Hey everyone, it’s Stephen! If you want my FREE TEXAS RELOCATION GUIDE with information on all things about TEXAS, you can download it here: deals.allcityhomestore.com/ask/015eac53e75694248d99fa35c2a843e3
Hey Stephen here in the Dallas and Fort Worth area LGI builders piping new community. I see they also have some in the Houston Texas area also. Do you know anything about these? good or bad?
I bought a home that was 1.5 years old (the original owner had a family emergency need to move) it was built by a small local builder in the Texas hill country. I had 1 issue after purchase and I called the builder and he honored the original warranty with no questions asked and fixed my problem the next day. They are a wonderful company. Go small, go local.
@@Razgris4 It is a Janysek home. Their area of operation is on their website. I don't want to say where I live on YT but I'm between Austin and San Antonio.
@@charityscreams5366 The little family owned builders can not waste their reputation on "bad press". How can I say this ? When I got hired by a family owned builder as a regional manager, the owner of the company made one statement to me which stuck to this day. The owner of the company said .... "if you refuse to spend money on one of our homeowners and problems get into the media, you will be FIRED - UNDERSTOOD ?" I took care of our homeowners with that EDICT from the company owner and that blast was now in my job description. That is backstory stuff you do not read anywhere. I am not a defender of builders but I am a defender of the truth I was told by the owner. The company did make mistakes but owned up to it 100%. My .02
I've got 40+ years as a residential construction defect expert witness, college instructor (construction defects / codes / home inspection) and 15 years major big builder residential construction. I've managed thousands of tract built homes in California, Arizona and Nevada. Here is my .02 worth of advise. As a buyer, if you buy a slab-on-grade home, the BEST foundation system you can get is called a "post tension" slab which are normally used in highly expansive soil conditions (clay soils for instance). If the residential slab you are buying is NOT a post tension slab, I would find a builder who installs them. Period full stop. Google the advantages of post tension slabs. Steel cables are embedded in the slab and are tensioned (stretched) to ~30,000 psi about 7 days after the monolithic slab pour. Best foundation system hands down. Builders are so proud of these slabs there is generally a concrete stamp in the garage slab which says "Post Tension slab no cutting, coring or boring"....If no one is around to ask while walking around a builders jobsite, the garage slab right where the overhead garage door meets the slab is where you LOOK for the post tension slab stamped disclaimer. These residential post tension slabs are relatively new to the industry circa 1980's. If it's me I am buying a post tension slab otherwise buyer BEWARE especially in clay soils and structural distresses. NEXT if you are buying from a big builder just look at the jobsite on a weekend. If the jobsite looks like hell with trash & beer cans - RUN. NEXT hire a home inspector to inspect in critical phases of construction with a set of approved stamped plans provided by the builder (good luck on that one). These are the inspection phases I recommend for new construction for my clients. 1. BEFORE foundation pour 2. BEFORE drywall installation 3. BEFORE finish floorings just after painting 4. FINAL INSPECTION BEFORE walk through with builder to create a punch list of repairs. If you do anything less than what I am suggesting good luck covering your asset. Sure it costs more money hiring a private home inspector but it costs a whole hell of alot more fighting in class action lawsuits for construction defects and carrying the percieved loss of value on a subdivision of defective homes engaged in protracted litigation. Also the big builder will have you sign an "ARBITRATION" clause in your contract which means YOU CAN NOT SUE THE BUILDER. You read that right. I hope this helps.
You should definitely start a TH-cam channel of your own to at least disperse your vast amount of general knowledge of how to recognize signs of when builders are cutting corners at our expense, and how to find and interview various specialist home construction and systems inspectors so we get great, truly knowledgeable inspectors looking out for our best interests, not the builders. Please consider this opportunity to not only help millions of uneducated homebuyers, but possibly make some money for yourself too! Other TH-cam in the real estate education Arena like Travis at Real Estate Mindset would probably be willing to help you get started if you needed any advice on how to get started!!
My friend just built with a well known builder in Prosper. At a walk thru they noticed the slab was “flaky.” Concrete was incorrectly mixed. ENTIRE house was demolished and they had to start over. Builder threw in all manner of upgrades to offset a law suit. Wow. 😮
Currently I’m a builder in Texas and pretty much see the same issues across the board no matter what builder you choose. Local companies will perform much higher, but it always comes at a higher price point for the same looking product. The difference maker is literally your superintendent with these larger builders, if he’s good, he’ll be ramming dirty job sites down the trades throats. Money talks. I fine so many disrespectful crews for the lack of care and respect on my clients job site. It’s the only thing that will motivate these guys. Prices have gone up so drastically in the last 4 years that builders are sourcing cheaper labor and materials to keep the cost down. And the sad thing is, if all the builders don’t play the same game, consumers won’t understand why your product looks the same but is more expensive. It doesn’t matter that we use a better waterproofing material on the exterior of the home, it doesn’t matter that we do a dehumidifier in the attic standard in Houston, and it doesn’t matter we pay our framer more per foot than our competitors. The bottom line is, people buy what they can see. If the finishes look similar, who cares! But the true reality is, the consumer doesn’t understand. And like I said, money talks. There are a few that will pay more but the vast majority will choose the cheaper option. Maybe it’s because they can’t differentiate the difference, but we show case the difference at our models and design centers. It still always comes down to “oh well, I can get this for this price if I buy a (fill in the plank)” That’s great ma’am, then go buy that house and reap what you sow. Amazon has ruined us as a society. Homes are built with imperfect plans and imperfect hands and it takes so much refining to get to the end process it’s painful! Cars are built by computers, packages show up in two days free shipping, and TH-cam has taught us how to do just about everything while sitting on our butts. Home building is a painful process where it takes blood, sweat and tears to get it done. I welcome third party inspectors, city inspectors, and our 3rd party inspection company. The more eyes the better. It’s frustrating that there’s not more accountability in the industry, it sure would make my job easier.
@@jackofalltrades4844 BRAVO. That was sheer poetry. I hope EVERYONE READS what you just said. It is spot on 100%. I ate a lot of dirt on staff with a big builder in the 80's and 90's. In 1997 a homeowner who was a loose cannon federal agent from our Sandalwood Glen project unholstered his pistol on me in my office while tossing down a list of homeowners suing our home building company. Long story short it is not easy. When the construction defect attorneys rent out the local auditorium and invite your homeowners to sue you it almost is not worth it. Why cultivate more plaintiffs ? We introduced arbitration clauses in the new home purchase agreement. Most larger builders do. We were one of the first to do it in California. The family owner of the building company when I introduced the idea of arbitration clauses and the agents said it would not fly. Nobody would give up their right to sue the crap out of a builder right ? Wrong. Arbitration clause are almost universal with the big builders to my knowledge. Anyway damn good post. It speaks the truth and is brutally honest. My .02
@@jackofalltrades4844 OH and if you are not using Scopes of Works as attachments to every contract signed by the subcontractor I HIGHLY recommend developing a set for every trade. It's my way or the highway and jobsite Superintendents love Scopes of Work to shove down the contractor throats. The more leverage we have in the field the better. Upping retention on ALL contracts to get contractors back HELPS say 15% vs. 10%. My .02
Same here it actually depends on the super who is actually building the house, some 3rd parties are good others just scare people who have no knowledge. Also people want a Bugatti for the price of a Toyota, not going to happen. Toyota is a good product but it isn’t a Bugatti. Also when fining subs for trash and so forth they tend to just quit and go elsewhere and then you are stuck finding someone else, so prices go up to have the homes cleaned more
As someone who has gone through a lawsuit with a builder in Texas, the whole system is rigged by lobbyists and special interests at the government level. It’s so crooked that the former Texas Residential Construction Commission was broken up because it failed to support the home buyers as it was intended to do.
I'm now subscribed, as a former 20 year career in Fiduciary Banking and mortgage lender this is great information to share for anyone purchasing or selling. I hope you grow your channel! Thank you for educating people.
Doesn’t matter who the builder is do your due diligence . My home took 8 additional months to build because I showed up minimum four times per week and pointed out everything that was wrong constantly. Definitely look before insulation and drywall goes up. I’m self employed with over 15 years of construction under my belt so I’m able to be wherever I want to at any time. If you don’t have that luxury then buy a flashlight and swing by your new build after work daily. If you expect, INSPECT! No idea what you’re looking at, find a few inspectors that you trust with no ties to the builder.
Theses house are literally open until about a week before signing day when they bring in the “cleaning crew”. Never let them know you’re coming and always be willing to walk away. My builder hated me but I haven’t had any of the problems my neighbors have.
After building over 400 house in Houston, I was amazed to see how docile home buyers are. The biggest investment of your life, you better be out there every weekend looking at it. I can count on one hand how many times people did that to me. And those few people got better homes, even when they didn’t know what they were talking about.
We built in a newly opened SE Texas subdivision of an established neighborhood 2 years ago. The manager was great: the subtracted teams, not so much. To this day when going into the attic, we are amazed the framing passed inspection. We did stop construction before the insulation was installed to have an independent inspector walk the site. Corrections were made...and more importantly, the trash was removed from between the studs BEFORE drywall was put up. Yes, we visited the site at least once a week. Yes, we removed food trash, clothing, etc...from dead spaces in the cabinet layouts. We were warned by others not to speak out too loudly or the construction crews would leave us "gifts" we could not remove later. We have survived storms and one hurricane unscathed per the building. As for the yard; yes...we were pulling trash out of the grass for the first year owing to the thin layer of topsoil graded over the debris left behind by carelessness and greed.
As someone who has lived in Texas most of my life and finally looking to buy a home soon, thank you for this video. It was so eye opening. Subscribed!!!💯
Definitely get a copy of the HOA agreement to review before you purchase. Check reviews, and drive around the neighborhood, especially on weekends. Never waive inspections. Walk through the house before the drywall is installed, and document everything. Check the price/quality level of the fixtures, appliances, and even the bathtub. Sometimes they will try to get away with installing a lower-quality bathtub early in the build. Inspect the plumbing pipes to see whether they've had a nail put through them during construction
I have something to add to your thoughts, I'm a concrete pump operator who pours the foundation of these homes If you are buying a house make sure you are on site watching the process of everything Because some times the concrete company's have issues with timely delivery's and have big gaps in service And cause a huge problem with the slab it's called a cold joint look that up if you don't understand After that it doesn't matter it has cable lock technology built in over time the slab will break apart Here's the second problem that may happen Let set the tone it's a Typical hot texas day there on the second or possibly 5th slab of the day there tired as heck So the problem begins the tell the mixer truck to add more water into the mix making it into self leveling concrete so they don't have to drag it around alot During the screed process It went from a 5 or 6 slup to 8 or 10 basically soup The problem this cause is the rocks sink to the bottom of the concrete mix and you lose the structure of the mix design aka weak slab that will break very easily when it settes over time I work out of the houston area and want the jod done right Have a outside concrete tester on site to make sure your concrete is to spec and nothing gets over looked Because with the information you know will have then not being able to get by with shotty construction and my you pay for it in the long run
A couple of decades ago, we had a home built by Pulte. New design, never built before, with bay windows on the front. First, they poured the wrong slab. Because we accepted the flat-front layout instead of bay windows, they upgraded our detached garage to 3 cars instead of 2. We asked them to move the garage to the opposite side of the house, which would give us a lot more room in the back yard. They did, but poured the slab in the original orientation, so the walk-thru door was on the wrong side. We agreed to let them pour a new slab on top of the old slab (with appropriate anchor bolts) instead of demolishing it, so they gave us $3k worth of kitchen upgrades. While the house was being framed, the A/C contractor asked us where to place the vents and returns because it wasn't noted on the builder's plans. The kitchen ceiling had to have the sheetrock replaced twice because it was so poorly done. And the floor in an upstairs bedroom had to be done because it had a slope of about 5". After we moved in, the laundry room randomly flooded 3 times. It wasn't plumbed correctly, so a wall had to be cut into and the plumbing rebuilt. During that process they found a round metal knock-out inside the drain. When it was upright the water drained ok. When it flipped horizontally, it blocked the drain completely. Also, someone drove a nail into the A/C line, so freon had to be added multiple times and the line fixed. And no matter what temp we selected on the thermostat, downstairs was ice cold and upstairs was 90 degrees. Took all summer (and a series $900 electric bills) before they figured out the A/C units were cross-wired. The upstairs thermostat was wired to the downstairs unit, and visa-versa. Want more? They sealed the gas fireplace doors shut; it could only be turned on with a remote. The laundry room (more of a closet, actually) was in a hallway and had double doors that opened inward instead of outward, so there was barely room to open the dryer door. And where was the light switch? Inside the laundry room, behind the door. I'll never buy another Pulte home.
