I am in the market for getting a new home built. 200k-250k. I see all sort of options, but I am terrified of a nightmare scenario of a poor quality home. Does anyone know any good resources on how the big name builders rank or specific to avoid. I have seen mixed information in my own searching, so I am unsure if these are biased or incomplete.
The results will be different in different states. Some builders that are good in one state won't be in another. Some build good houses in one part of the same state, but maybe not in others. A lot of it is due to the fact that the actual humans building the houses are different from area to area, so you have to rely on the guy managing the construction sites. Also, no builder has a perfect (or even close) reputation. Out of curiosity, what square footage are you looking for at that price?
Are you in Houston? If so my wife is a Realtor with Keller Williams and has over 13 years experience and can help you out, she has worked with 4 or so members of this board in the past. She used to work for a homebuilder and has helped many of her clients with new construction in all price points. Shoot me an email through the board and I'll get you her info.
Like the plague. Doesn't matter where they are, they cut corners. Had a friends house in the Austin area who's bricks were falling off. Another friend in a KB home in another city had a laundry list of problems.
Most important factor is the construction manager. Walk through the homes in the frame stage with the builders you like and assess the quality. If it's to your satisfactory, stress the importance of having the home well built and tell him/her you want it cleaned every day. Second most important thing is you need to supervise it as well. Try to go as often as you can and every time you find something you don't like it, let the construction manager know immediately so they can fix it. Third, hire a home inspector for all three stages. They'll find things that you and the builders home inspector will miss. Pm me if you need a referral. I used different inspectors and found this guy to be the best (takes a lot of pictures, goes through the home and explains everything with you, writes down what codes are violated, etc etc). It's a lot of work, but if you truly plan on staying in the home for a long time, it's well worth it. I was living in another state when I had my home built, but still tried to fly down every month to inspect it. I found issues every time and had them fix it on the spot. Good luck and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Btw, most builders use the same crew to work on their homes in the same subdivisions. From the 200k homes to 800k homes etc. I wouldn't put too much on a builders rep.
If you're paranoid hire a 3rd party inspector. Showing up to the house and telling them to correct things you know nothing about will only delay the construction and cause more headaches. Lovett is doing some homes down the street that I've been impressed with, both in speed and in quality. My friend works for David Weekly and their homes are decent as well. Most important things in the home terms of quality will be your fill/foundation, strap inspections, roof lifespan and millwork.
