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| Register Your Builder Complaint |
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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wilson2207
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posted 15 March 2006 14:02 CET
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Winslow:
You may find my posts at HADD.com, message boards, Sanford Homes and Beazer Homes, of interest.
Your situation is not unique. Your only truely effective recourse occurs before closing on your new house.
I wish your family well.
Wilson |
Elizabeth Renz
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posted 15 March 2006 09:33 CET
I wish all prospective home buyers would visit the jobsites of the home builder they are considering buying a home from.
So many folks are unaware that there is no licensing of home builders in TX, no permits, and no requirement of inspections for stages of construction in the areas outside of city limits.
www.homeownernightmares gives our experience to date of 7 years of heartache and expense because we relied upon the words both spoken and written by our production builder.
We don't want our negative experience to happen to any other folks. |
james winslow
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posted 14 March 2006 22:22 CET
On 6 Oct 05 my wife Jennifer and I signed a contract to purchase a spec home in San Antonio's Wild Horse development that was 75% complete. Since we agreed to buy the house, we have questioned several finish work defects that resulted in the on-site superintendent, Dave Pierce, taking corrective action. The work defects were very disappointing to me since I was under the impression DR Horton was one of a few quality builders in San Antonio. Over the past month and a half, I have contacted Mike Reidel a couple times and a few days ago I talked with Terry Boeck about our concerns listed in this memo. Mike agreed that the work was substandard but is typical for South Texas and Terry said the only standard that matters is ours.
Soon after my last on site meeting with Mike, he replaced Dave with Todd. The first day Todd was on the job, I had the misfortune of seeing texture overspray all over the appliances in the kitchen and on some areas of the carpeting.
Today, there are various areas that have been repaired with little regard to quality. We were scheduled to close 29 Nov 05, but do not see an effort to accomplish a quality finished product in a timely manner. Some of the problems include poorly applied texture finish, poorly repaired chips to the 3rd bath tub, poorly installed trim, poorly repaired drywall, poorly installed cabinets, poorly repaired shower basin in master bath, squeaky stairs, etc. One disturbing observation is that it seems your craftsmen on site rely too much on caulk to hide their lack of experience or capability.
Fortunately for DR Horton, we had to release our original mortgage broker due to irresponsible work practices. As a result, we will be delayed for one week as the new broker processes their loan documents. We are filing formal grievance, with the BBB and the Texas Saving and Loan department, against the original lender.
I am hoping that the quality of the workmanship at Wild Horse does not result in us looking for a new builder.
On the next page I have included some of the photos that were taken 17 Nov 05, the day of our final walk through, and a few from the following week when continuing repairs started. I would hope that anyone with a real stake in DR Horton’s success would be as appalled as we were with this lack of pride. I have included my concerns and expectations next to the photos. If you feel the expectations are too high let me know in writing. Otherwise, please have all work done NLT Monday, 5 Dec 05.
I believe that the record breaking profits last quarter would be enough for DR Horton to hire better quality craftsmen or construction managers to finish the work in our house. Please take the appropriate action to maintain the DR Horton reputation as a builder that pays attention to detail. Please give the same attention to all my neighbors with similar complaints.
Finish trim work; redo as required; no paint on floor, clean up caulk, cut in with field color to top edge; sand edges smooth
Exterior trim; use model standards, remove excess roof felt, reduce siding gap to no more than 1 “ from roof deck.
Formal living window or frame crooked causing windows to seat at an angle; please fix it. Most windows are difficult to open; adjust as required. Remove excess window caulk from all windows.
etc.
James and Jennifer Winslow |
Gil
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posted 14 March 2006 13:12 CET
My wife and I are interested in buying a new home by Historymaker Homes in Ft Worth TX. We are reading voraciously from Consumer Reports, and sites such as this and http://ww.HADD.com. We have not done anything more than tour the models and speak in detail with the salespersonnel. However, in response to my question for a list of the subcontractors Historymaker is using at the subdivision we are interested in, the sales representative told me that his regional construction manager unequivocally denied this request. We had intended to look up the subs at the Texas BBB, and presumably find no glaring issues. Now, with the flat denial, I cannot help but feel cautious about Historymaker's secrecy. My question is, is this reticence to disclose subs common for any new home builder in the North Texas region? Also, is there any families out there that can relate their experiences with Historymaker (good or bad)? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. |
Ravi K
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posted 13 March 2006 23:48 CET
Hi I have signed a contract to buy a home with one of the leading luxury home builder and paid almost 10% of the home (25K initial deposit + 20% of the lot premium and 20% of the options). The builder started building it recently and over the weekend we have identified that the builder has done a structural error. The Family room
20 x 19 size has to be at the same level as the main floor is designed as a sunken room (sunken by 1 feet) and the basement is 9 foot all over except under the family room. The basement height under the Family room is only 8 feet. The basement height under the Family room is only 8 feet. The builder admitted making a mistake and willing to add some wood so that the floors are at the same level, but it will not fix the 8 Foot sealing in the basement under the family room.