Ive used a local builder called "Viera Builders" in Florida's Space Coast for my two houses. Top notch local builder in my area. Thanks for the info boss! Unfortunately Lennar and DR Horton will never stop being terrible. They got even worse during the pandemic in order to keep up with demand.
I have heard from the other channels that national builders like DR, KB, Lennar, TB, etc. would use their weight to hog up building materials, especially windows and A/C compressors, and municipality code inspectors. It is not uncommon to have closing date moved 2-3 times if you are building with small(er) builders.
We built a Tilson build on own lot over 15 years ago and still live in our wonderful house. We're very pleased with how we were able to do sweat equity plus customize our plan with their architects. We had a very good experience.
Im a home inspector in DFW and I could give a crap less what the builder or sellers agent thinks or wants. I only care about the needs and future of the buyer. I'm here to crawl around and get dirty for you and not anyone else. I've had be kind of rude to a few sellers agents that would stop by during my inspection and try and chat me up. Not gunna happen, go take a hike.
NEVER buy a DR Horton built home. North Texas is full of them and they’re all junk! In general the big home builders do shoddy work. If you can afford it I’d recommend going with a small custom home builder.
I live in a DR Horton home, mine was built in late 2023. Haven't had any issues, we love it. I see them pouring the slabs in my neighborhood, they appear to be structurally sound. The pricing, price point, low interest rate,..DR Horton met the financial #'s that I was looking for, in terms of affordability. Other builders are way over priced! I would recommend DR Horton.
@@anveshc6411 there’s a lot of small custom homes builders across the north Texas area. All you have to do is Google “Custom home builder north Texas”. Read the online reviews to decide which ones you should contact.
@texassquarebody6119 My wife's best friend had to wait two years for them to build her house. She was the first buyer in the subdivision, and in those two years house prices doubled. She has had broken pipes destroybher floors, a roof whose shingles blew half off in a stout wind, a door that goes nowhere because it was part of the wrong floor plan, and very nearly no showers because they were framing the area for a closet. Oh, and they left food in her walls, so rats are a big problem.
Dr horton, Highland Homes, Pulte Homes, troll brothers, David weekly. The list goes on and on . When the house slab is being pour make sure your there and tell them you want a 6 inch slump being poured. We often pour 9 for these homes so it’s basically water down concrete.
@@Capo_jc21 We would take cylinders of fresh concrete to have a materials testing lab break test all concrete being poured for foundations, curbs, gutters, spandrel etc to keep the suppliers honest along with field cone (slump) tests. Keeping a brother honest for those 3,000 psi post tension slabs.
Darling Homes - We built our home back in 2020. I couldn't be happier with the build quality and over all user experience. They welcomed my 3rd party inspector without any issue. Like every home we have had little things here and there, but I would build with Darling again without any hesitation.
@@casketking Most builders will accept a 3rd party inspector. KB Homes saw fit to have their attorney shadow me on a new home inspection as intimidation. I had to provide a $2 million insurance policy to set foot in the new home. I also had to wear steel toed shoes and a safety helmet in a finished home as a requirement. No big deal and par for the course.... BUT the look on the attorneys face was priceless when the brand new dishwasher I tested flooded the brand new wooden floor in the kitchen. I just shrugged my shoulders at the attorney and went about my business. Sounds like Darling Homes is a reputable builder not hassling you on your choice of inspectors or even using one.
We hired inspectors after the foundation was poured, before drywall, and final inspection. I looked for ones and asked them which part of the process they were the best at. Used different ones for all 3. We found so much even with a reputable regional Texas builder (Perry). If you can’t afford inspectors, you can’t afford a home. Even after closing we had so many issues including air conditioning, leaky windows, grading, drywall joints. It was a challenge getting them to fix some things, and they were responsive on others. I’ll never use them again.
DR Horton customer here. I found tons of shoddy work done pre-close. Worked with an inspector and the builder to address them all before close. After close (and after warrantee expired), I did some other work/improvements to the house which revealed much more. I found 4 beer cans in a single wall, improper (practically none) water proofing of the bathrooms, missing insulation, and a ton more issues. I wish I was involved earlier in the construction process as I could have had inspectors check out the house prior to all the dry wall going up and flooring going down. I got a deal because the house was originally contracted to someone else but they cancelled. By the time I saw the house, it was mostly complete. I've heard all kinds of stories from neighbors. Including that the interior paint was "thinned" so much that the color no longer matches the palette. My grandfather bought a house just after and was involved since the pouring of the foundation. He was able to correct things long before they were an issue. He made friends with the electrician and was able to pay him a little more to add outlets exactly where he wanted them, including outdoor outlets for holiday decor/lighting. He's retired so he had the time to check up on the state of things every other day.
Really great video, very informative for the first time home buyer! I wish I had some on this knowledge before I purchased my first home back in 2016, keep up the great work 👍
I thought this was going to be clickbait but as someone who just bought a new build in Texas I’ve seen everything you’re talking about. What caused me to not fall into the traps? An experienced realtor that pushed me toward a better builder than the one I was seeing hundreds of in a lower price point 👀
Even Buffet sold all his stock in DR Horton after the news started spreading about their bad quality. He sold it all in under a year after buying into them.
So happy with our 'small builder' home build. Yes at inspection there were things to fix ... and he did. We love our house! We just lucked out with our very detailed Home Inspector.
You’re totally right! Our realtor took us to all the giant builders like DR Horton and I just had that gut feeling that it was a scam, cheap materials, waaaaay far from my work and all houses look the same. At the end I decided to buy a 1980’s brick house in an awesome pristine neighborhood in the 30 minutes (max) from work. And this house is SOLID! Constructed with oak wood back in the 80’s baby!
If your realtor is taking you to a DR Horton home, run, do not walk, run from them. They are solely there for the commission (Which DR notoriously offers higher commission to their realtors than other builders)
I’m an architect who specializes in custom residences, based in Dallas. The big home builders & many of the urban townhome builders are awful, I warn friends about them constantly. 50-60 years of deregulation and car-centered land use policy have left us in a housing mess.
@@donnelljunior4198 In my opinion, we’ve had affordable housing in this country before, post WWII. But that was spurred by New Deal programs, the GI Bill (how my grandad bought his first house), and significant federal & state spending on infrastructure. The basic federal economic strategy was focused on creating long term economic stability. Currently we have a neoliberal economic strategy that focuses on creating privatized wealth by deregulating industries (there’s basically no qualifications in Texas for who can call themselves a home builder), slashing spending / privatizing public utilities (crazy high prices for electricity, higher education, child care, etc), and prioritizing a “free market” over a planned economic strategy (relying on businesses to develop our cities for private profit rather than empowering localities to plan their communities in a way that makes the most sense for the public good).
TIP: If you happen to know the project superintendent ask the person how many days are built into the construction schedule. In my humble opinion anything under 100 days to completion for a new home is begging for quality problems. Most big builders will have phases of construction consisting of multiple homes of 2 to 40+. Once you get to 10 houses or more in a phase, you need an assistant superintendent otherwise quality will suffer. Ask the Superintendent how many homes does he have to juggle SOLO supervising and if the answer is OVER 10 or so houses in production that superintendent needs HELP and that is a red flag 🚩 without an assistant superintendent with the accelerated building schedules (under 100 days). My .02
@@Goldmouthperspective Also ask the project superintendent if they use "Scopes of Work" as attachments to ALL subcontractor contracts. If the answer is "NO" - RUN. Your better contractors use "Scopes of Work" otherwise the inmates are running the asylum.
@@steveludwig4200 We had 80 - 90 day schedules to complete a phase of 40 single detached homes. 5 phases on one project or about 200 homes with prepped pads. That was the norm. We got 4 models up in 30 days which was a nightmare. Trades on top of each other. Never again. Never.
I bought an older home built in the 80s so I've definitely had my share of issues and repairs. However, when I look at the speed in which some of these new subdivisons around me have been built I'm suspicious. I do want a newer house at some point. My aunt and uncle also had a DR Horton home brand new build. It was a beautiful house but they complained of issues within months of moving in.
Thank you for sharing this! I have heard so many horror stories about new home builders. We have had a couple of our friends who built their homes with a mega builder. One of our friends couldn’t park their car in the garage because the builder built the width of the door too small. Another friend (same builder) pipes burst a month after moving in. I have seen people who wrote on their cars not to buy homes from this same builder because they have had terrible experiences. This builder has beautiful homes but their reputation is horrible.
Yes my daughter and son in law purchased a new built 2021 in Fulshear Tx had get an another roof it start leaking in the kitchen area. The home they sold was better home in the Woodlands Tx was better built I told them now they believe me now.
@@sherryamanfor Not many new homeowners know this warranty tip and I am not an attorney and it's called "tolling of the statute". This legal phrase extends your warranty from the builder. How ? From the time a warranty defect is reported to resolution that time frame is added to the statute of limitations for either "patent" or "latent" construction defects. For instance, if it takes the builder to stabilize structural movements and it takes 9 years to successfully accomplish, you add 9 years to the 10 year warranty for latent defects (California example). Your warranty for structural movements is now covered for 19 years due to "tolling of the statute". Each state has their own statute of limitations for residential construction defects. I am an expert witness and college instructor on this topic. 40+ years experience. I hope this helps.
@@tonyreyes1798Yes,. .....YES..... Thank you very much. You are a good angel. This is great to know. Alot of those homebuilders just want to take advantage of people who are simply trying to purchase a decent home.
@@electron7659 Always use a qualified home inspector at critical phases of production. Don't fall for the trap that a new home does NOT need a home inspection as the sales pitch from the builder. If the builder refuses to allow your inspector on a job site - RUN. FAST. My .02
We wanted a steel barndo. Saw some barndos near the highway close to the home we were renting, stopped off and asked the home owner who built it and if they liked it. They loved it and highly recommended their builder. They had gotten into contact with with the builder because their next door neighbor used them, and the next door neighbor knew them because his dad used them for several projects over the years. Called the builder, asked for references, and they connected us to another client close to where we wanted to build. She let us tour the house and talked to us about the build process. We got a good local builder that way. No way we would have found them any other way, as they did no advertising, did not have so much as a web site, got all of their work on word-of-mouth connections, making at most a dozen homes a year using the same set of subcontractors they had been using for 20 years. Despite the trust we had in the builder, we used a architect for layout and interior design, had soil samples taken and an engineer design the foundation. The engineer inspected the foundation before and during the pour. Then we had a building inspector come out at multiple phases of the build. We had only a few minor problems through the process that were quickly taken care of, and are very happy with our home.
@@ranchgirl00 Yes we are. Unfortunately my builder (two brothers) retired, so I can't recommend them anymore. If you work with an architect - which I highly recommend - they need to understand significant differences in how the outer wall is layered, that the internal walls are not structural, and portions outside of the building may not be inside the residential envelope. Our builder sat down with our architect and went through this. We ditched our first architect because he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that we did not want a nightmare from mcmansion hell, so he was trying to give us an L shaped building with gables and other silly things you shouldn't even do, much less do in metal. The architect we used did some minimal use of the golden ratio on the front window and vertical support placement using guidelines from our builder, and focused on making the interior space and lighting meet our needs. The result is a place that looks like a home from the street (as opposed to a commercial building) and serves well as one. Find a good inspector who understands that there isn't code for all things barndo, so you have to mix residential and commercial codes and think about how the building works. But the hard part is finding a good builder.
