I work for a flooring company that contracts for new construction builders. The inspectors make such a huge deal about some very small items that could very easily be taken care of after warranty, as we are doing a ton of new homes; we do them fast but all things considered the work is well done epecially compared to other flooring companies that are doing around the same volume of work in the city. It's extremely stressful as we need to keep up with builders' RIDICULOUS projections and also fix all of the things that get messed up by other trades and the mistakes we make (quickly) and then after all of the things we do they make a huge deal about so many things throughout the process of trying to finish all the homes like if we mess up or if material takes too long to arrive an and at the end of the day it seems pretty thankless to be honest. I see a lot of miserable people in this idustry and having good super understanding costruction managers that never get upset because they know everyone's got too much work anyways is kind of a rarity, though I've come accros some great people. I've also come accross some people that are very difficult to deal with whether it be CM's you have to talk to every day or home owners... A lot of people pretend that it's just super normal to try be held against such an unrealistic expectation. So toxic I'm glad I'm getting out of new home consruction soon...these builders set such unrealistic projections but at the same time I think our company sets bad expectations with them too. They also make the same exact mistakes they were making 10 years ago...same dumb designs same everything...at least with these companies i've dealt with like milestone, pulte, Prominence (they're freaking horrible), M-builders (horrid), Drees (they pay their people good but they were a nightmare to deal with, their CM's), Trendmaker (they're higher end but also hard to deal with for contractors). I've heard of some workers (supervisors) gettig paid up to 140K per year and still got burnt out quitting. Most of these people aren't getting paid enough to kill themself as much as they would have to to keep up with the ridiculousness. Between the supply chain issue, theft of materials that have been going lately, paired with the same old mistakes happening over and over...some peopl are getting ruch but to the people that have to do all the work and supervise everything it's a misery. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the genuine interactions with co workers, CM's homeowners (and their pets), but good lord am I happy i'm not a lifer in this crap.
I NEED your help. I have a new construction home that I moved into 6 months ago. The builder told me that the home passed inspection, but after closing, I was notified by my county inspector that the home did not pass the final inspection and also informed me that we do not have a certificate of occupancy. We've been having several issues that are deemed code violations and because of these reasons, we are not able to get homeowners insurance. We've also had issues where the builder deviated from the blueprints (unknown to us at the time of closing), and now some of those issues are causing big problems. For example, we live in Nebraska and it gets below 0 here often in the winter. The plumber did not follow the blueprint and plumbed some of the pipes in the garage and now every time the weather dips, our pipes freeze. The builder does not want to reroute the plumbing so they have tried to insulate the pipes but it has not worked. Is this a breach of contract since the plumber didn't follow the blueprint and the blueprint was part of the contract that I had to sign? This is just one of MANY big issues.
we are currently going through an issue where the builder is pushing UP the closing date more than a month sooner than they had told us. we planned our current sell based on a mid to late august date and now they are requiring us to close mid july. we were able to negotiate to late july, but that has only given our house 8 days to sell. now we are looking at having to0 sell ourt house $50K + under market just to try and get into contract so our builder doesnt pull the home from us. we are obviosuly stressing out in this hot market turning cold in a matter of a month and this added pressure from our builder.
In Lake St Louis, Mo (a western suburb of St Louis, Mo),...Building a new home with a reputable, Missouri builder...We signed the contract with them August of 2021, and because of their back up of homes to be built they didn't even break ground till January 2022...and are scheduled to close mid May 2022....knock on wood...
We are thinking of a new build as we move to Austin. After watching these videos, it seems like there is actually zero protection for consumers in any of these contracts. I am not hearing any solutions other than don't buy a new build. Do you have any videos with other solutions?
Yes this happened to me with Perry Homes. Viewed the home in January and was ready to sign contract but the builder's sales consultant says that they can only ink 2 houses a month and I'd have to wait until February. February 1 comes and they say well we have to wait another 2 weeks before we can sign. So right after Valentine's day, they give me the reason that the house I'm wanting isn't normally built in this neighborhood so the price needs to be adjusted. So they raise the price from $443,900 to $501,900 and then say now we can sign the contract. I proceed forward begrudgingly but the appraisal comes back ~$50k short of sales price. Contract terminated because I'm not paying $50k more than the house is worth. They placed the home back on the market and raised the price another $31k, to $533k. It's ridiculous but I'm sure somebody will pay it. I'll keep renting and keep my money in the bank.