I am not sure where to start. My wife and I are upset and we need to live with the error till we sell the house, it could be 5 - 10 years from now and I want to make sure that this mistake will not be an issue and drag the home price down. Can anyone suggest me where I can start or what I can bargain with the builder.
Thanks in advance
Ravi |
L. Nevils
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posted 13 March 2006 06:06 CET
I am a first time home buyer. I have been a victim of a predator real estate transaction. I bought a house with a contingency that the loan broker would help me to refinance about 1 month after the closing on the house to pay off my debts so that I may be able to afford my mortgage. I had a loan broker that was recommended by my buying real estate agent to help me in my "special situation". I told my agent that I would not be able to purchase a house unless my debts were paid off. I asked my agent in November and December if my loan processing was going ok since it was a recommended loan broker and she said everything was fine until late December when it was getting closer to the date of closing that she notified me that she could not contact the loan officer because she was on maternity leave. I did not know of what type of loan I was receiving until the very date of the closing nor did I have a choice in the loan that I wanted. Not only that, but after I closed on the house I had to pay two closing fees and in order to be refinance I would have to pay an early loan termination fee as well as another loan origination fee and more closing costs. My close states that my house insurance was paid in full for a year and I got a bill from the insurance company saying they had to lie in order for me per the loan broker to get the loan and that in actuality my home owner's insurance was not paid in full for a year and I had to pay more money. Also there was a listing on the loan application that I had one job more than I actually had that I believe the loan broker put on there to get me the loan. Not only that they are not able to fulfill their written letter of loan refinance contingency. I felt I bought this house out of fearful false statements my real estate agent made to me as well as all the phone messages about her and I being sued that made me feel I had to buy the house and not once did she recommend that I could get a lawyer to be my legal advisor during this real estate process. It was until after the process did I find out about my rights as a buyer. I will be facing foreclosure in a month and possibly homelessness. The loan broker will not even fulfill their letter of refinance and they will not take my calls. I am very upset that they have all these rules, regulations and laws to protect consumers such as myself, but yet they are not being enforced. |
DIANA
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posted 13 March 2006 04:15 CET
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Bonnie Bennetsen
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posted 12 March 2006 16:49 CET
I was not pleased to kind out that aluminum wiring was installed in house after having a problem an outlet we found that the outlets for our major applicances are all wired using Aluminum Wiring. |
Ashley Turner
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posted 5 March 2006 18:31 CET
my husband and i bought a new house in 2003. it had a one-year builder warranty along with it. during that time we had the builder come out on numerous occasions to fix a leak in our shower. the work he did was all cosmetic but assured us the problem was gone. now, 2 years later we are still dealing with the same problem. he never fixed it properly and he has told us that the warranty is up and that we should hire a plumber. are we responsible for this ongoing problem or is the builder still at fault? what can we do about this? |
HDonohoe
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posted 3 March 2006 22:29 CET
Destiny Homes, LLC has built 4 house in Cabarrus County, NC that have not had a final building inspection requested. Families are currently residing in these homes. Jeffrey Yuckel built his own personal home under Desinty Homes and recently moved in without requesting a final building inspection and currently resides there. One of the other homes is his mother's house and another is one that he built and lived in. It's sense been sold, and is currently occupied by another family. Jeffery is residing in his new home with two step-children and his son, who is three years old, stays with him every other weekend. I'm concerned for the safety of the families living in homes that have not been deemed safe by the county inspection department. For a licensed builder to not request a final building inspection and willingly reside in the house brings forth great concern for families who put their trust in Destiny Homes. |
G. Persichini
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posted 1 March 2006 21:22 CET
In September of 2005, my wife and I chose to purchase a home that was in the framed-in stage and built by Robert Walsh (Walsh Custom Homes) of Little Elm/Lakewood Village, TX.