@@ranchgirl00 When we built, steel cost 10-25% less than a stick home of similar size. Of course that depends on what options (siding, roofing, etc) the stick house has. This was right before Trump's steel tariffs impacted wholesale steel prices. I cut a check for the steel before our construction loan closed because steel prices were going up 25% the following week.... Relative pricing may be very different now. So the best answer is ask your builder or get several estimates from different builders. Our builder did both stick and steel, so was able to make direct comparison on what cost/ sq ft would be. We talked to other builders and got ballpark figures from them, too. When we decided to go with steel, we made additional choices to cut costs. Roof and porch slope were chosen so they didn't have to use safety gear, reducing labor costs. Our outside dimensions were chosen to minimize the number of cuts and waste of steel beams and panels. ie most of our porch is either 6' or 4' overhangs, with the same number of 6' pieces as 4' pieces, minimizing the number of 10' steel panels. The doozy expense for us was the foundation. We wanted an all concrete 6' wrap around porch with 10' in the back. Instead we have a small 10' back porch and a 6' walkway to the front door in concrete, and the rest is dirt. Mind you, our engineered slab uses more rebar and concrete and cost about 15% more than a cookie cutter slab would have. About 1/3 of the houses we looked at buying had serious foundation issues, and we build on clay. Our ground gets giants cracks in it, but our house doesn't have any.
I had a great experience with Bloomfield in DFW area. They messed up on a few things, came right in, and fixed them before I moved in. Quality work and didn't have any hidden fees. Even added extra stuff, outside electrical plugs, etc., I wanted for a cheap price.
Newmark Katy, Tx Money pit Brand new build We had found out after during research roofers build the master bath 😡 Hb gutted it and worked on it himself! Tile attached to drywall with glue No cement board, no correct drip pan. Water everywhere Home built 2013
@@Kristen10-22 TIP....If you see "green board" type drywall (the drywall paper is actually green) as the tiles backing surface - RUN. Green board is crap and was used exclusively in moist areas of vertical surface (ceilings it's not allowed). It's also called water resistant gypsum board and was the building standard for decades. It's Pure junk and lawsuits waiting to happen. Cement board or wonder board is the ticket as you mentioned. My .02
@@tonyreyes1798 didn’t see green board however it was a mess! Thank God my hb knows how to do even hard projects. Water sitting behind all the tiles, when I say a mess I mean I wouldn’t ever allow anyone to fix anything else. Started to fail 1yr after warranty as well. H town is a joke ugh
@@tonyreyes1798 hb used cement board, vapor stuff u name it everything. He put up all new tile, tile floor & it’s correct 100% Thanks for the reply so so much
I live in a relatively nice neighborhood. Highland homes, Toll Brothers, Coventry, Plantation, etc. They all hire the cheapest unskilled labor possible. My community FB group is littered with neighbor complaints on build quality. One Highland homeowner recently found someone’s rotten lunch in his walls-complaining of a smell for months that highland ignored. Trendmaker probably had the least complaints here but they sell less houses. If you don’t have the expertise, time, or money to supervise your build frequently then think twice. Also when you buy new, you’re not in a position of leverage. They have all the cards and it’s an uphill battle because each upgrade you pick, requires money down that cannot be refunded so you’re in deep. You’re pretty much committed and they know that and will test the boundaries with each and every complaint. Better strategy is to only do structural upgrades. Floors, walls, carpentry, kitchen can all be done after you close. Find the independent shops that actually care about their work and they’ll be much cheaper than the builders with better quality work. Good luck!
These new homes that pop up everywhere are mainly cookie cutter homes and are constructed with cheap, cheap materials, quickly and with cheap labor; practically no landscaping or trees. Why do you all think our structures cannot stand storms, high winds, hurricanes (if you live on the coast and I am not talking island living like SPI, Padre Island, Galveston, etc. I'll call it inner coast living.) I am talking about new construction: with pop-ups on the second-floor floor boards, nails sticking out, cheap roofing tiles, leaks, scratched bathroom glasses, uneven wall angles, paper thin walls, the cheapest locks and door handles, cheap fixtures, etc. (Yes, I owned one of those homes.) There was a comment made on the thread about how it is amazing what passes as building materials here in the USA and it is so true. Unfortunately, we cannot afford a custom build home constructed with rebar, cinderblocks, cement, quality materials. Many years ago, I went through a hurricane cat 1 that entered through Tulum. I was staying in Playa Del Carmen about an 45 min to an hour north of Tulum. The hotel was a hardy construction: rebar, cinderblocks, etc. We were staying on the 3rd floor, were moved to the second, windows were secured and we were given supplies. Yes, we lost power, had debris, some fallen trees, etc. but the structure was solid and safe. A few years later I stayed at a property rental in Galveston and a minor storm hit the area not even a tropical storm, the wind (nothing like what I experienced when in Playa) caused the walls of our location to sway and the surrounding properties had some damage. Remember this was a minor storm. The materials used here are not hardy and really not made to last. Basically, we are stuck with poor construction, cheap materials and exorbitant housing costs. Everyone take care.
I moved down here to Texas 25 years ago and the garbage construction that people accept here (compared to East coast construction) boggles my mind. No one above the Mason-Dixon Line would tolerate a water heater in their unfinished attic. That's a recipe for disaster! I don't care if hard freezes are rare. As Snowmaggedon showed us, cold temps and power outages can be catastrophic. When I moved into my 1950s pier-and-beam, I asked a plumber there for a minor repair about insulating the pipes in the crawlspace. He told me that it really wasn't something that people did in Central Texas, because when it got cold, you just dripped your pipes. If you got unlucky, and the pipes froze, then you just sucked it up and paid a plumber to fix it. Homeowners need to push back against that kind of "planned breakage".
Thanks for the tips. You have to be discrete on naming builders to avoid, but do you have a video on the top 5 builders that are least likely to have critical build issues and known for quality & taking care of thier customers? Ahem...looking at Grand Homes in my top 3 but seeing negative customer reviews & more customer complaints on BBB than i'd like to see.
Man… we built a house last year and when we went to our final walk through we saw so many things wrong and the builder was forcing us to close. One major issue is there’s a rather large hole around the sinks pipes in the upstairs bathroom. The builder claimed they would fix all our issues and to this day most of the issues have yet to be fixed despite constant emails and calls.
We are realtors and have purchase many homes for ourselves. This year we closed with Toll B but we had babysit some of the process. Trash everywhere but I came in daily and asked the workers to throw away the trash they left in the walls. At the end many of the issues were taking care of due daily communication. The worse part was the trash these people would leave or try to hide in walls, ceilings etc.
I will tell you from my experience with the walkthroughs. When people complained about issues too much they would give your earnest money back say have a nice day and sold the house to someone else. People were left without a home. The builders know how hard to find a home in the bubble we had. They took advantage of that. There are plenty of reviews on this. So you can complain all you want but they will tell you if it past state inspection they don’t have to do anything else and won’t
@@ka0t1k1 Did you know by code the A/C system in your home is ONLY required to maintain a 15°F differential to the outside temperatures ? Yup. If it's 115°F outside then 100°F inside is acceptable by code. Go figure ! And building codes are minimum requirements for health safety. If you upsize the tonnage of the A/C system then you get windows and doors whistling and hvac systems burning out due to back pressures. Sounds like dogs chasing tails right ? Insulation is the key.
They undersized them to keep the humidity out of the home because the air handler will run more without what’s called “short cycling.” If the unit is sized larger in keeps the temps inside down but it doesn’t draw enough moisture out of the air. I’d always push for a dehumidifier standard in Houston and if they won’t do it, I’d move along. I see a whole lot of bad mold remediations here in H-town due to high humidity levels.
Thank you for your videos, I really am enjoying them and like most of your tips. But, I disagree about what you said about useless HOAs. We Purposely bought in a neighborhood without amenities because we didn’t want to pay for them. We didn’t want to pay for a pool that we wouldn’t use, and there are plenty of parks to go walk in if we want to go for a hike. Our HOA only charges like 14 dollars a month, and it is there to make sure house values stay up, do people will keep up with their yards, etc. Thus far, they don’t rule with an iron fist, and we have had one about 4 years now. I do like what you said about not paying for upgrades. Some of my neighbors paid more money for bigger lots, but that has not paid off. My house is worth the same price theirs is worth.
I worked for Pulte in Houston as a salesperson and left because my manager was untrustworthy and did anything for a sale. My integrity wouldn’t allow myself to play those games with innocent people looking to make the most important purchase of their lives. I will say I was impressed with Pulte’s build quality while I was there and they have one of the best warranty programs. I will also say out of the builders in Houston I like Pulte, Tri-point, and K-Hovnanian homes the best. Perry and DR Horton are my least favorite
Watched this video three times thank you so much for this. I was able to make an informed decision and I’m building with a small local company with a great reputation with my real estate agent’s support. Thank you ❤
I'm a new home builder. Always always always get an inspection!! We get our own inspections done during the build but an extra set of eyes is never a bad thing! Any builder who won't allow an inspection is a huge red flag. Get an inspection!!!!
@@reginamoment8685 yep, i dont have any problems with independent inspectors. extra set of eyes never hurts, and ive never had anyone complain on a delay where we were correcting an inspection item.
I appreciate what an inspector does, but they can’t see most of the real problems, mostly cosmetic stuff. They are worth the money for a good independent view. I bought a Lennar home as I was moving to TX from FL and was unable to monitor the construction process, now I’m paying for it. Never again. I hired an inspector and they found a list of like 30 things that needed to be fixed prior to close. After moving in, I found loose electrical connection in switch and outlet boxes as I installed some smart home devices, I’ve no less than 12 warranty claims, one which forced my wife and I to move completely out of the house to replace the entire floor due to crap workmanship. This video is spot on. The homes builders “build” will cost more in the long run. A guy I used to work for always said “if you don’t have time to do something right, when will you have time to do it again”. Too true.
@codemannh1 Welcome to FL, please make sure you have a power surge breaker in your main breaker box to protect all your smart electronics. Check the windows, doors for air leakage. And mostly, not standing water in your yard. See if you can know the history of your land-wetlands are bad. Good luck.
We got killed by Brookfield. My wife's dream home. Pre drywall 3rd party inspection we hired found over 60 items. But the worst was the roof and the foundation. We have to go to arbitration now to recover $56,000 in earnest and other money. Will see how arbitration goes, but this one is crazy. Would love to share the details.
Do the knock test. Knock on the outside walls, if it sounds hollow, it’s hollow! Within two years there will be wood rot because of water seeping in through all the cracks. Hidalgo county is known for this.
We bought a home about 50 years old, went through 3 building inspectors (2 were VA) and the 3rd was a pest inspector who gave us all the skinny on what passed inspection but were derelict and faulty That is on the seller and previous owner. Here in TX the communities that are like towns are building all stick built that would NEVER pass code in the Northeast. Family was in the building and electrical trades and I dealt with renovation for a $25M historic project on a high rise of unique character so I've done my share of walk-throughs before retirement. This is why storms reveal the flimsy, shoddy work and sub-par materials here. Would only buy new if the home was manufactured by Solitaire Homes because of the commitment to build safe, sturdy, tested dwellings and survive tornadoes.
Excellent advice! No matter the brand, overall quality is subject to the subcontractors and an experienced superintendent. I would advise getting a list of subcontractors and check them out. Particularly HVAC, plumbing, and roof. If the sub has lots of complaints and warranty callbacks, walk away.
Good infoa As an appraiser in Houston I see many new construction houses in different phases of construction. You would be amazed at what I see in some of these new development job sites.
We have a David Weekly home. Lived here for 5 years. It was “new” (actually about 1 year old when we bought it). It has been great so far. It is an all brick home which has been good for keeping the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. We never saw it as it was being built so no idea what is behind the walls. One thing we do have in an insect barrier in the walls that is accessed from outside so no spray inside the house. We came from a Toll Brothers house in PA. I loved that home, too.
The "builder" doesn't build anything. They hire subcontractors who are overworked and underpaid to actually build the house. These subcontractors couldn't care less if the work was done correctly. They just want to move on to the next one.
Exactly! A lot of the builders use the same subcontractors also and this is why many of them end up with the same mistakes no matter how much the price is.
If I remember correctly, KB homes used to be Ray Ellison in San Antonio. It's owner was caught in a scheme with previous Mayor Henry Cisneros (80s to 90s).
@@realestatesteph Can't recall the news 100%, but Cisneros was the Secretary of H.U.D. under Clinton and I believe was working with Ellison to get Federal funding with kickbacks.
