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I am a new subscriber but a veteran on the topic. The video is excellent and is so accurate in content across most states. I will recommend this video to people who are thinking of getting started.

We are coming up on 2 years in a Landsea (formerly Antares homes when we bought it) home. Out of 3 new construction homes, this is by FAR the worst home we’ve ever lived in. Over 60+ warranty requests in the first year. Biggest issues have been having to have brick all along our metal roof porch ripped out to put in proper z-flashing that was not installed. This took over a year to get them to agree there was an issue after all their bandaid attempts. Finally they called out the metal roof contractor and he admitted nobody installed the flashing before the brick and said he told the builder and he was instructed to roof it anyways. Brick was sitting directly on the framing. These repairs used up all our extra brick so we can’t do any brick repairs in the future. Other big item is we had to have 10 windows completely replaced due to busted frames in the wall. They replaced with retrofits (because they used up all my extra brick on the roof repairs) and one is leaking now. Builder is trying to claim that if it’s not something physically wrong with the window itself, and was faulty installation, it’s not covered as my “workmanship” warranty has expired despite the window being replaced less than a year ago. Honestly, worst company I have ever dealt with. Would never recommend them.

Zak, have you had any experience with Biltmore Homes? Majority in Pilot Point, Collinsville, Whitesboro, but they do have homes in Fort Worth. Also, what is your take on the future growth of Pilot Point/Collinsville/Tioga areas?

I would never put Grand Homes in the same category with DR Horton. Zach as much as you dont like DR I dont know why they are not in the bottom category. I know Grand is not tour favorite bit even a base model Grand beats most of these homes best models. I know they are pricey but thats what you get with a semi-custom home. Wouldnt that be the case with their peers First Texas and Toll Brothers? BTW I must say I love a Toll Brothers home

If you we’re considering buying from a builder, would you recommend it is better to buy a totally completed home instead of one in process?

I closed with Lennar and they have been really good actually. I did a couple warranty requests and they showed up within the same week and solved it. Materials well I’ve checked and they are pretty good hardy wood instead of vinyl, on the back side of the house, large toilets, flooring they gave me luxury vinyl hard wood texture etc. I have done a full inspection and everything was good. 250k-350k range house 1461 sqft. I only fear DR Horton and some small builders…

I am closing with Trophy Signature right now. I really wanted to go with highlands but TS just had much better incentives (even though Highland was coming in lower at the base house price) that helped cut my monthly but almost 1k. Hope I don’t grow to regret it, but most important to me was avoiding getting even close to house poor range.

Love Grand Homes designs but have heard too many complaints with them. Shame.

Any comments on ashton woods?

No KB Home? They are like the sixth most popular builder in DFW in 2024

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Where would you place Antares/Landsea?

My father's going to gift me the down payment...

Californians ruin everything!!!!!

Do not buy Meritage.They are crooks. They will steal your earnest money if you don't close. I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone.

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How do you rate the build quality of Starlight homes In DFW area on the scale of 1-10 ? I don't care about luxury and details. But I don't want huge repair bills in at least first 5 years for my home.

U need a professional TH-cam thumbnail designer and video SEO expert?

Hi Zak, what touch screen are you using? Thanks.

They couldn't pay me, to buy a D.R. Horton or a Lennar home!!!!

Hey zak , really nice video! I was wondering if I could help you with more Quality Editing in your videos with good pricing & turnaround time and will also make a highly engaging Thumbnail which will help your video to reach a wider audience ! Lmk what you think ?

This was super helpful. Just left a home tour and didn't even notice there were no gutters. You get what you pay for

Drees is a pretty good builder as well. Just wish builders had 1.5 story homes without a loft.

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Zak to find a new home in Dallas. As we were moving to the area from out of state California, we were looking for an agent who could hold our hand through the process. Zak did exactly that and more. Zak listened to our requirements and concerns and helped us find a fantastic home in an area we never considered. He was a fantastic advocate for us with the homebuilder and exceeded all our expectations. Throughout the entire process, he went out of his way to ensure that everything was going according to the timeline and proactively kept us up to date with the process. He even followed up with the various professional advisers involved in the mortgage process for us to ensure that nothing slipped through the cracks. Even after our purchase closed, Zak went out of his way to visit the property for us (as we had not moved yet) to check everything was in order and ready for us to move in. If you want an agent that is in your corner and has your best interests, I highly recommend you reach out to Zak.

What do you think about under cabinet lighting and the welcome center? Use the builder or wait?

Thank you for so much information. Do you have any feed back on Shaddock Homes or South Gate Homes? They seem to be very specific to DFW region.

This was great information. I'm getting ready to build a home in Rockwall. Definitely loved this especially because I haven't gone to the design center yet. Most of your recommendations Fornwhat to spend money on is what I focused on when talking to sales person and I definitely thought of the things not to spend money on because I already know I'm going to change them.

