Richmond American Homes...good Or Bad? (Mesa, Gilbert: sales, real estate, home builders)

[gerrynyc]

My real estate agent suggested them, because she thought that i'd like their floor plans (which I do). Has anyone ever dealt with them? I'm interested in their Queen Creek communities.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by gerrynyc

My real estate agent suggested them, because she thought that i'd like their floor plans (which I do). Has anyone ever dealt with them? I'm interested in their Queen Creek communities.

They are ok I like the floorplans too. Check out the Tiffany model. My sister in-law lives in that one in E Mesa. Richmond has a community I think off of Ellsworth and S I think of Ocotillo area. Check out their website. They nickle and dime you though and I hate that. At resale time I I like for my whole subdivision to have granite and tile not vinyl on the floors and counters. It keeps the values up in the neighborhood, you never want to upgrade more than your neighbors. Maybe the higher series homes give you more upgrades.
I've seen several plans from that builder I like.

Check out Standard Pacific the 5508 model. my favorite over at Vincenz in Gilbert. Not sure of your price range. You may be able to get a good deal at Montelena (Queen Creek)right now too. They were suffering over there with inventory.

[Boatdrinks]

I just went through some Richmond American models this week. The floor plans were ok, but I wasn't very impressed with the quality. The front doors seemed very flimsy to me - I know it sounds dumb, but a nice heavy, substantial front door is important to me. Also, they had a ton of upgrades in the models - the sales guy said around 150K in each - so while they may seem cheap initially, keep in mind that you'll need to shell out a lot more money to get the house to look as nice as the models.

[RelocateToAzHomesdotcom]

Here's a great article for you by J.D Power and Associates who puts out an annual article regarding the top home builders in the valley.

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...df/2006186.pdf

I'm a Realtor so I have had a chance to see and sell Richmond American homes over the years. I too really like their floor plans. Keep in mind that during the boom here, it was really hard for builders to get and retain quality sub contractors to work on their homes. There was just too much growth going on at the time. So, as always make sure to get a quality home inspection whether you're buying a resale or a new home.

If you decide to go with a new build, pay the extra money to have your home inspector come out and evaluate the building process throughout the construction process (usually 3 times). This will most likely save you aggravation down the road, especially when you go to sell your home.

Also, in places like Apache Junction and Queen Creek, there is an excess of inventory right now, so be sure to negotiate your best deal.

By the way, I agree with Sheena, check out Standard Pacific, they build great homes.

Good luck.

[brittZ]

Any thoughts on Taylor Woodrow? We found a model that we really liked and then found an almost identical model from Richmond that is 400sq ft bigger and the same price. How do the builders compare?

[RelocateToAzHomesdotcom]

Check out the link to the article I posted in my previous post. Some great info about the various builders in the Valley.

[brittZ]

Originally Posted by RelocateToAzHomesdotcom

Check out the link to the article I posted in my previous post. Some great info about the various builders in the Valley.

I did get that and it was good info, but I was looking for maybe some personal experiences, first hand accounts.

[mazy]

Be Careful Do Your Homework I Actually Think They Are Ok But Check Jd Power And Associates New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Survey 2006

[LVGAZ]

Taylor Woodrow builds a really nice home and have had no one really complain about them ...they actually did the Extreme Makeover Home in Gilbert a couple of years back .. also Toll Bros makes a great home, Fulton Homes does also - I work in the interior designer world.

[deem]

Years ago we had a COntinental home - and was really pleased with it - not sure if they are even around anymore - never had structure, settling issues
but I do agree Taylor Woodrown and Fulton builds a nice home -
Friends built a beautiful 1600 sq ft Fulton home in CHandler in Superstition Springs off of RAy Rd
subdivision about 6 years ago and what a pretty home, no problems, she loves it, as did her daughter and her friend - they all felt very confident and tell us they would recommend FUlton to anyone - easy people to deal and true to their word.