You are 100 percent right! I watch homes being built here in Texas and omg the structure was so bad, The wood wasn’t treated, and the walls hollow. Then they want to sell the homes for 300k wtf 😢
Imagine our surprise to receive news that DR Horton installed faulty breaker boxes in our new build. So far we have had a recall notice inspection and 2 actual housefires in our community. Beware of buying new builds in Round Rock and Georgetown, Texas.
Built a home recently with Chesmar, overall I can say they did an okay job but not sure if that because they knew I was paying for my own inspector in every single phase which he discover quite a few issues that they did address especially after closing was push back because i refuse to close without proof and confirmation that the issue discover were address.
When looking for homes in Texas I loved Highland homes. The layouts were top notch. Didn’t buy and stayed in California but I wish they built out here, beautiful homes.
@@realestatesteph I’m from California and Texas didn’t feel like home. My husband and I both didn’t feel it in our spirit and didn’t want to force it, so we’re still here. We loved the style of homes in Texas though, you definitely get more bang for your buck. You can’t even get a townhouse for less than 500k in our area so we may reconsider at another time.
As a professional painter, I see a ton of bad work. And typically it’s a trade thing, where they fuck something and pass it down to the next trade (framer-drywall-electrician-plumber-floors-etc). And the painter ends up having to fix everyone’s mistakes. Good thing I ain’t cheap.
@@realestatesteph Yes! But a bad painter is the straw that breaks the camel’s back imo. I wonder how often these kinds of builders get sued, or is the standard so low that they get away with it?
@@sbielec30 No, but if the electrician makes a few holes after the paint job is finished, and patches them himself, it’ll most likely be a botch job. Hence “one trade passing it off to another”. So that’s where I come in and either fix their mess ups. Or else a brand new house can easily look like it’s got 10+ years of wear by time the build is completed.
@@BroBruhBruv I definitely wouldn’t want to be on job site with you. Especially, if you have no idea that electrical wires go behind walls. Then dry wall, the cut out boxes for switches and outlets. Only after these things are done, should a painter be entering the building. But then again, commercial is different from residential. So I guess residential must not follow a series of steps, especially if plumbers and electricians get in the way of painting.
My first house was Lennar. The roofs were shoddy in our neighborhood. I moved and brought a Bloomfield Home no issues well built home qualitiy materials.
@@petersondesrosiers5024I've never purchased a home before. So, does one purchase first and then they build it for you, or do they build first and then you pay??
@electron7659 1st thing is to work with a bank or mortgage officer to get pre approved for a mortgage loan. You will see that when you are serious with buying a new or existing home, the seller will ask for a pre-approval letter to see if you are serious or just wasting their time. Doing this will allow you to see how much home you can afford and how much money you need to save up for the DP (down payment). Once you know how much you can afford and you have your down payment if you're ready you can start shopping. You can find the builder of your choice and choose the model and lot you want. They will ask for a deposit on the home you want . Then the build process usually takes 8 to 9 months sometimes longer but that gives you time to save more money. Before you commit to a builder have a realtor. They can guide you through the process and smooth out any issues along they way. Also, like the gentlemen said in the vid no all builders are created equally some are better than others. Read reviews of builders in your area and gage which one is the best for you. Also if if your pre-approved for your mortgage the builder sometimes has their own mortgage company and can give you a better deal incentive / better interest if you go with them for your mortgage. They usually can push your mortgage through and get you to close faster as well. Good luck, friend.
Man I needed you back you I brought my hime.. ibhave one of the USELESS HOAs.. we have no patks.. pools.. playgrounds.. parking...ponds.. gates stay broke and grass stay hight.. but the HOA fees jeep going up. WHY!!!
What do you think about the three story homes which collapsed during the derecho and Beryl? The homes were framed and still under construction. I could see the finished homes around them and just thought “y’all are gonna have problems”.
Home ownership is so stressful, I am one of those people who grew up on family owned wide-opened spaced land. So, to now be a renter for over a decade plus, if I can’t have my own land and build that way, I’ll stay renting.
We walked jobsites of builders in every phase of construction all around our area when we were looking for a builder. I did some research and just looked for a good built home. It was nuts seeing homes in high dollar neighborhoods being built with cardboard and in a coastal area. We ended up choosing one of the bigger builders around but they also had the best subs around, and i think one of the better built homes around.
Big builders are incentivizing their superintendents the wrong way, and also hiring the wrong people. As well as overworking their superintendents that results in bad quality. If you must buy from a big company visit your jobsite (future home) often very often and ask questions, hire that 3rd party inspection learn as much as you can about city codes get involved with your future home. It is a BIG investment. I am currently unemployed lost my job to a kid with a degree who quit the job after a few months good luck everyone and God Bless
I really could use some advice. We are wanting to build a house on some land but can’t afford the interest rates on loans and then thought maybe we should just buy a home that’s already established, but then you get to looking on the MLS websites and the tax rates for homes in good neighborhoods like Woodforest and others like it are ridiculous! Plus, maintenance fees, HOA fees and other random fees. What’s your advice?
Dream Finders in Leander, TX, was horrible. The construction manager was verbally and physically abusive toward the house inspector. This happened in 2021. The sales rep up to the operations manager were horrible, wanting to find a way to cancel the contract so they can sell the house for more.
Hello, you as a real estate professional should look into Prefabricated modular homes, built out steel and aluminum panels wool paper insulation, these homes are smaller yes but the homes are 10X as strong and quality is 5 times the best stick builder! A factory built home is done in a control environment and on an assembly line, which means consistency. There are drawbacks with modular home, size and the ability to expand are limited. Usually a modular home is a 500 sqft to 850 sqft meaning a 1&1 to a 2&2. In exchange for a steel & aluminum structure nearly indestructible and the profit margins are high!
San antonio tx far west side. Also. Houston tx i have family over there buying new home and it started having ac/wall/attic issues. And leaking thru cealings. Be careful when buying home
Doesn’t matter if a home is 300k or nearing 1M- inconsistencies are indifferent. I’ve worked on homes (new build) in the aforementioned upper range with missing details as simple as having the correct breaker (amps) to feed a dryer, range etc..
We have a mega home builder here that was seen filling a pond with dirt and surprise, they are building there. I cannot imagine the issues that person is going to have with their home. Same builder, different neighborhood and a friends new home had shingles ripped off in a storm and the storm wasn't even that bad and the home is six months old. They slap those houses up so quickly, I really wish people would stop buying them but the allure of a brand new home is so appealing to many.
My brother baught a. D. R. Horton home brand new only in there 5 years. And they had to leave because mold is throughout the whole house. There saying theyll have to knock down the whole house at this point. All state insurance company said there not helping in any way also. Were looking into legal action. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you
My agent partner in HTX likes some Of the bigger names like Highland & Westin but she said Iconiq is a super small builder she would recommend with great service. If you want to do a one on one with her let me know I would be glad to connect you. Shoot me an email Stephen@mygoodlifeteam.com
We have been renting this DR Horton home for 6 years now, and we've gotten a clear understanding that they put profit over quality. Now we're looking into these ads we're getting about acres and a barndominium. I've heard about water and well issues, and we know about shells, but is there any other advice you can give about what to avoid?
My first home was a Lennar home in AZ had zero issues with that house. 3 years later purchased with Taylor Morrison and we had issues soon as we moved in.
@DownHomeRealtor of course they are.. And I'm giving my opinion based on how I've seen/worked on these houses as a plumber and not just view them from my car..
I do landscaping work for DR Horton, Tri Pointe Homes, KB etc in central Texas. I would never buy one of their homes. Cheaply built and over priced by 30%+. New home sales down 39% since 2022.
I am a framer in dfw for 6 years now I’ve build lake house , did dr Horton, David weekly and so on but David weekly is the worst one u can buy. They’ve made us do 24 oc studs and we seen it wrapped around insulation sheets. According to the company it works outs perfect but as a framer it does not feel safe for it to hold your house steady
Sheridan built our home in Arlington. One of the best builders but I think they went out of business right after out home was built with the housing crash in 2008/2009. They were a smaller company.
Hey everyone, it’s Stephen! If you want my FREE TEXAS RELOCATION GUIDE with information on all things about TEXAS, you can download it here: deals.allcityhomestore.com/ask/015eac53e75694248d99fa35c2a843e3
Hey Stephen here in the Dallas and Fort Worth area LGI builders piping new community. I see they also have some in the Houston Texas area also. Do you know anything about these? good or bad?
Sorry for the typo that's supposed to be popping up😂
I bought a home that was 1.5 years old (the original owner had a family emergency need to move) it was built by a small local builder in the Texas hill country. I had 1 issue after purchase and I called the builder and he honored the original warranty with no questions asked and fixed my problem the next day. They are a wonderful company. Go small, go local.
Amazing
Who was the builder? And where did you build?
@@Razgris4 It is a Janysek home. Their area of operation is on their website. I don't want to say where I live on YT but I'm between Austin and San Antonio.
@@charityscreams5366 The little family owned builders can not waste their reputation on "bad press". How can I say this ? When I got hired by a family owned builder as a regional manager, the owner of the company made one statement to me which stuck to this day. The owner of the company said .... "if you refuse to spend money on one of our homeowners and problems get into the media, you will be FIRED - UNDERSTOOD ?" I took care of our homeowners with that EDICT from the company owner and that blast was now in my job description. That is backstory stuff you do not read anywhere. I am not a defender of builders but I am a defender of the truth I was told by the owner. The company did make mistakes but owned up to it 100%. My .02
Shout out to the Texas Hill Country..hey neighbor 👋
I've got 40+ years as a residential construction defect expert witness, college instructor (construction defects / codes / home inspection) and 15 years major big builder residential construction. I've managed thousands of tract built homes in California, Arizona and Nevada. Here is my .02 worth of advise. As a buyer, if you buy a slab-on-grade home, the BEST foundation system you can get is called a "post tension" slab which are normally used in highly expansive soil conditions (clay soils for instance). If the residential slab you are buying is NOT a post tension slab, I would find a builder who installs them. Period full stop. Google the advantages of post tension slabs. Steel cables are embedded in the slab and are tensioned (stretched) to ~30,000 psi about 7 days after the monolithic slab pour. Best foundation system hands down. Builders are so proud of these slabs there is generally a concrete stamp in the garage slab which says "Post Tension slab no cutting, coring or boring"....If no one is around to ask while walking around a builders jobsite, the garage slab right where the overhead garage door meets the slab is where you LOOK for the post tension slab stamped disclaimer. These residential post tension slabs are relatively new to the industry circa 1980's. If it's me I am buying a post tension slab otherwise buyer BEWARE especially in clay soils and structural distresses. NEXT if you are buying from a big builder just look at the jobsite on a weekend. If the jobsite looks like hell with trash & beer cans - RUN. NEXT hire a home inspector to inspect in critical phases of construction with a set of approved stamped plans provided by the builder (good luck on that one). These are the inspection phases I recommend for new construction for my clients. 1. BEFORE foundation pour 2. BEFORE drywall installation 3. BEFORE finish floorings just after painting 4. FINAL INSPECTION BEFORE walk through with builder to create a punch list of repairs. If you do anything less than what I am suggesting good luck covering your asset. Sure it costs more money hiring a private home inspector but it costs a whole hell of alot more fighting in class action lawsuits for construction defects and carrying the percieved loss of value on a subdivision of defective homes engaged in protracted litigation. Also the big builder will have you sign an "ARBITRATION" clause in your contract which means YOU CAN NOT SUE THE BUILDER. You read that right. I hope this helps.
That’s great info!
You should definitely start a TH-cam channel of your own to at least disperse your vast amount of general knowledge of how to recognize signs of when builders are cutting corners at our expense, and how to find and interview various specialist home construction and systems inspectors so we get great, truly knowledgeable inspectors looking out for our best interests, not the builders. Please consider this opportunity to not only help millions of uneducated homebuyers, but possibly make some money for yourself too! Other TH-cam in the real estate education Arena like Travis at Real Estate Mindset would probably be willing to help you get started if you needed any advice on how to get started!!
This is excellent advice.
Thank you.
It is not a "job site" without Modelos everywhere, attic and between stud bays.
Thanks for the information!
My friend just built with a well known builder in Prosper. At a walk thru they noticed the slab was “flaky.” Concrete was incorrectly mixed. ENTIRE house was demolished and they had to start over. Builder threw in all manner of upgrades to offset a law suit. Wow. 😮
Wooooooow!
