By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV…The fact is new car warranties, which commonly last three years, are a lot better than home warranties in Texas. After a year, Legacy and most other big builders said an owner's gripes are not their problem… And in addition to lasting just a year, warranties don't cover much. .."These warranties are limited so much that they don't resemble a warranty, but they become a disclaimer for the builder," said Janet Ahmad of Homeowners for Better Building. "(They're) not a protection for the homebuyer..."                                                                                                   

12/21/04 WFAA Ch8 Legecy homeowners upset with Warranty 
12/1/04 Report Video: Byron Harris reports                                   

Legacy homeowners upset with warranty follow-up 

10:48 PM CST on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV

Earlier this month, a News 8 investigation revealed problems local homebuyers are having with Legacy Homes.

After the first story, News 8 reviewed dozens of complaints from more Legacy owners who are upset not just with the quality of their homes, but the warranties that are sold with them.

"When you start to have leaking situations, and you have them numerous times in the same spot, you tend to get real angry about it," said Legacy homeowner Steven Plummer, pointing to his leaky bay window.

Plummer's window leaks in the same place his neighbors' homes leak, and has been that way since he moved in. Legacy repaired it twice, but the window still leaks, and his warranty expired three years ago. If he gets if fixed now, it'll cost quite a bit.

"I've had two estimates," he said. "One was $1,200; the other was almost $2,000."

The fact is new car warranties, which commonly last three years, are a lot better than home warranties in Texas. After a year, Legacy and most other big builders said an owner's gripes are not their problem.

And in addition to lasting just a year, warranties don't cover much.

"These warranties are limited so much that they don't resemble a warranty, but they become a disclaimer for the builder," said Janet Ahmad of Homeowners for Better Building. "(They're) not a protection for the homebuyer, so you've lost the battle before you begin."

Legacy Homes, and those of other large builders, are constructed on a kind of stationary assembly line. Instead of the cars moving, as they do in auto plants, the crews move from house to house.

Legacy's goal is to build a one-story house in 85 days, and a two-story model in 105 days.

News 8 discovered that in a Cedar Hill neighborhood, Waterford Oaks, the company continued to build the same defects, including window leaks, into new houses even though owners were complaining. Had those houses been cars, some would have called them "lemons."

"There's no protection, absolutely no protection," Plummer said.

Legacy Homes officials declined to be interviewed on camera. In a letter to News 8, President David Rich wrote: "We are always willing to respond to our customers when they contact us regarding concerns with their home."

Legacy has more than 30 subdivisions in North Texas. The homeowners at Waterford Oaks said that despite many faxes and calls, Legacy did not respond after their warranties expired.