When we first drove out to look at the home, we stopped at his model home and offices. Everything seemed professional and Mr. Walsh was a typical, enthusiastic builder. A couple of weeks later, we gave him $5000 earnest money and signed what we thought was a fairly typical contract.
As the building process continued, we started getting hit with little surprises, such as finding out 3 weeks after contracting the house that what Mr. Walsh (and his partner, Angela Finn) referred to as “gas” for our appliances and heat, was actually Propane and that we would be responsible for the cost of the tank, installation, etc. We thought that perhaps we had misunderstood something.
Next, we went to the building site one weekend and saw that the electrical contractor that had started the job was gone, and another was finishing the wiring.
About 6 weeks after our involvement, (and after we had given him approximately $8,000 for upgrades and change orders) work slowed down to where weeks would go by with nothing being done. Many red flags started being raised over things that just didn’t seem right. For example, Ms. Finn would never give us budget amounts so we could make informed purchases for fixtures, appliances, etc. When we found that the contractors laid the wrong tile in the shower and we let Walsh Homes know before they had grouted – before the mistake went any further – we were sent a scathing letter about being too nit-picky. Next, Mr. Walsh’s model home went up for sale, and finally, one Sunday morning the contractor that poured our driveway called us at home to tell us that he hadn’t been paid and asked if we could help in any way.
We were advised to go to the Denton County courthouse and find out if liens had been filed against the property. Wow! What an eye-opener! Over $50,000 in liens had been filed and the house was far from finished. We also discovered that three of his other buyers had lawsuits against him. When we would send e-mails with our concerns, we would get ranting responses from Robert Walsh that insinuated that it was OUR fault for not appreciating the high quality of his work and that WE were unreasonable. He wanted us to know that he wasn’t the bad guy we were making him out to be. When we finally asked for our earnest money to be refunded, as we felt he breached the contract by misrepresenting himself and his company, he sent a scathing letter telling us the many ways that WE had breached it – one of which was by going onto the property. It seems that the contract stated in a tiny back paragraph that we weren’t allowed to step foot onto the property in which we were investing a very large sum of money (unless it was an official “walk-through”)! After finding your website, we looked again, and there was that “arbitration” clause and also the paragraph about how we were not allowed to speak negatively about him. He also told us that he was planning to file for bankruptcy, and that we could “stand in line” with everyone else that was suing him, as he didn’t have any money.
Needless to say, the house now stands unfinished and in foreclosure with the bank auctioning it off on March 7th. We’re out $13,000, we sold our previous home in preparation for getting into the Walsh home and are now in an apartment until we can figure out what to do. What is so frustrating, is that this guy knows how to manipulate the Texas system so that he can declare bankruptcy, take people’s money without being held responsible and can keep right on building homes under a different company name (which it appears he’s already doing)! Please!!!!! If you are thinking about buying a home from a man named Robert M. Walsh, or anyone associated with him – keep looking! There are GREAT builders out there. Give THEM your business. Don’t let this guy do this to another family again! |
joan gatti
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posted 1 March 2006 18:40 CET
we are remodeling our home but having problems with our contractor. He seems to keep lying to us..He had no permits to do the work that he has already done.This was including siding/roofing/deck/basement/additional room/ and front porch..He started on thefront porch and was stopped by the township. He told us he had all of the permits.. We signed a contract with him 9 months ago and still no permits and all work put on hold. He took $37,000 from us to do the work without even having the permits. Is this legal and do we as a homeowner have any rights..
Joan |
john e. shephard
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posted 26 February 2006 12:34 CET
Good Afternoon
Attn complants dept. :
Through this letter I would like to place a complaint against KB Homes sales representatives in San Antonio Texas. The internet site of KB Homes listed numerous homes that caught my attention. However, I've found through direct experience that I was dealing with a bunch of poorly oriented customer service who will bluntly lie to the customer in information, pre-qualifications and much more lies when you follow-up for information that was supposedly Fedex to my Florida address more than 6 weeks ago.
To be specific thiese are the reps that I have con tacted and provided the type of service descrived above:
1. Fred Bricker: New Sales Homes Counselor of Walzem Farms. 210 590 9971.
2.Joe handy: also a new homes sales counselor, at 210-490-1375.
3.Daniel rodriguez, New homes sales counselor, cell # 210-835-8508.