Wow! Really?
Who was the builder?
@ypotusoa I can't answer your specifics, but NEVER go with Lennar either. They're all over North Texas
And that’d be a million dollar home, too, give or take
This is why I am buying land and building. No HOAs, no deed restrictions, and no worthless builders.
Deed restrictions and HOA come disguised in many forms ... be careful.
Smart move!
Smart idea. Are you in Texas?
I’m doing the same exact thing. I bought 3 lots close to cedar creek lake. Can’t wait to start building.
best idea
Currently I’m a builder in Texas and pretty much see the same issues across the board no matter what builder you choose. Local companies will perform much higher, but it always comes at a higher price point for the same looking product. The difference maker is literally your superintendent with these larger builders, if he’s good, he’ll be ramming dirty job sites down the trades throats. Money talks. I fine so many disrespectful crews for the lack of care and respect on my clients job site. It’s the only thing that will motivate these guys.
Prices have gone up so drastically in the last 4 years that builders are sourcing cheaper labor and materials to keep the cost down. And the sad thing is, if all the builders don’t play the same game, consumers won’t understand why your product looks the same but is more expensive. It doesn’t matter that we use a better waterproofing material on the exterior of the home, it doesn’t matter that we do a dehumidifier in the attic standard in Houston, and it doesn’t matter we pay our framer more per foot than our competitors. The bottom line is, people buy what they can see. If the finishes look similar, who cares! But the true reality is, the consumer doesn’t understand. And like I said, money talks. There are a few that will pay more but the vast majority will choose the cheaper option. Maybe it’s because they can’t differentiate the difference, but we show case the difference at our models and design centers. It still always comes down to “oh well, I can get this for this price if I buy a (fill in the plank)” That’s great ma’am, then go buy that house and reap what you sow.
Amazon has ruined us as a society. Homes are built with imperfect plans and imperfect hands and it takes so much refining to get to the end process it’s painful! Cars are built by computers, packages show up in two days free shipping, and TH-cam has taught us how to do just about everything while sitting on our butts. Home building is a painful process where it takes blood, sweat and tears to get it done.
I welcome third party inspectors, city inspectors, and our 3rd party inspection company. The more eyes the better. It’s frustrating that there’s not more accountability in the industry, it sure would make my job easier.
@@jackofalltrades4844 BRAVO. That was sheer poetry. I hope EVERYONE READS what you just said. It is spot on 100%. I ate a lot of dirt on staff with a big builder in the 80's and 90's. In 1997 a homeowner who was a loose cannon federal agent from our Sandalwood Glen project unholstered his pistol on me in my office while tossing down a list of homeowners suing our home building company. Long story short it is not easy. When the construction defect attorneys rent out the local auditorium and invite your homeowners to sue you it almost is not worth it. Why cultivate more plaintiffs ? We introduced arbitration clauses in the new home purchase agreement. Most larger builders do. We were one of the first to do it in California. The family owner of the building company when I introduced the idea of arbitration clauses and the agents said it would not fly. Nobody would give up their right to sue the crap out of a builder right ? Wrong. Arbitration clause are almost universal with the big builders to my knowledge. Anyway damn good post. It speaks the truth and is brutally honest. My .02
@@jackofalltrades4844 OH and if you are not using Scopes of Works as attachments to every contract signed by the subcontractor I HIGHLY recommend developing a set for every trade. It's my way or the highway and jobsite Superintendents love Scopes of Work to shove down the contractor throats. The more leverage we have in the field the better. Upping retention on ALL contracts to get contractors back HELPS say 15% vs. 10%. My .02
Thanks for adding to the convo
Same here it actually depends on the super who is actually building the house, some 3rd parties are good others just scare people who have no knowledge. Also people want a Bugatti for the price of a Toyota, not going to happen. Toyota is a good product but it isn’t a Bugatti. Also when fining subs for trash and so forth they tend to just quit and go elsewhere and then you are stuck finding someone else, so prices go up to have the homes cleaned more
As someone who has gone through a lawsuit with a builder in Texas, the whole system is rigged by lobbyists and special interests at the government level. It’s so crooked that the former Texas Residential Construction Commission was broken up because it failed to support the home buyers as it was intended to do.
I'm now subscribed, as a former 20 year career in Fiduciary Banking and mortgage lender this is great information to share for anyone purchasing or selling. I hope you grow your channel! Thank you for educating people.
I really appreciate that
Doesn’t matter who the builder is do your due diligence . My home took 8 additional months to build because I showed up minimum four times per week and pointed out everything that was wrong constantly. Definitely look before insulation and drywall goes up. I’m self employed with over 15 years of construction under my belt so I’m able to be wherever I want to at any time. If you don’t have that luxury then buy a flashlight and swing by your new build after work daily. If you expect, INSPECT! No idea what you’re looking at, find a few inspectors that you trust with no ties to the builder.
Yup!
Theses house are literally open until about a week before signing day when they bring in the “cleaning crew”. Never let them know you’re coming and always be willing to walk away. My builder hated me but I haven’t had any of the problems my neighbors have.
After building over 400 house in Houston, I was amazed to see how docile home buyers are. The biggest investment of your life, you better be out there every weekend looking at it. I can count on one hand how many times people did that to me. And those few people got better homes, even when they didn’t know what they were talking about.
I'm not in construction but that's exactly what I did but the first time❤
@@benstolen4478 build it yourself instead of hatin. Once the check clears. You’re getting this house in 2weeks. Period
We built in a newly opened SE Texas subdivision of an established neighborhood 2 years ago. The manager was great: the subtracted teams, not so much. To this day when going into the attic, we are amazed the framing passed inspection. We did stop construction before the insulation was installed to have an independent inspector walk the site. Corrections were made...and more importantly, the trash was removed from between the studs BEFORE drywall was put up. Yes, we visited the site at least once a week. Yes, we removed food trash, clothing, etc...from dead spaces in the cabinet layouts. We were warned by others not to speak out too loudly or the construction crews would leave us "gifts" we could not remove later. We have survived storms and one hurricane unscathed per the building. As for the yard; yes...we were pulling trash out of the grass for the first year owing to the thin layer of topsoil graded over the debris left behind by carelessness and greed.
As someone who has lived in Texas most of my life and finally looking to buy a home soon, thank you for this video. It was so eye opening. Subscribed!!!💯
I hope you have a wonderful experience.. we do free 1 on 1 consults don’t hesitate to reach out
Definitely get a copy of the HOA agreement to review before you purchase. Check reviews, and drive around the neighborhood, especially on weekends. Never waive inspections. Walk through the house before the drywall is installed, and document everything. Check the price/quality level of the fixtures, appliances, and even the bathtub. Sometimes they will try to get away with installing a lower-quality bathtub early in the build. Inspect the plumbing pipes to see whether they've had a nail put through them during construction
@@marcirobins5144 I appreciate this comment, it’ll be noted. Thank you for this.💯
I have something to add to your thoughts,
I'm a concrete pump operator who pours the foundation of these homes
If you are buying a house make sure you are on site watching the process of everything
Because some times the concrete company's have issues with timely delivery's and have big gaps in service
And cause a huge problem with the slab it's called a cold joint look that up if you don't understand
After that it doesn't matter it has cable lock technology built in over time the slab will break apart
Here's the second problem that may happen
Let set the tone it's a Typical hot texas day there on the second or possibly 5th slab of the day there tired as heck
So the problem begins the tell the mixer truck to add more water into the mix making it into self leveling concrete so they don't have to drag it around alot During the screed process
It went from a 5 or 6 slup to 8 or 10 basically soup
The problem this cause is the rocks sink to the bottom of the concrete mix and you lose the structure of the mix design aka weak slab that will break very easily when it settes over time
I work out of the houston area and want the jod done right
Have a outside concrete tester on site to make sure your concrete is to spec and nothing gets over looked
Because with the information you know will have then not being able to get by with shotty construction and my you pay for it in the long run
That’s really good info. Thanks!!
@ninjakweli2993
I have more info about problems they don't want you to know as a customer or builders
A couple of decades ago, we had a home built by Pulte. New design, never built before, with bay windows on the front. First, they poured the wrong slab. Because we accepted the flat-front layout instead of bay windows, they upgraded our detached garage to 3 cars instead of 2. We asked them to move the garage to the opposite side of the house, which would give us a lot more room in the back yard. They did, but poured the slab in the original orientation, so the walk-thru door was on the wrong side. We agreed to let them pour a new slab on top of the old slab (with appropriate anchor bolts) instead of demolishing it, so they gave us $3k worth of kitchen upgrades. While the house was being framed, the A/C contractor asked us where to place the vents and returns because it wasn't noted on the builder's plans. The kitchen ceiling had to have the sheetrock replaced twice because it was so poorly done. And the floor in an upstairs bedroom had to be done because it had a slope of about 5". After we moved in, the laundry room randomly flooded 3 times. It wasn't plumbed correctly, so a wall had to be cut into and the plumbing rebuilt. During that process they found a round metal knock-out inside the drain. When it was upright the water drained ok. When it flipped horizontally, it blocked the drain completely. Also, someone drove a nail into the A/C line, so freon had to be added multiple times and the line fixed. And no matter what temp we selected on the thermostat, downstairs was ice cold and upstairs was 90 degrees. Took all summer (and a series $900 electric bills) before they figured out the A/C units were cross-wired. The upstairs thermostat was wired to the downstairs unit, and visa-versa. Want more? They sealed the gas fireplace doors shut; it could only be turned on with a remote. The laundry room (more of a closet, actually) was in a hallway and had double doors that opened inward instead of outward, so there was barely room to open the dryer door. And where was the light switch? Inside the laundry room, behind the door. I'll never buy another Pulte home.
Oh man I’m sorry to hear that
That story ALMOST makes me feel that my Meritage built home is not so bad.
Ive used a local builder called "Viera Builders" in Florida's Space Coast for my two houses. Top notch local builder in my area. Thanks for the info boss! Unfortunately Lennar and DR Horton will never stop being terrible. They got even worse during the pandemic in order to keep up with demand.
I have heard from the other channels that national builders like DR, KB, Lennar, TB, etc. would use their weight to hog up building materials, especially windows and A/C compressors, and municipality code inspectors. It is not uncommon to have closing date moved 2-3 times if you are building with small(er) builders.
We built a Tilson build on own lot over 15 years ago and still live in our wonderful house. We're very pleased with how we were able to do sweat equity plus customize our plan with their architects. We had a very good experience.
Im a home inspector in DFW and I could give a crap less what the builder or sellers agent thinks or wants. I only care about the needs and future of the buyer. I'm here to crawl around and get dirty for you and not anyone else. I've had be kind of rude to a few sellers agents that would stop by during my inspection and try and chat me up. Not gunna happen, go take a hike.
NEVER buy a DR Horton built home. North Texas is full of them and they’re all junk! In general the big home builders do shoddy work. If you can afford it I’d recommend going with a small custom home builder.
I live in a DR Horton home, mine was built in late 2023. Haven't had any issues, we love it. I see them pouring the slabs in my neighborhood, they appear to be structurally sound. The pricing, price point, low interest rate,..DR Horton met the financial #'s that I was looking for, in terms of affordability. Other builders are way over priced! I would recommend DR Horton.
They probably subcontract everything, they don’t care.
And who would that be?? A small custom home builder??
@@anveshc6411 there’s a lot of small custom homes builders across the north Texas area. All you have to do is Google “Custom home builder north Texas”. Read the online reviews to decide which ones you should contact.
@texassquarebody6119 My wife's best friend had to wait two years for them to build her house. She was the first buyer in the subdivision, and in those two years house prices doubled.
She has had broken pipes destroybher floors, a roof whose shingles blew half off in a stout wind, a door that goes nowhere because it was part of the wrong floor plan, and very nearly no showers because they were framing the area for a closet.
Oh, and they left food in her walls, so rats are a big problem.
Don't assume high prices to buy a home = quality.
True indeed that’s a good one
Dr horton, Highland Homes, Pulte Homes, troll brothers, David weekly. The list goes on and on . When the house slab is being pour make sure your there and tell them you want a 6 inch slump being poured. We often pour 9 for these homes so it’s basically water down concrete.