We signed, May 2021, price of the home went up about 20k by the time we signed on Sept 2021 but we were locked in for the price we signed up for in May. Closing was smooth without issues. We were able to get 2.99 with 6k in closing cost covered by them. The builder is DR Horton in North East Texas.
We’re due to close next month on a new build in Leander (praying to ALL the gods for no delays). Builder increased our price by $35k citing supply cost increase. Not ideal, but we can roll with it and still buying for $100k less than we could get a resale for. Now that the new project manager is on board things have been moving and private inspections have been favorable. Thank you for the straightforward info and keeping everyone up to date on the latest builder shenanigans to watch out for.
I have signed a contract last year in July 2021 in New Braunfels. Builder is saying they are expected to close it in June this year. I have done the 4 month rate lock which will expire in July first week. I hope things won’t get delayed anymore. I don’t want my rate to get expired
We just closed this month on a new build with Milestone Signature Homes. When we purchased, we had the option of paying $25K to cover any potential future increases, but opted not to since the house was 2.5 months away from completion. 2 weeks before closing, they did an "options increase" of just over $9K and the seller's rep said he'd never seen this happen in his 8 years with them. I had read every word of the contract, so I knew it was a possibility. We could have declined and would have gotten all of our money back. We already had $100K in equity, so we have no regrets. Not saying it felt good to get that call, but we were happy with how Milestone handled it/treated us in the process.
The problem is with increasing the price before closing. They already know the full cost much earlier in the process. So, dropping that price increase before closing is uncalled for.
Confirm with a lawyer but if you sue them, they can’t sell the house for one year which builders don’t want. So please be ready to sue them if they raise prices rights before closing
Need all the info on Austin Texas , I’m looking for my first home , any advice on good neighborhoods/places/communities to look out for? For me Single /no kids
We are 12 months into a contract with highland, the starting price has gone up almost 200k, and the reps have been nothing but amazing and kind! I can’t shout out their praise any louder.
I'm late to the party here, but do you have any experience with Gehan? I can't find anything online about them doing anything like this, but I'm curious what you think about them. :) Love your content, thank you.
I do, I signed a contract in the end of June and my house has been sitting, waiting on windows since the end of March. I noticed that all of the houses that were built and purchased after ours, already have windows. My house was framed before one even had foundation and they have windows. It’s so frustrating. The sales agent said that the reason for this, is because the supplier is shipping their supplies out of order, which doesn’t make sense.
After 16 1/2 months of waiting, having our price increase 5% (escalation clause), threats of cancellation by the builder, and constant superintendent turnover (5) we are finally closing today. We were not happy with the final walk through either, but at least we can finally move in. It is unfortunate that what should be one of the most joyous times for a family has turned into a complete circus with no morals, integrity, or character by all these builders. 😭
I just contracted with Pacesetter and reluctantly had to sign an escalation and they can terminate my contract for any reason at any time 😞. I’m nervous. The rep said she has never had to execute the escalation clause but I guess we’ll see. Anyone had experience with Pacesetters?
Hey! We are also building with Scott Felder. Have they started construction on your new home? Cause it’s been a solid 3.5 months and there’s no movement on ours yet.
Should I worry about Coventry in Hutto? Supposed to close between May 31st - July 31st. But their lender won't let us do a 6 month rate lock until countertops go in. But our cabinets, which were supposed to be delivered yesterday, are now delayed until the end of next month. God knows how high the rates will be by then! Are they playing games? I've been wanting to go through our bank or another lender so we could lock in a rate. Thoughts?
