portrayed as investors."
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Critics say mortgage companies have little incentive to ferret out inflated sales because they bundle and resell their home loans to Wall Street investors, taking their profits and diluting fraud losses in large pools of mortgage-backed bonds.
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These securities get "sold in little pieces all over the world," said Lou Barnes, a Colorado mortgage bank owner. "It makes it very difficult to figure out who, if anyone, bears any responsibility for the flow of Colorado's foreclosures."
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The extra cash was supposed to be "rehab money," she said. "I didn't know better. I was believing the Realtor and the mortgage lady," who was also her partner.
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Johnson said appraisals were inflated to support purchase prices. Her partner, she said, squandered the home improvement funds on "trips to Disneyland, car repairs, shopping sprees - gambling was huge."
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"Their blaming other people is typical," he said. "Nothing has been their fault, and they are not responsible for their actions." |
dwenk1@cfl.rr.com
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posted 28 October 2006 18:38 CET
Try to imagine the horror and disappointment I felt just after successfully completing my first round of Chemotherapy, when a nurse stepped into my room at MD Anderson Cancer Center and asked, "I bet you are glad to be going home"!
Yet, just one month after being diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, I was not able to return home. I explained to the nurse that my infectious disease specialist had given me strict orders NOT to return to my house. At a critical time when I needed the support and love of my wife and two children, I was ordered to make other living arrangements. I wouldn't be able to wake up to the sound of my children laughing. I wouldn't find comfort in my own bed next to my beautiful wife. I was struggling with my life threatening illness and now needed to find a new place to live.
Where do things stand today - October 2006? I struggle daily with the fact that I CANNOT live with my family under the same roof, thanks to Levitt and Sons. I have a life threatening illness that will require 100% of my time and a positive attitude. The mold conditions in our home exacerbated my current illness. Levitt's inability to fix things correctly and allowed the removal of moldy building materials without sealing off the area correctly has not only deteriorated my entire family's health, but now it is consuming energy I need to get well. A good portion of our house is left unfinished. Our bedding and furniture has to be replaced. Our carpeting needs to be replaced. Our air ducts need to be sanitized. Our walls need to washed and repainted. This stressful situation is draining our financial abilities. We can't sell the house, we can't live in the house, and we can't refinance the house. Where do we go from here?
It amazes me how unified people can be in time of need. My life threatening illness has brought people to me and my family asking what they can do to help. Some people have donated of themselves with blood and platelets. My sister is donating her bone marrow. My mother is helping me with living arrangements. Many people have sent cards and prayers. My wife and children are continuing to give me the love and support I need to hang on for dear life.
It is time! Levitt and Sons needs to step up to the plate and make the wrong right. They need to remedy this situation in an amicable manner so that I can heal in peace and make the best run for my life. Please make that dream happen.
Contact: webmaster@levittandsonshome.com |
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