Oh man
@@Capo_jc21 We would take cylinders of fresh concrete to have a materials testing lab break test all concrete being poured for foundations, curbs, gutters, spandrel etc to keep the suppliers honest along with field cone (slump) tests. Keeping a brother honest for those 3,000 psi post tension slabs.
What about Lannar?
@@thetalkingboard Lennar homes yep pretty much any one of them who often hire illegals to do the pour .
@@Capo_jc21 then why are you telling me to do 6 when you do 9. Be the difference
Darling Homes - We built our home back in 2020. I couldn't be happier with the build quality and over all user experience. They welcomed my 3rd party inspector without any issue. Like every home we have had little things here and there, but I would build with Darling again without any hesitation.
Thanks!
@@casketking Most builders will accept a 3rd party inspector. KB Homes saw fit to have their attorney shadow me on a new home inspection as intimidation. I had to provide a $2 million insurance policy to set foot in the new home. I also had to wear steel toed shoes and a safety helmet in a finished home as a requirement. No big deal and par for the course.... BUT the look on the attorneys face was priceless when the brand new dishwasher I tested flooded the brand new wooden floor in the kitchen. I just shrugged my shoulders at the attorney and went about my business. Sounds like Darling Homes is a reputable builder not hassling you on your choice of inspectors or even using one.
Is Darling homes a major builder or a small private family owned builder? 🤔
@@electron7659 Darling Homes was family owned and is now a publicly traded home builder after Taylor Morrison bought them out around 2013.
A darling home? Clown name. DR Horton is standard.
We hired inspectors after the foundation was poured, before drywall, and final inspection. I looked for ones and asked them which part of the process they were the best at. Used different ones for all 3. We found so much even with a reputable regional Texas builder (Perry). If you can’t afford inspectors, you can’t afford a home. Even after closing we had so many issues including air conditioning, leaky windows, grading, drywall joints. It was a challenge getting them to fix some things, and they were responsive on others. I’ll never use them again.
Oh man that sucks!
DR Horton customer here. I found tons of shoddy work done pre-close. Worked with an inspector and the builder to address them all before close. After close (and after warrantee expired), I did some other work/improvements to the house which revealed much more. I found 4 beer cans in a single wall, improper (practically none) water proofing of the bathrooms, missing insulation, and a ton more issues.
I wish I was involved earlier in the construction process as I could have had inspectors check out the house prior to all the dry wall going up and flooring going down. I got a deal because the house was originally contracted to someone else but they cancelled. By the time I saw the house, it was mostly complete. I've heard all kinds of stories from neighbors. Including that the interior paint was "thinned" so much that the color no longer matches the palette.
My grandfather bought a house just after and was involved since the pouring of the foundation. He was able to correct things long before they were an issue. He made friends with the electrician and was able to pay him a little more to add outlets exactly where he wanted them, including outdoor outlets for holiday decor/lighting. He's retired so he had the time to check up on the state of things every other day.
Really great video, very informative for the first time home buyer! I wish I had some on this knowledge before I purchased my first home back in 2016, keep up the great work 👍
Thanks a lot
I thought this was going to be clickbait but as someone who just bought a new build in Texas I’ve seen everything you’re talking about. What caused me to not fall into the traps? An experienced realtor that pushed me toward a better builder than the one I was seeing hundreds of in a lower price point 👀
Oh that’s a great story! Love that. I hope you’re enjoying your house!
DR Horton is notorious for their 2500PSI crap concrete. That's why their driveways crack between 3 - 6 years. 3000 PSI is the minimum.
Wow!
Even Buffet sold all his stock in DR Horton after the news started spreading about their bad quality.
He sold it all in under a year after buying into them.
So happy with our 'small builder' home build. Yes at inspection there were things to fix ... and he did. We love our house! We just lucked out with our very detailed Home Inspector.
I’m in Dallas. Who was your inspector
You’re totally right! Our realtor took us to all the giant builders like DR Horton and I just had that gut feeling that it was a scam, cheap materials, waaaaay far from my work and all houses look the same. At the end I decided to buy a 1980’s brick house in an awesome pristine neighborhood in the 30 minutes (max) from work. And this house is SOLID! Constructed with oak wood back in the 80’s baby!
Same. My brick home is from the 80’s too-not a single structural issue.
If your realtor is taking you to a DR Horton home, run, do not walk, run from them. They are solely there for the commission (Which DR notoriously offers higher commission to their realtors than other builders)
I’m an architect who specializes in custom residences, based in Dallas. The big home builders & many of the urban townhome builders are awful, I warn friends about them constantly. 50-60 years of deregulation and car-centered land use policy have left us in a housing mess.
So what should we do?
@@donnelljunior4198build bike-based cities. Log off and renew your library card also.
@@donnelljunior4198 man this dude don’t know anything. Best thing you can do is go get approved. Give us the check and stfu
@@donnelljunior4198 what you should do is give us the check. We build the house and you be quiet and happy
@@donnelljunior4198 In my opinion, we’ve had affordable housing in this country before, post WWII. But that was spurred by New Deal programs, the GI Bill (how my grandad bought his first house), and significant federal & state spending on infrastructure. The basic federal economic strategy was focused on creating long term economic stability. Currently we have a neoliberal economic strategy that focuses on creating privatized wealth by deregulating industries (there’s basically no qualifications in Texas for who can call themselves a home builder), slashing spending / privatizing public utilities (crazy high prices for electricity, higher education, child care, etc), and prioritizing a “free market” over a planned economic strategy (relying on businesses to develop our cities for private profit rather than empowering localities to plan their communities in a way that makes the most sense for the public good).
TIP: If you happen to know the project superintendent ask the person how many days are built into the construction schedule. In my humble opinion anything under 100 days to completion for a new home is begging for quality problems. Most big builders will have phases of construction consisting of multiple homes of 2 to 40+. Once you get to 10 houses or more in a phase, you need an assistant superintendent otherwise quality will suffer. Ask the Superintendent how many homes does he have to juggle SOLO supervising and if the answer is OVER 10 or so houses in production that superintendent needs HELP and that is a red flag 🚩 without an assistant superintendent with the accelerated building schedules (under 100 days). My .02
Thanks!
Appreciate that tip 🙏🏿💯
@@Goldmouthperspective Also ask the project superintendent if they use "Scopes of Work" as attachments to ALL subcontractor contracts. If the answer is "NO" - RUN. Your better contractors use "Scopes of Work" otherwise the inmates are running the asylum.
100 days is ridiculous. I thought our 150 day window was a little tight...
@@steveludwig4200 We had 80 - 90 day schedules to complete a phase of 40 single detached homes. 5 phases on one project or about 200 homes with prepped pads. That was the norm. We got 4 models up in 30 days which was a nightmare. Trades on top of each other. Never again. Never.
I bought an older home built in the 80s so I've definitely had my share of issues and repairs. However, when I look at the speed in which some of these new subdivisons around me have been built I'm suspicious. I do want a newer house at some point. My aunt and uncle also had a DR Horton home brand new build. It was a beautiful house but they complained of issues within months of moving in.
I hear you on thay
Thank you for sharing this! I have heard so many horror stories about new home builders. We have had a couple of our friends who built their homes with a mega builder. One of our friends couldn’t park their car in the garage because the builder built the width of the door too small. Another friend (same builder) pipes burst a month after moving in. I have seen people who wrote on their cars not to buy homes from this same builder because they have had terrible experiences. This builder has beautiful homes but their reputation is horrible.
Oh man!
This information is priceless for the potential homebuyers! Thank you!
Thanks Irina! Always in need of a good Dallas referral agent!
Yes my daughter and son in law purchased a new built 2021 in Fulshear Tx had get an another roof it start leaking in the kitchen area. The home they sold was better home in the Woodlands Tx was better built I told them now they believe me now.
@@sherryamanfor Not many new homeowners know this warranty tip and I am not an attorney and it's called "tolling of the statute". This legal phrase extends your warranty from the builder. How ? From the time a warranty defect is reported to resolution that time frame is added to the statute of limitations for either "patent" or "latent" construction defects. For instance, if it takes the builder to stabilize structural movements and it takes 9 years to successfully accomplish, you add 9 years to the 10 year warranty for latent defects (California example). Your warranty for structural movements is now covered for 19 years due to "tolling of the statute". Each state has their own statute of limitations for residential construction defects. I am an expert witness and college instructor on this topic. 40+ years experience. I hope this helps.
Oh wow!
@@tonyreyes1798Yes,.
.....YES..... Thank you very much. You are a good angel. This is great to know. Alot of those homebuilders just want to take advantage of people who are simply trying to purchase a decent home.
@@electron7659 Always use a qualified home inspector at critical phases of production. Don't fall for the trap that a new home does NOT need a home inspection as the sales pitch from the builder. If the builder refuses to allow your inspector on a job site - RUN. FAST. My .02
Roof leaked. Cause secretly you were hating. They got a new house.
We wanted a steel barndo. Saw some barndos near the highway close to the home we were renting, stopped off and asked the home owner who built it and if they liked it. They loved it and highly recommended their builder. They had gotten into contact with with the builder because their next door neighbor used them, and the next door neighbor knew them because his dad used them for several projects over the years.
Called the builder, asked for references, and they connected us to another client close to where we wanted to build. She let us tour the house and talked to us about the build process.
We got a good local builder that way. No way we would have found them any other way, as they did no advertising, did not have so much as a web site, got all of their work on word-of-mouth connections, making at most a dozen homes a year using the same set of subcontractors they had been using for 20 years.
Despite the trust we had in the builder, we used a architect for layout and interior design, had soil samples taken and an engineer design the foundation. The engineer inspected the foundation before and during the pour. Then we had a building inspector come out at multiple phases of the build. We had only a few minor problems through the process that were quickly taken care of, and are very happy with our home.
Great story thank you
Are you in Texas? We have been curious about doing a Barndo
@@ranchgirl00 Yes we are. Unfortunately my builder (two brothers) retired, so I can't recommend them anymore.
If you work with an architect - which I highly recommend - they need to understand significant differences in how the outer wall is layered, that the internal walls are not structural, and portions outside of the building may not be inside the residential envelope. Our builder sat down with our architect and went through this.
We ditched our first architect because he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that we did not want a nightmare from mcmansion hell, so he was trying to give us an L shaped building with gables and other silly things you shouldn't even do, much less do in metal.
The architect we used did some minimal use of the golden ratio on the front window and vertical support placement using guidelines from our builder, and focused on making the interior space and lighting meet our needs. The result is a place that looks like a home from the street (as opposed to a commercial building) and serves well as one.
Find a good inspector who understands that there isn't code for all things barndo, so you have to mix residential and commercial codes and think about how the building works.
But the hard part is finding a good builder.
@@that.schamp thank u for the info! Was it costly if u don't mind me asking? We are on a tight budget.
@@ranchgirl00 When we built, steel cost 10-25% less than a stick home of similar size. Of course that depends on what options (siding, roofing, etc) the stick house has. This was right before Trump's steel tariffs impacted wholesale steel prices. I cut a check for the steel before our construction loan closed because steel prices were going up 25% the following week.... Relative pricing may be very different now.
So the best answer is ask your builder or get several estimates from different builders. Our builder did both stick and steel, so was able to make direct comparison on what cost/ sq ft would be. We talked to other builders and got ballpark figures from them, too.
When we decided to go with steel, we made additional choices to cut costs. Roof and porch slope were chosen so they didn't have to use safety gear, reducing labor costs. Our outside dimensions were chosen to minimize the number of cuts and waste of steel beams and panels. ie most of our porch is either 6' or 4' overhangs, with the same number of 6' pieces as 4' pieces, minimizing the number of 10' steel panels.
The doozy expense for us was the foundation. We wanted an all concrete 6' wrap around porch with 10' in the back. Instead we have a small 10' back porch and a 6' walkway to the front door in concrete, and the rest is dirt. Mind you, our engineered slab uses more rebar and concrete and cost about 15% more than a cookie cutter slab would have. About 1/3 of the houses we looked at buying had serious foundation issues, and we build on clay. Our ground gets giants cracks in it, but our house doesn't have any.
I had a great experience with Bloomfield in DFW area. They messed up on a few things, came right in, and fixed them before I moved in. Quality work and didn't have any hidden fees. Even added extra stuff, outside electrical plugs, etc., I wanted for a cheap price.