@@JeremyAKnight Yes, hearing that in this video definitely has me concerned. Our base of $378k, plus $11.5k for the lot was already high to us @ the time. Plus we did $60k in structural, electrical, & interior upgrades. Our contract is already around $445.9k. With HOA, the 2.75% property tax rate, & interest rates going above 5%, we feel drained enough... 🤑😬😩
@@JeremyAKnight Our Coventry Home took 14 months, and if we didn't complain enough, I feel it would've taken another month. How many times are we going to hear the same excuses? Perhaps they (and other builders) need to start paying the subs more money and getting these houses done. I do know that one house on my street has been sitting without masonry for well over a month -- so long so that the Thermoply is sun-bleached. In terms of warranty work, at first things went fairly smoothly. Now, they're cheaping out and dragging their bums.
What are your thoughts on Ashton Woods? Im a first time home buyer and my house is supposed to be finished in May. So far its been a pleasant experience but id appreciate any feedback regarding quality of the homes. Thanks for the content
Bought meritage in 2019 and the construction manager at the time literally did not care. Even despite Covid and not following through in claims they said they wouldn’t extend the warranty. It was real shitty.
Lennar mortgage is the worst. They tricked you by giving you the highest rate. They are hoping that you are dumb and go with them. They might give you alot of incentive but their mortgage insurance is way more. Beware of that.
Verbal harassment- lol- I’m a victim of this from American Legends in Celina, Texas- they terminated my contract 20 days before closing- because I told them they are not supposed to put floor tiles ( the tiny bathroom flooring tiles used on shower floors ) on the ceilings of the shower….. lol…. I’m glad they terminated- but in February 2021 - I was like wtf! Fuck American Legend- lol…. But if that never happened- I would’ve been stuck in Dallas- and now that telework is g2g for me, I’m happy to be in Austin. Now I only stick with highland homes. Name brands do matter. That’s the lesson I learned.
Those new homes destroyed by the recent tornadoes in north Austin were found to have missing lag bolts and without hurricane clips (about 1$ each); these builders just want to get out fast and as cheap as possible.
Yeah I have always been concerned with all these big builders iether trying to save money and cut corners or just leaving out some things /shotty workmanship due to rushing things.
I work for a flooring company that contracts for new construction builders. The inspectors make such a huge deal about some very small items that could very easily be taken care of after warranty, as we are doing a ton of new homes; we do them fast but all things considered the work is well done epecially compared to other flooring companies that are doing around the same volume of work in the city. It's extremely stressful as we need to keep up with builders' RIDICULOUS projections and also fix all of the things that get messed up by other trades and the mistakes we make (quickly) and then after all of the things we do they make a huge deal about so many things throughout the process of trying to finish all the homes like if we mess up or if material takes too long to arrive an and at the end of the day it seems pretty thankless to be honest. I see a lot of miserable people in this idustry and having good super understanding costruction managers that never get upset because they know everyone's got too much work anyways is kind of a rarity, though I've come accros some great people. I've also come accross some people that are very difficult to deal with whether it be CM's you have to talk to every day or home owners... A lot of people pretend that it's just super normal to try be held against such an unrealistic expectation. So toxic I'm glad I'm getting out of new home consruction soon...these builders set such unrealistic projections but at the same time I think our company sets bad expectations with them too. They also make the same exact mistakes they were making 10 years ago...same dumb designs same everything...at least with these companies i've dealt with like milestone, pulte, Prominence (they're freaking horrible), M-builders (horrid), Drees (they pay their people good but they were a nightmare to deal with, their CM's), Trendmaker (they're higher end but also hard to deal with for contractors).
I've heard of some workers (supervisors) gettig paid up to 140K per year and still got burnt out quitting. Most of these people aren't getting paid enough to kill themself as much as they would have to to keep up with the ridiculousness. Between the supply chain issue, theft of materials that have been going lately, paired with the same old mistakes happening over and over...some peopl are getting ruch but to the people that have to do all the work and supervise everything it's a misery. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the genuine interactions with co workers, CM's homeowners (and their pets), but good lord am I happy i'm not a lifer in this crap.
Thanks for the info.