I love watching Megan. She's a natural in front of the camera. And she's hot too!

My wife and I entered into a sales agreement with Highland Homes for a property in the Edgewater community (Webster, TX). Early in the construction process, we identified significant concerns with the framing of the home. When we raised these concerns, we were assured that multiple layers of inspections would address any issues and that all problems would be resolved before closing. Several months prior to closing, our private inspector discovered serious deficiencies, including issues with framing, exterior sealing, the absence of brick ties in multiple locations, and other critical construction elements. Once again, we were assured these problems would be corrected before closing. Our pre-closing walkthrough was scheduled approximately one week before the closing date. However, we were not provided adequate time to arrange another private inspection. During the walkthrough, numerous issues were noted, and hundreds of pieces of blue masking tape were placed to mark areas requiring attention. Several windows had been repaired, and we believed they were no longer factory-original, potentially voiding their OEM warranties. Additionally, the soil on both sides of the home remained persistently wet, and we were simply advised not to run the sprinklers in these areas. Other concerns included thermostats locked to prevent settings below 72°F and bathroom doors, except for the master bathroom, that were only 24 inches wide, making them impractical for anyone using a walker or wheelchair. We were told to run the bathroom vent fans for 20 minutes after every shower or bath, which seemed odd as well. When we requested documentation verifying that our concerns had been properly addressed, Highland Homes dismissed our requests as "unreasonable demands." We were informed that our only options were to proceed with closing or forfeit our earnest money and upgrade deposits. Despite consulting legal counsel and standing firm on our concerns, we found little recourse. The sales agreement is heavily skewed in favor of Highland Homes. Buyers should pay close attention to the arbitration clause and the section granting Highland Homes sole authority to select either a non-jury trial or binding arbitration. Additionally, the agreement includes a clause allowing the builder to retain all deposits if the buyer is deemed to be in "default." Alarmingly, Highland Homes interpreted "default" as any situation where my wife and I sought reasonable assurances about construction quality. In our experience, Highland Homes displayed a lack of transparency and accountability throughout this process. We strongly advise proceeding with extreme caution when entering into any agreement with this builder.

Today I was told, I can get VA loan 0down payment at 3.99% interest rate moving in within 3-4weeks north Fort Worth. He told me he can get me $350k house for monthly payments of $2600, that’s sounds way too good. What is the catch?

What do you think about castlerock communities builder? I have been checking them out and they have pretty good and competitive prices. But mixed reviews and I’m not so sure of the quality. What do you think about them?

Who are the best lenders?

We signed with Grand last Spring. It was awesome going through the design process, but a little overwhelming too. We were lucky and got about $50k in credits to spend on upgrades at the design center. As I'm a handy guy, we picked all the upgrades that should be tackled in the home design process. Things we chose were, covered patio, game room and a 5th bedroom/bathroom. As Zak said, there are options to place walls and doors where you want them. We actually turned the upstairs game room and fifth bedroom into a master sweet, adding a kitchenette. We also separated the turret into a library/office, instead of it being part of the fourth bedroom. The construction process has been a little stressful for me and has run about 45 days past the original delivery date. One thing I noticed, coming from a trade person background is that Grand is very messy during the construction process and doesn't enforce cleanliness with the contractors. For a specialty builder, they have tons of rework that must cost them lots of extra money and our time. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the site weekly and caught many major mistakes before things got too far down the road. They messed up 3 window placements, had the patio foundation framed on the wrong side of the house and left studs out of alignment that would have translated to bowed walls. I'm waiting for the blue tape day where I get to walk around and point out all the things I want fixed, as there are many on my list already. Make sure when you visit the model home for a tour, don't take for granted that what you see will be in your home. If there is something you like at the model home, make sure to get it in writing and validate it on the architectural drawings, before you sign the contract. Thanks, Zak, for taking your time to brain dump what you know about Grand Homes!

Agree with the above comment. List price is a scam. Talk to a realtor and pull closed sale prices for 2024

If they missed the SMALL THINGS ,your better HOPE THEY GOT THE BIG STUFF. Been into construction My whole life ,from foundation to red iron, framing to hvac&r and know what happens when you pass on the small things. and thats not a eye for detail ,THE saying : I CANT SEE IT FROM MY HOUSE. good Luck.

Awesome review!!

The list price is not the actual fair market value due to price shuffling so don't think it's a good deal because of a steep price drop from the LP

Zack I learned more from you than my Construction class in Masters. Thanks.

So a lennar home built in 2005 is still as bad as a home built by lennar in 2024?!

It sounds like the North Fort Worth Justin area is the reason Northwest ISD is the fastest growing school district in Texas. I am moving from Austin back DFW next summer. Austin has gotten too expensive and congested on its interstate roads. I definitely want to be the Northwest ISD area.