That’s awesome. No one is perfect but fixing the mistakes is a huge one
Newmark Katy, Tx
Money pit
Brand new build
We had found out after during research roofers build the master bath 😡
Hb gutted it and worked on it himself! Tile attached to drywall with glue
No cement board, no correct drip pan. Water everywhere
Home built 2013
Crazy!
@@realestatesteph going on 8 day no power for some in KATY!
@@Kristen10-22 TIP....If you see "green board" type drywall (the drywall paper is actually green) as the tiles backing surface - RUN. Green board is crap and was used exclusively in moist areas of vertical surface (ceilings it's not allowed). It's also called water resistant gypsum board and was the building standard for decades. It's Pure junk and lawsuits waiting to happen. Cement board or wonder board is the ticket as you mentioned. My .02
@@tonyreyes1798 didn’t see green board however it was a mess! Thank God my hb knows how to do even hard projects. Water sitting behind all the tiles, when I say a mess I mean I wouldn’t ever allow anyone to fix anything else. Started to fail 1yr after warranty as well. H town is a joke ugh
@@tonyreyes1798 hb used cement board, vapor stuff u name it everything. He put up all new tile, tile floor & it’s correct 100%
Thanks for the reply so so much
I live in a relatively nice neighborhood. Highland homes, Toll Brothers, Coventry, Plantation, etc. They all hire the cheapest unskilled labor possible. My community FB group is littered with neighbor complaints on build quality. One Highland homeowner recently found someone’s rotten lunch in his walls-complaining of a smell for months that highland ignored. Trendmaker probably had the least complaints here but they sell less houses. If you don’t have the expertise, time, or money to supervise your build frequently then think twice. Also when you buy new, you’re not in a position of leverage. They have all the cards and it’s an uphill battle because each upgrade you pick, requires money down that cannot be refunded so you’re in deep. You’re pretty much committed and they know that and will test the boundaries with each and every complaint. Better strategy is to only do structural upgrades. Floors, walls, carpentry, kitchen can all be done after you close. Find the independent shops that actually care about their work and they’ll be much cheaper than the builders with better quality work. Good luck!
Not old food in the walls!
These new homes that pop up everywhere are mainly cookie cutter homes and are constructed with cheap, cheap materials, quickly and with cheap labor; practically no landscaping or trees. Why do you all think our structures cannot stand storms, high winds, hurricanes (if you live on the coast and I am not talking island living like SPI, Padre Island, Galveston, etc. I'll call it inner coast living.)
I am talking about new construction: with pop-ups on the second-floor floor boards, nails sticking out, cheap roofing tiles, leaks, scratched bathroom glasses, uneven wall angles, paper thin walls, the cheapest locks and door handles, cheap fixtures, etc. (Yes, I owned one of those homes.)
There was a comment made on the thread about how it is amazing what passes as building materials here in the USA and it is so true. Unfortunately, we cannot afford a custom build home constructed with rebar, cinderblocks, cement, quality materials.
Many years ago, I went through a hurricane cat 1 that entered through Tulum. I was staying in Playa Del Carmen about an 45 min to an hour north of Tulum. The hotel was a hardy construction: rebar, cinderblocks, etc. We were staying on the 3rd floor, were moved to the second, windows were secured and we were given supplies. Yes, we lost power, had debris, some fallen trees, etc. but the structure was solid and safe. A few years later I stayed at a property rental in Galveston and a minor storm hit the area not even a tropical storm, the wind (nothing like what I experienced when in Playa) caused the walls of our location to sway and the surrounding properties had some damage. Remember this was a minor storm. The materials used here are not hardy and really not made to last.
Basically, we are stuck with poor construction, cheap materials and exorbitant housing costs.
Everyone take care.
Sorry to hear that
I moved down here to Texas 25 years ago and the garbage construction that people accept here (compared to East coast construction) boggles my mind. No one above the Mason-Dixon Line would tolerate a water heater in their unfinished attic. That's a recipe for disaster! I don't care if hard freezes are rare. As Snowmaggedon showed us, cold temps and power outages can be catastrophic. When I moved into my 1950s pier-and-beam, I asked a plumber there for a minor repair about insulating the pipes in the crawlspace. He told me that it really wasn't something that people did in Central Texas, because when it got cold, you just dripped your pipes. If you got unlucky, and the pipes froze, then you just sucked it up and paid a plumber to fix it. Homeowners need to push back against that kind of "planned breakage".
Thanks for the tips. You have to be discrete on naming builders to avoid, but do you have a video on the top 5 builders that are least likely to have critical build issues and known for quality & taking care of thier customers? Ahem...looking at Grand Homes in my top 3 but seeing negative customer reviews & more customer complaints on BBB than i'd like to see.
I love this idea!
We love our Perry Home... it's 25 years old we been in it for 15.
Man… we built a house last year and when we went to our final walk through we saw so many things wrong and the builder was forcing us to close. One major issue is there’s a rather large hole around the sinks pipes in the upstairs bathroom. The builder claimed they would fix all our issues and to this day most of the issues have yet to be fixed despite constant emails and calls.
We are realtors and have purchase many homes for ourselves. This year we closed with Toll B but we had babysit some of the process. Trash everywhere but I came in daily and asked the workers to throw away the trash they left in the walls. At the end many of the issues were taking care of due daily communication. The worse part was the trash these people would leave or try to hide in walls, ceilings etc.
Sucks you had to babysit them
@@realestatestephhonestly, the trash in the walls and lack of pride from workers is disgusting.
The workers are undocumented. They don’t care or know English.
You still got paid didn’t you? Alright then.
As a realtor you honestly have no say. Go out there and build it yourself if you’re tired of babysitting lol
I will tell you from my experience with the walkthroughs. When people complained about issues too much they would give your earnest money back say have a nice day and sold the house to someone else. People were left without a home. The builders know how hard to find a home in the bubble we had. They took advantage of that. There are plenty of reviews on this.
So you can complain all you want but they will tell you if it past state inspection they don’t have to do anything else and won’t
Yea I’ve see. A lot of this
If you’re buying in houston make sure you don’t get an undersized AC unit. It happened to me and it sucks
Oh man! What size do you need there?
@@ka0t1k1 Did you know by code the A/C system in your home is ONLY required to maintain a 15°F differential to the outside temperatures ? Yup. If it's 115°F outside then 100°F inside is acceptable by code. Go figure ! And building codes are minimum requirements for health safety. If you upsize the tonnage of the A/C system then you get windows and doors whistling and hvac systems burning out due to back pressures. Sounds like dogs chasing tails right ? Insulation is the key.
They undersized them to keep the humidity out of the home because the air handler will run more without what’s called “short cycling.” If the unit is sized larger in keeps the temps inside down but it doesn’t draw enough moisture out of the air. I’d always push for a dehumidifier standard in Houston and if they won’t do it, I’d move along. I see a whole lot of bad mold remediations here in H-town due to high humidity levels.
@@tonyreyes1798agreed. Insulation and exterior sheathing is key. Keeping air from escaping the envelope of the home makes all the difference.
Thank you for your videos, I really am enjoying them and like most of your tips. But, I disagree about what you said about useless HOAs. We Purposely bought in a neighborhood without amenities because we didn’t want to pay for them. We didn’t want to pay for a pool that we wouldn’t use, and there are plenty of parks to go walk in if we want to go for a hike. Our HOA only charges like 14 dollars a month, and it is there to make sure house values stay up, do people will keep up with their yards, etc. Thus far, they don’t rule with an iron fist, and we have had one about 4 years now.
I do like what you said about not paying for upgrades. Some of my neighbors paid more money for bigger lots, but that has not paid off. My house is worth the same price theirs is worth.
Thanks for input! I definitely understand that perspective.
I worked for Pulte in Houston as a salesperson and left because my manager was untrustworthy and did anything for a sale. My integrity wouldn’t allow myself to play those games with innocent people looking to make the most important purchase of their lives. I will say I was impressed with Pulte’s build quality while I was there and they have one of the best warranty programs. I will also say out of the builders in Houston I like Pulte, Tri-point, and K-Hovnanian homes the best. Perry and DR Horton are my least favorite
I WISH I would have seen this video before I hired this company for my home repairs! But I’m glad I know now. Great advice
Glad it was helpful!
I’m hearing a lot of problems with here down south Texas lennar they come in a box and they put them up in one day then there all made cheap
Oh crazy! Lennar seems to have mixed reviews I guess it all depends on what you get
Watched this video three times thank you so much for this. I was able to make an informed decision and I’m building with a small local company with a great reputation with my real estate agent’s support. Thank you ❤
Congrats!
Very well explained video sir. You’ve earned yourself a new subscriber 🤝🏼
Thanks I’ll try to keep em coming!
Very helpful. Thank you for passing on your knowledge.
Glad it was helpful!
Had mold in the icemaker a few days after move in. Air conditioning leaked through the roof in a brand new home.
I'm a new home builder. Always always always get an inspection!! We get our own inspections done during the build but an extra set of eyes is never a bad thing! Any builder who won't allow an inspection is a huge red flag. Get an inspection!!!!
Thanks
Get an outside inspector.
@@reginamoment8685 yep, i dont have any problems with independent inspectors. extra set of eyes never hurts, and ive never had anyone complain on a delay where we were correcting an inspection item.
I appreciate what an inspector does, but they can’t see most of the real problems, mostly cosmetic stuff. They are worth the money for a good independent view. I bought a Lennar home as I was moving to TX from FL and was unable to monitor the construction process, now I’m paying for it. Never again. I hired an inspector and they found a list of like 30 things that needed to be fixed prior to close. After moving in, I found loose electrical connection in switch and outlet boxes as I installed some smart home devices, I’ve no less than 12 warranty claims, one which forced my wife and I to move completely out of the house to replace the entire floor due to crap workmanship. This video is spot on. The homes builders “build” will cost more in the long run. A guy I used to work for always said “if you don’t have time to do something right, when will you have time to do it again”. Too true.
@codemannh1 Welcome to FL, please make sure you have a power surge breaker in your main breaker box to protect all your smart electronics. Check the windows, doors for air leakage. And mostly, not standing water in your yard. See if you can know the history of your land-wetlands are bad. Good luck.
It's scary that down here in the Houston area most of these cookie cutter houses don't have windstorm inspections.
Oh man
We got killed by Brookfield. My wife's dream home. Pre drywall 3rd party inspection we hired found over 60 items. But the worst was the roof and the foundation. We have to go to arbitration now to recover $56,000 in earnest and other money. Will see how arbitration goes, but this one is crazy. Would love to share the details.
Oh geez! Please I would be happy to help share you story as a warning for others! Send me an email! Stephen@mygoodlifeteam.com
Do the knock test. Knock on the outside walls, if it sounds hollow, it’s hollow! Within two years there will be wood rot because of water seeping in through all the cracks. Hidalgo county is known for this.
We bought a home about 50 years old, went through 3 building inspectors (2 were VA) and the 3rd was a pest inspector who gave us all the skinny on what passed inspection but were derelict and faulty That is on the seller and previous owner. Here in TX the communities that are like towns are building all stick built that would NEVER pass code in the Northeast. Family was in the building and electrical trades and I dealt with renovation for a $25M historic project on a high rise of unique character so I've done my share of walk-throughs before retirement. This is why storms reveal the flimsy, shoddy work and sub-par materials here. Would only buy new if the home was manufactured by Solitaire Homes because of the commitment to build safe, sturdy, tested dwellings and survive tornadoes.
Thanks for commenting
Excellent advice! No matter the brand, overall quality is subject to the subcontractors and an experienced superintendent. I would advise getting a list of subcontractors and check them out. Particularly HVAC, plumbing, and roof. If the sub has lots of complaints and warranty callbacks, walk away.
Thanks for the comment
Always good to know some people are in it to actually help.😊
Absolutely
Good infoa As an appraiser in Houston I see many new construction houses in different phases of construction. You would be amazed at what I see in some of these new development job sites.
We have a David Weekly home. Lived here for 5 years. It was “new” (actually about 1 year old when we bought it). It has been great so far. It is an all brick home which has been good for keeping the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. We never saw it as it was being built so no idea what is behind the walls. One thing we do have in an insect barrier in the walls that is accessed from outside so no spray inside the house. We came from a Toll Brothers house in PA. I loved that home, too.