I NEED your help. I have a new construction home that I moved into 6 months ago. The builder told me that the home passed inspection, but after closing, I was notified by my county inspector that the home did not pass the final inspection and also informed me that we do not have a certificate of occupancy. We've been having several issues that are deemed code violations and because of these reasons, we are not able to get homeowners insurance. We've also had issues where the builder deviated from the blueprints (unknown to us at the time of closing), and now some of those issues are causing big problems. For example, we live in Nebraska and it gets below 0 here often in the winter. The plumber did not follow the blueprint and plumbed some of the pipes in the garage and now every time the weather dips, our pipes freeze. The builder does not want to reroute the plumbing so they have tried to insulate the pipes but it has not worked. Is this a breach of contract since the plumber didn't follow the blueprint and the blueprint was part of the contract that I had to sign? This is just one of MANY big issues.
Hi Jeremy, do you have any thoughts on Century Complete builders?
You’ll run into all the same problems with them as you would any company.
We did KB Home, they are just doing a waitlist and have honored their prices. Walked in to my home with $200k in instant equity.
Contact Errors and Omissions on their realtor
Builders don’t use Realtors to represent them. So, they can get away with it.
My experience with builders is that they lie a lot. They have lost their soul completely.
Yup.
we are currently going through an issue where the builder is pushing UP the closing date more than a month sooner than they had told us. we planned our current sell based on a mid to late august date and now they are requiring us to close mid july. we were able to negotiate to late july, but that has only given our house 8 days to sell. now we are looking at having to0 sell ourt house $50K + under market just to try and get into contract so our builder doesnt pull the home from us. we are obviosuly stressing out in this hot market turning cold in a matter of a month and this added pressure from our builder.
I’m sorry you’re going through that. Where is your current home?
In Lake St Louis, Mo (a western suburb of St Louis, Mo),...Building a new home with a reputable, Missouri builder...We signed the contract with them August of 2021, and because of their back up of homes to be built they didn't even break ground till January 2022...and are scheduled to close mid May 2022....knock on wood...
We are thinking of a new build as we move to Austin. After watching these videos, it seems like there is actually zero protection for consumers in any of these contracts. I am not hearing any solutions other than don't buy a new build. Do you have any videos with other solutions?
I save that for our personal clients.
@Jeremy Knight - Moving to Austin Realtor are you taking new clients?! Haha we haven't found a realtor in Austin yet!
@@Bwarner3834 absolutely we are. Shoot us an email. Homes@austinknighthomes.com
Yes this happened to me with Perry Homes. Viewed the home in January and was ready to sign contract but the builder's sales consultant says that they can only ink 2 houses a month and I'd have to wait until February. February 1 comes and they say well we have to wait another 2 weeks before we can sign. So right after Valentine's day, they give me the reason that the house I'm wanting isn't normally built in this neighborhood so the price needs to be adjusted. So they raise the price from $443,900 to $501,900 and then say now we can sign the contract. I proceed forward begrudgingly but the appraisal comes back ~$50k short of sales price. Contract terminated because I'm not paying $50k more than the house is worth. They placed the home back on the market and raised the price another $31k, to $533k. It's ridiculous but I'm sure somebody will pay it. I'll keep renting and keep my money in the bank.
Where was this?
@@JeremyAKnight In Bastrop, TX
It’s crazy that builders still do this.
Same!
We signed, May 2021, price of the home went up about 20k by the time we signed on Sept 2021 but we were locked in for the price we signed up for in May. Closing was smooth without issues. We were able to get 2.99 with 6k in closing cost covered by them. The builder is DR Horton in North East Texas.
Nicely done!
We’re due to close next month on a new build in Leander (praying to ALL the gods for no delays). Builder increased our price by $35k citing supply cost increase. Not ideal, but we can roll with it and still buying for $100k less than we could get a resale for. Now that the new project manager is on board things have been moving and private inspections have been favorable. Thank you for the straightforward info and keeping everyone up to date on the latest builder shenanigans to watch out for.
Congratulations! Thanks for the kind words!
I have signed a contract last year in July 2021 in New Braunfels. Builder is saying they are expected to close it in June this year.
I have done the 4 month rate lock which will expire in July first week. I hope things won’t get delayed anymore.