4. kevin hawtorne: new homes sales counselor, at 210,843-9503.
Please note that after numerous follow-ups I would only get false re-assurances from these reps stating that my requested information would be Fe-dex to me including telephone calls to confirm this. With this kind of poor customer service who in their right mind would want to go into further dealings with a company that hires these kind of sales service service representatives.
I am a retired Veteran & a Federal emmployee. If as such I receive this type of treatment, imagine what type of treatment would minorities receive.
I was truthful with them as I was trying to obtain information of San Antonio Hosing as I am expexting a transer to that area.
I thank you for your assistance to this matter. You may mail your reponse to me at 3702 Quixote Blvd, #188, Tampa, FL 33613.
Respectfully:
John |
Shelancia Daniel
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posted 21 February 2006 21:45 CET
On April 17, 2003, my husband and I purchased a brand new home made by Lennar.
By the next morning, April 18, 2003, the kitchen was flooded from an overflow drain in a bathroom upstairs which was left clogged by the builders. This “error” caused severe mold growth behind our kitchen cupboards and behind the baseboards in the kitchen.
Surprised by the rapid growth of mold in our new home, our builder thought it was odd but failed to look any further into the problem. They replaced our kitchen cupboards, and re-painted the ceiling from water damage.
During the next year from May 2003 - September 2004, mold became a huge problem in our home. Our clothes, shoes, luggage and books began to get moldy and the house always felt damp. We told Lennar about this problem on numerous occasions, however we were constantly ignored. Throughout the summer of 2004, our air conditioner was running constantly and our house was never cool. We began throwing away our clothes because they had mold spores all over them and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.
We asked Lennar to send a mold specialist to our house to look into the problem and our request was denied.
By September 2004, we were lying in our bedroom and mold was visible on the sheetrock in the ceiling. We contacted Lennar again and they finally sent someone to our house to look into the problem.
An air conditioning specialist working for Lennar realized that when our home was originally constructed, the MAIN RETURN AIR VENT was COMPLETELY covered over with sheetrock. This was forcing our air conditioner to pull air from the attic to cool our home. (We live in Houston; TX an average summer temperature outside is in the 90’s)
Realizing that this was a huge mistake, Lennar tried to fix the problem by replacing the compressor in our air conditioner (which had been burnt out from trying to pull air from a wall) and by having a mold remediation specialist remove the “visible mold” from the house.
Before Lennar's mold remediation specialist began working on the wall in the master bedroom, he removed the air vent and to his surprise and ours, the vent was completely covered with mold. When the other air vents were removed, they too were covered with mold. Lennar's specialist told us that this was out of his scope and left without doing anything.
The following day, October 7, 2004, another contractor from Lennar was sent to our home to inspect the air quality. Upon arriving, he was called by a Lennar representative and instructed to leave the premises because the house was not properly remediated. We pleaded with him to ask Lennar if he could test the air quality in our home so we could know if our home was safe but Lennar refused.
On October 15, 2004, at our own expense, we hired a team of air specialist to inspect our home. They found many different species of molds (including: Penicillium, Aspergillus, Periconia, Nigrospora, Stemphyllium, Curvularia, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Tetraploa and Bipolaris) airborne in toxic concentrations throughout our home. The areas that were the most affected were the master bedroom (located on the main floor) the kitchen, the living room and the closet.
During the first month, October – November, Lennar initially paid for our living out of the house expenses. They admitted they were at fault but offered minimal solutions to remedy the situation. After the mold findings from our air specialists were disclosed to Lennar and we sought to take further action, Lennar stopped paying our hotel accommodations and left us out in the cold.
At this time, we have to rent an apartment and continue to pay the mortgage, property taxes and maintenance of the home. We can not live in the house because it is still infested with mold and Lennar is not doing anything at all to help us.
My husband and I are extremely hard working individuals, but yet, each month for the last year and a half, we have been completely suffering because of this situation that Lennar has placed us in. They have admitted to guilt, they know they did something wrong, but yet, they refuse to do the right thing and ease our suffering.
We have requested that Lennar buy back our home and deal with the mold problem so we can move on with our lives. It is their admitted mistake that our home was built without a proper air conditioning system in Houston and they should be the one to deal with it. We are still waiting for a resolution.... 02/21/2006 |
mike
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posted 21 February 2006 16:03 CET
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