Thanks for sharing!
ive built sheds that are more energy efficient and structurally sound than your home.
@@chance52694 Really? We have had no problems at all in 5 years with DW home. Our utility bills seem low to us.
Same here. Have one house with Coventry - sucks... And second (primary) with David Weekly - just great!
Is David weekly a big major builder or is it a small private family owned builder??
i bought a trailer house straight up. EASY to work on. now all i need is some land so i move off this tiny lot. im in south central tx
That’s the dream!
The "builder" doesn't build anything. They hire subcontractors who are overworked and underpaid to actually build the house. These subcontractors couldn't care less if the work was done correctly. They just want to move on to the next one.
Sad but true
Yup. They hire a subcontractor and pay them peanuts.
Exactly! A lot of the builders use the same subcontractors also and this is why many of them end up with the same mistakes no matter how much the price is.
If I remember correctly, KB homes used to be Ray Ellison in San Antonio. It's owner was caught in a scheme with previous Mayor Henry Cisneros (80s to 90s).
Never heard of that
@@realestatesteph Can't recall the news 100%, but Cisneros was the Secretary of H.U.D. under Clinton and I believe was working with Ellison to get Federal funding with kickbacks.
You are 100 percent right! I watch homes being built here in Texas and omg the structure was so bad, The wood wasn’t treated, and the walls hollow. Then they want to sell the homes for 300k wtf 😢
Imagine our surprise to receive news that DR Horton installed faulty breaker boxes in our new build. So far we have had a recall notice inspection and 2 actual housefires in our community. Beware of buying new builds in Round Rock and Georgetown, Texas.
Oh noooooo
I’m in the Austin area that sucks to hear
Built a home recently with Chesmar, overall I can say they did an okay job but not sure if that because they knew I was paying for my own inspector in every single phase which he discover quite a few issues that they did address especially after closing was push back because i refuse to close without proof and confirmation that the issue discover were address.
When looking for homes in Texas I loved Highland homes. The layouts were top notch. Didn’t buy and stayed in California but I wish they built out here, beautiful homes.
Why did you stay?
@@realestatesteph I’m from California and Texas didn’t feel like home. My husband and I both didn’t feel it in our spirit and didn’t want to force it, so we’re still here. We loved the style of homes in Texas though, you definitely get more bang for your buck. You can’t even get a townhouse for less than 500k in our area so we may reconsider at another time.
@@reese1110same. I’m moving back to VA from Dallas. My spirit isn’t comfortable here.
Is highland homes a major builder or is it a small private family owned builder? 🤔
@@electron7659a bigger builder but on the higher side of quality
As a professional painter, I see a ton of bad work. And typically it’s a trade thing, where they fuck something and pass it down to the next trade (framer-drywall-electrician-plumber-floors-etc). And the painter ends up having to fix everyone’s mistakes. Good thing I ain’t cheap.
Yup painters seem to be the last line of defense
@@realestatesteph Yes! But a bad painter is the straw that breaks the camel’s back imo.
I wonder how often these kinds of builders get sued, or is the standard so low that they get away with it?
Yea because your local painter is going to make sure your house is wired properly 😂😂😂
@@sbielec30 No, but if the electrician makes a few holes after the paint job is finished, and patches them himself, it’ll most likely be a botch job. Hence “one trade passing it off to another”. So that’s where I come in and either fix their mess ups. Or else a brand new house can easily look like it’s got 10+ years of wear by time the build is completed.
@@BroBruhBruv I definitely wouldn’t want to be on job site with you. Especially, if you have no idea that electrical wires go behind walls. Then dry wall, the cut out boxes for switches and outlets. Only after these things are done, should a painter be entering the building. But then again, commercial is different from residential. So I guess residential must not follow a series of steps, especially if plumbers and electricians get in the way of painting.
My first house was Lennar. The roofs were shoddy in our neighborhood. I moved and brought a Bloomfield Home no issues well built home qualitiy materials.
Thanks for sharing. I’ve seen some really great Lennar homes, but I’m hearing stories of some not so good homes
@realestatesteph To me Lennar is slightly above DR Horton not by much. They gave me a shoddy roof that they refused repair on a brand new home smh.
I agree with you smaller mid-level regional builders are a good choice they rely on their reputation so they will probably build a better product.
@@petersondesrosiers5024I've never purchased a home before. So, does one purchase first and then they build it for you, or do they build first and then you pay??
@electron7659 1st thing is to work with a bank or mortgage officer to get pre approved for a mortgage loan. You will see that when you are serious with buying a new or existing home, the seller will ask for a pre-approval letter to see if you are serious or just wasting their time.
Doing this will allow you to see how much home you can afford and how much money you need to save up for the DP (down payment). Once you know how much you can afford and you have your down payment if you're ready you can start shopping. You can find the builder of your choice and choose the model and lot you want. They will ask for a deposit on the home you want . Then the build process usually takes 8 to 9 months sometimes longer but that gives you time to save more money. Before you commit to a builder have a realtor. They can guide you through the process and smooth out any issues along they way. Also, like the gentlemen said in the vid no all builders are created equally some are better than others. Read reviews of builders in your area and gage which one is the best for you. Also if if your pre-approved for your mortgage the builder sometimes has their own mortgage company and can give you a better deal incentive / better interest if you go with them for your mortgage. They usually can push your mortgage through and get you to close faster as well. Good luck, friend.
Man I needed you back you I brought my hime.. ibhave one of the USELESS HOAs.. we have no patks.. pools.. playgrounds.. parking...ponds.. gates stay broke and grass stay hight.. but the HOA fees jeep going up. WHY!!!
What do you think about the three story homes which collapsed during the derecho and Beryl? The homes were framed and still under construction. I could see the finished homes around them and just thought “y’all are gonna have problems”.
Oh that’s sucks!
Home ownership is so stressful, I am one of those people who grew up on family owned wide-opened spaced land. So, to now be a renter for over a decade plus, if I can’t have my own land and build that way, I’ll stay renting.
Not mad at you
We walked jobsites of builders in every phase of construction all around our area when we were looking for a builder. I did some research and just looked for a good built home. It was nuts seeing homes in high dollar neighborhoods being built with cardboard and in a coastal area. We ended up choosing one of the bigger builders around but they also had the best subs around, and i think one of the better built homes around.
Big builders are incentivizing their superintendents the wrong way, and also hiring the wrong people. As well as overworking their superintendents that results in bad quality. If you must buy from a big company visit your jobsite (future home) often very often and ask questions, hire that 3rd party inspection learn as much as you can about city codes get involved with your future home. It is a BIG investment. I am currently unemployed lost my job to a kid with a degree who quit the job after a few months good luck everyone and God Bless
Blessings to you
Best of luck finding a new job.
Wow I’m praying for your quick financial, spiritual, and emotional recovery! In Jesus name! ❤Amen!
@@RadforHim231 Amén 🙏🏼
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your expertise to your listeners.
What do you think about modular homes.
You’re welcome. I’m looking more into them. Ive only sold a couple. I think the important thing with modular is owning the land
I really could use some advice. We are wanting to build a house on some land but can’t afford the interest rates on loans and then thought maybe we should just buy a home that’s already established, but then you get to looking on the MLS websites and the tax rates for homes in good neighborhoods like Woodforest and others like it are ridiculous! Plus, maintenance fees, HOA fees and other random fees. What’s your advice?
That’s tough I would really need to know more. Send me an email please I would be happy to talk through things with you Stephen@mygoodlifeteam.com
@@realestatesteph will do 👍
Dream Finders in Leander, TX, was horrible. The construction manager was verbally and physically abusive toward the house inspector. This happened in 2021. The sales rep up to the operations manager were horrible, wanting to find a way to cancel the contract so they can sell the house for more.
I’m in the austin area and I heard of this happening! I’m hope you’re enjoying your home now
I appreciate the honest advice!
You’re welcome!
Hello, you as a real estate professional should look into Prefabricated modular homes, built out steel and aluminum panels wool paper insulation, these homes are smaller yes but the homes are 10X as strong and quality is 5 times the best stick builder! A factory built home is done in a control environment and on an assembly line, which means consistency. There are drawbacks with modular home, size and the ability to expand are limited. Usually a modular home is a 500 sqft to 850 sqft meaning a 1&1 to a 2&2. In exchange for a steel & aluminum structure nearly indestructible and the profit margins are high!
I’ve been reading up on them
San antonio tx far west side. Also. Houston tx i have family over there buying new home and it started having ac/wall/attic issues. And leaking thru cealings. Be careful when buying home
Doesn’t matter if a home is 300k or nearing 1M- inconsistencies are indifferent. I’ve worked on homes (new build) in the aforementioned upper range with missing details as simple as having the correct breaker (amps) to feed a dryer, range etc..
We have a mega home builder here that was seen filling a pond with dirt and surprise, they are building there. I cannot imagine the issues that person is going to have with their home. Same builder, different neighborhood and a friends new home had shingles ripped off in a storm and the storm wasn't even that bad and the home is six months old. They slap those houses up so quickly, I really wish people would stop buying them but the allure of a brand new home is so appealing to many.
My brother baught a. D. R. Horton home brand new only in there 5 years. And they had to leave because mold is throughout the whole house. There saying theyll have to knock down the whole house at this point. All state insurance company said there not helping in any way also. Were looking into legal action. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you
Oh geez! Yea a lawyer is the best course of action so they can read the contract
So besides the general info on here what’s a good builder in Houston?
My agent partner in HTX likes some
Of the bigger names like Highland & Westin but she said Iconiq is a super small builder she would recommend with great service. If you want to do a one on one with her let me know I would be glad to connect you. Shoot me an email Stephen@mygoodlifeteam.com
We have been renting this DR Horton home for 6 years now, and we've gotten a clear understanding that they put profit over quality. Now we're looking into these ads we're getting about acres and a barndominium. I've heard about water and well issues, and we know about shells, but is there any other advice you can give about what to avoid?
Thats why we bought a dr horton express and have been very happy. No problems 5 years later. Vally ranch san antonio
Awesome!
If you buy from DR Horton or Lennar, you're already screwed
My first home was a Lennar home in AZ had zero issues with that house. 3 years later purchased with Taylor Morrison and we had issues soon as we moved in.
These are all opinions
You are right…they are already screwed, every nuts and bolts which is why they are good.
@christina9095 lucky.. if you see how lennar builders rush these homes, then you'd understand my comment
@DownHomeRealtor of course they are.. And I'm giving my opinion based on how I've seen/worked on these houses as a plumber and not just view them from my car..
I do landscaping work for DR Horton, Tri Pointe Homes, KB etc in central Texas. I would never buy one of their homes. Cheaply built and over priced by 30%+. New home sales down 39% since 2022.
I am a framer in dfw for 6 years now I’ve build lake house , did dr Horton, David weekly and so on but David weekly is the worst one u can buy. They’ve made us do 24 oc studs and we seen it wrapped around insulation sheets. According to the company it works outs perfect but as a framer it does not feel safe for it to hold your house steady
Thank you for this video. I’m am new to real estate and found this very helpful.
🙏🏾
Good, cheap and fast. You can only have two. This applies to ANYTHING.
Use Genuine Custom Homes if you are building in the central TX area. They are a smaller company and very thorough. You will not regret it.
Sheridan built our home in Arlington. One of the best builders but I think they went out of business right after out home was built with the housing crash in 2008/2009. They were a smaller company.
That was a tough time
New subscriber thank you for the straightforward & honest info it is much appreciated
Thank you!!
I used to work for new construction HVAC and I've seen it all. These homes are made quick with no quality.
Sucks
I have always thought McBee Homes did a good job, but i really dont know. Does anyone know about McBee homes?
I’ve not I’ll research them
Is style craft home good?
Love Stylecraft!
They have a great reputation here in Killeen
I bought DR horton and it is amazing.. no regrets..
Dope! Congrats
Do you have a fee established to provide contract to close only service ? We find the home saving you the leg work and showings.
Sure let’s talk about it send me an email Stephen@mygoodlifeteam.com
I would check out Bloomfield. Reputable builders.
Nice! I’ll check them out. I’m currently doing a deep dive on the best builders in TX!