I don’t want my rate to get expired
I’m in the same boat. Mine is June. No way we close in time.
Did you have to pay to lock in your rate that far in advance?
@@TuanVu-lg8oq typically. Yes.
@@JeremyAKnight
Do you know if we can extend the same rate in case if builder does not able to close before the rate expire date ?
@@imaadghouri4826 it will cost more.
We just closed this month on a new build with Milestone Signature Homes. When we purchased, we had the option of paying $25K to cover any potential future increases, but opted not to since the house was 2.5 months away from completion. 2 weeks before closing, they did an "options increase" of just over $9K and the seller's rep said he'd never seen this happen in his 8 years with them. I had read every word of the contract, so I knew it was a possibility. We could have declined and would have gotten all of our money back. We already had $100K in equity, so we have no regrets. Not saying it felt good to get that call, but we were happy with how Milestone handled it/treated us in the process.
The problem is with increasing the price before closing. They already know the full cost much earlier in the process. So, dropping that price increase before closing is uncalled for.
Confirm with a lawyer but if you sue them, they can’t sell the house for one year which builders don’t want. So please be ready to sue them if they raise prices rights before closing
In the KXAN article. If you threaten to Sue. They can terminate. So, get a lawyer to do it before you threaten…
Need all the info on Austin Texas , I’m looking for my first home , any advice on good neighborhoods/places/communities to look out for? For me Single /no kids
We are 12 months into a contract with highland, the starting price has gone up almost 200k, and the reps have been nothing but amazing and kind! I can’t shout out their praise any louder.
I’ve given them lots of praise!
I'm late to the party here, but do you have any experience with Gehan? I can't find anything online about them doing anything like this, but I'm curious what you think about them. :) Love your content, thank you.
I do, I signed a contract in the end of June and my house has been sitting, waiting on windows since the end of March. I noticed that all of the houses that were built and purchased after ours, already have windows. My house was framed before one even had foundation and they have windows. It’s so frustrating. The sales agent said that the reason for this, is because the supplier is shipping their supplies out of order, which doesn’t make sense.
I don’t want to think that they want us to back out because the home is now worth more than 100k in todays market, but money is money.
After 16 1/2 months of waiting, having our price increase 5% (escalation clause), threats of cancellation by the builder, and constant superintendent turnover (5) we are finally closing today. We were not happy with the final walk through either, but at least we can finally move in. It is unfortunate that what should be one of the most joyous times for a family has turned into a complete circus with no morals, integrity, or character by all these builders. 😭
I don’t know what to say other than. Congratulations…
Why aren't you happy with the house. What's wrong with it?
@Sayin wat if you want to be rude to people. Go to twitter.
Jeremy any thoughts on Hanover Family Builders?
I haven’t heard of them.
Wow this is crazy.
And I was nice.
@@JeremyAKnight well I have to take Austin off the list
@@drlevitra1757 This isn't just an Austin issue.
I just contracted with Pacesetter and reluctantly had to sign an escalation and they can terminate my contract for any reason at any time 😞. I’m nervous. The rep said she has never had to execute the escalation clause but I guess we’ll see. Anyone had experience with Pacesetters?
Any opinions on Scott Felder? We aren't in much of a hurry but have been experiencing some delays due to supply chain issues.
Supply chain is hurting every builder. I haven’t had the best, nor worst experience with them. They build a decent product for the price.
@@JeremyAKnight Thanks Jeremy. Love your content btw!
@@ryanschubert3982 thanks!!!
Hey! We are also building with Scott Felder. Have they started construction on your new home? Cause it’s been a solid 3.5 months and there’s no movement on ours yet.
Should I worry about Coventry in Hutto? Supposed to close between May 31st - July 31st. But their lender won't let us do a 6 month rate lock until countertops go in. But our cabinets, which were supposed to be delivered yesterday, are now delayed until the end of next month. God knows how high the rates will be by then! Are they playing games? I've been wanting to go through our bank or another lender so we could lock in a rate. Thoughts?