Why not seagoville/dallas border? What are your thoughts

Speaking of local builders, what do you think of Grand Homes?

Are the brands of the materials like toilet and bath fixtures reflect in the contract or atleast the builder have the approval of all the materials what the subcontractors are installing. Do builder give you the inspection report. e.g foundation, structural, wall before closing, electrical and hvac?

Dr is don’t respond don’t repair don’t replace😂

Absolute garbage builder!! I agree, design and overall look/ feel is awesome, that what lured us into this nightmare!! Every aspect of our build has major issues and they refuse to repair them. All of our upgrades have issues. They take you money for 'premium upgrades' but leave your house in shambles. I asked if the Pex was type A or type B, and the construction manager replied , "theres two different kinds?!?" That was my clue to get out but I didnt. Upgraded exterior doors are warped and bind--they wont fix them upgraded island set in kitchen crooked--they wont fix it Cabinet box different shade of grey-they wont fix it Cabinet guy let drawer slides fly out and gouge our upgraded wood floors--they wont fix it All interior door jambs bowed--they wont fix it Wood floor peeling up--they wont fix it Unsquared framing--we'll float the walls with 800 lbs of drywall mud--nope, not having it Ac will not cool even in modest Houston weather--they will come out ,but after 9 attempts--still cant figure that one out... we now have a window unit in the master just to sleep comfortably Shower glass leaks-construction manager--"Just caulk it, you can probably do better than my guys." Roof rafters not nailed into ridge beam- I had to nail those in my self this goes on and on... i could list another 30-40 items. Moral of the story -- DO NOT BUY FROM COVENTRY **STAY FAR FAR AWAY**

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yep your right about them not wanting you to use your relator and or third party inspectors is shade shade shade !

Cheap construction- every floor joint squeaks. Even the wall squeaks. Terrible quality control, and they do not stand by their warranty.

•I would not want a ceiling so high I that I need an extension ladder to change a light bulb and wash the interior side of a window. I hate needing a ladder to change the smoke detector battery. Do people think about those things when they ask for really high ceilings. When I watch HGTV home Reno shows. For the kitchen. While still in the building process. They pick the counter tops, back splash, cabinets, flooring, type of sink, appliances, lighting, yes or no on a kitchen island, sink fixtures, where the appliances will go, where the cabinets will go, where the kitchen island will go, where the sink will go, where the backsplash will go, how to lay the flooring, where the windows will go, where the lighting will go, where a breakfast nook could go, the seating for the counter, where a table and chairs can go, where the kitchen walls will go, etc. I have noticed on home Reno shows on HGTV u usually don’t see them pick the type of widows they are using in the kitchen. •As a short person of about 5’ 3” who constantly has health and safety on the brain. Plus I hate cleaning. This is how I would want my home to be: No un reachable cabinets, appliances, shelves, etc. Find a way to not have to use a ladder to change the smoke alarm batteries. Find a way to not need a ladder to change the ceiling light bulbs. Have a standing shower. Because I need a stool to get into and out of a tub shower, so I do not fall getting into the tub shower, and trip getting out off the tub shower. Make it so I do not need a stool or ladder to clean the interior and exterior sides of the windows. No rocks around the house, just grass. Rocks are hazard to walk on. I do not want have to trim trees and bushes. I do not want have to remove weeds. No tubs of any kind because I do not want to worry about getting injured or dying while getting in out of a tub, or falling asleep and drowning in a tub. No real wood anything where there is lots of water. Floor drains in the kitchen and bathrooms. No rugs because they are tripping and slipping hazards and a pain to get stains out of. Plus it is a pain to wash rugs. No carpet because cleaning carpet is a pain. Plus keeping carpet clean is a pain. No slippery when wet flooring any where in the house. Lawsuit waiting to happen. No stairs. Everything I want and need on one floor. I do not want to get injured or killed while using stairs. No open flames in the house. Fire hazard waiting to happen especially when living with other people and pets. Plus having guests. No gas stove tops and candles with wicks. No easy to break items besides light bulbs. No drinking glasses that are easy to break. No dishes that are easy to break. U will inevitably leave a candle burning, stove top on, drop plates and glasses, drop light bulbs, drop anything u are holding. Have a sprinkler system. Have fire extinguishers, first aid kits, working flashlights in easy to find locations all over the house. Have emergency lights, have everything in the house labeled, clearly marked entrances and exits. Carbon and smoke detectors all over the house. Having windows to open and close horizontal instead of vertically like a door. For easy escape. Hand railings for the toilet and shower. A shower chair no un movable built in shower bench.

What a bummer going into buying my first new build home and the builder never let me go onto the property while it was being built and also I had to close before even doing a walk through in the home due to policy