Conventry has gotten pretty bad with delays. I don’t this they are playing games. Yet, be careful of their escalation clause.
@@JeremyAKnight I don't think we have an escalation clause, but I'll be re-reading the contract to double check...
@@jenniferdorsey5614 it sounds like some builders are arbitrarily raising the price.
@@JeremyAKnight Yes, hearing that in this video definitely has me concerned. Our base of $378k, plus $11.5k for the lot was already high to us @ the time. Plus we did $60k in structural, electrical, & interior upgrades. Our contract is already around $445.9k. With HOA, the 2.75% property tax rate, & interest rates going above 5%, we feel drained enough... 🤑😬😩
@@JeremyAKnight Our Coventry Home took 14 months, and if we didn't complain enough, I feel it would've taken another month. How many times are we going to hear the same excuses? Perhaps they (and other builders) need to start paying the subs more money and getting these houses done. I do know that one house on my street has been sitting without masonry for well over a month -- so long so that the Thermoply is sun-bleached. In terms of warranty work, at first things went fairly smoothly. Now, they're cheaping out and dragging their bums.
What are your thoughts on Ashton Woods? Im a first time home buyer and my house is supposed to be finished in May. So far its been a pleasant experience but id appreciate any feedback regarding quality of the homes. Thanks for the content
I’ve closed several Ashton Woods homes. It’s been mixed. Yet, they do try to take care of the client.
Research builders before you buy. Unfortunately, here in GA, 99.99% of the builders have abysmal ratings.
Yeah, you have to make a decision on who’s the least worse if you look at reviews.
Do you know if Lennar is one of the builders that does this? What’s your thoughts on them?
👀
@@JeremyAKnight I don't know if that's a good look or bad look 🤔
@@TuanVu-lg8oq definitely not good.
Bought meritage in 2019 and the construction manager at the time literally did not care. Even despite Covid and not following through in claims they said they wouldn’t extend the warranty. It was real shitty.
What were the issues?
Can we get a link in the description for KXAN video?
ua-cam.com/video/LJzPgkBxDTY/v-deo.html
That happened to me with Lennar they didn't want my leander, only their prefer lender. They want it to double deep on profits.
They are my least favorite builder!
Correct me if I am wrong, but a builder can't force you to use their preferred lender.
@@350BMW09 they can’t force you. Yet, they can make your life miserable. They can choose another contract over yours on an offer as well.
Lennar mortgage is the worst. They tricked you by giving you the highest rate. They are hoping that you are dumb and go with them. They might give you alot of incentive but their mortgage insurance is way more. Beware of that.
Hey Jeremy why is Lennar your least favorite?
Jeremy you look serious and worried with beard, come clean for this week's show.
Haha! Dead serious 🧐
is land sea a crappy builder
What are your thoughts with Pulte?
👀 one of the stories I talked about……..
Quality is an issue, the trim around all my doors have indentions from nails, very low quality trim. Luckily trim is cheap.
Yeah, quality has been an issue for a long time. The pandemic and current market has made it more difficult.
Quality has gotten worse!
Verbal harassment- lol- I’m a victim of this from American Legends in Celina, Texas- they terminated my contract 20 days before closing- because I told them they are not supposed to put floor tiles ( the tiny bathroom flooring tiles used on shower floors ) on the ceilings of the shower….. lol…. I’m glad they terminated- but in February 2021 - I was like wtf! Fuck American Legend- lol…. But if that never happened- I would’ve been stuck in Dallas- and now that telework is g2g for me, I’m happy to be in Austin. Now I only stick with highland homes. Name brands do matter. That’s the lesson I learned.
@@lisayi-samala3530 do you mind if I put your comment on my community page?
@@JeremyAKnight be my guest!
Those new homes destroyed by the recent tornadoes in north Austin were found to have missing lag bolts and without hurricane clips (about 1$ each); these builders just want to get out fast and as cheap as possible.
Interesting. I didn’t read that.
Yeah I have always been concerned with all these big builders iether trying to save money and cut corners or just leaving out some things /shotty workmanship due to rushing things.
@@THEGAMINGHELP101 now it’s compounded.