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Just moved to Boise and bought a new home and wanted to share my experience with Corey Barton Homes (CBH). CBH is definitely the largest home builder in Boise and probably in the state. I was looking for a home that was large and relatively inexpensive. I thought I found what I was looking for with CBH. Little did I know what I was getting into.
In looking at CBH homes, I asked the agents many questions. I was pleased with what they said. They were very positive. However, a couple of day before closing, I had some questions that I wanted answers to. I left several messages with CBH and could not get anyone to call me back (I guess that is what you get when you leave you questions on the voice mail). I went ahead and closed (since I did have to give $2000 in earnest money). Upon closing, I soon found out that many of the things the CBH agents told me were incorrect. It turns out they were willing to tell me anything to get me to buy the house. If it was not for there lies, I would have chosen a different house with a bigger yard for less money.
I talked to Corey Barton shortly after closing and explained to him that I felt cheated as a result of the dishonesty of his agents. He told me that buying a house is a big investment and that I need to do my own research and not trust the agents. I find this hard to do when CBH are the ones that you have to rely on for correct information. Corey Barton has not returned my last couple of phone calls to answer two simple questions I asked him in our initial conversation.
After moving into our home, a neighbor asked us about our CBH experience. He then proceeded to tell us that most people in the neighborhood feel the same way. Wish I would have known this before hand. Hopefully I can warn people so that they do not make the same mistake that I made.
What about the quality of a CBH home? After living in our home for a week we noticed several (about five) of the nails in the drywall in the ceiling were pulling away (leaving large dimples in the texture). After three weeks, there are now about 13 places where nails are protruding through the texture. We had CBH come by to look and they said they would fix them. The employee then told us that this is a common occurrence and he still has to fix them is his home all the time. This leads me to believe that I will have a lot of work to do once the one year warranty is past. We have also already had some of the siding fall off.
So what is my advice to other homebuyer looking to purchase a new home. Don't waste your time buying a CBH home. The home is poorly built (they do know how to build a CHEAP home), the agents are dishonest, and Corey Barton is not willing to take any responsibility or even answer simple questions. Avoid the frustration and go somewhere else. At the very least, talk to other people about their CBH experience. I have talked to many that are making their first CBH home their last CBH home.
Although I live in CA, I too have had horrible luck building my home. We went with a company called Lennar. In a word, they stink! I tell you this because when we were in CdA recently, I saw homes that looked suspiciously familiar, except they had siding and shingles on them instead of Spanish-style stucco and tile roofs. So what I think is that several of these national builders are in cahoots with eachother, and they all build lousy homes. If Lennar isn't in your neck of the woods yet, beware! They will be soon enough. And you better run the other way. Fast.
Sorry to hear you had a problem with CBH. We have lived in a CBH for over 2 years and find the quality of the workmanship and materials used to be what we expected for the price we paid. We have had only minor problems that were quickly addressed by CBH. I am on the HOA board and have contact with quite a few homeowners in the subdivision and have heard no complaints that you would not expect to hear in a large housing project.
I have grown to hate vinyl siding. The stuff is terrible but, on the other hand, I am sure some people are quite happy with it.
Unfortunately, life will always hand some of us lemons. No matter what product you are talking about someone, somewhere has had a terrible experience with it. You problem could be a voice in the wilderness or the beginning of the end for CBH.
I found dealing with CBH Homes pretty frustrating throughout the whole process. Even though there agents were nice and friendly, they were blatently dishonest with me in many of the questions I asked about their homes. Too bad it took moving in to realize their tricks. I won't buy cbh again.
I am in Discovery Pointe. I guess the ROI issue depends on when you buy. The price of my home has gone up around 50% since we purchased it.
I really can't address the "hard to sell" issue as the market, up until recently, has been pretty crazy. We currently have a lot of homes on the market (investors bailing?) and a realtor told me it takes around 4 months to sell. CBH does have a new subdivision going up a mile or so from here but the homes are the upgraded version and I certainly wouldn't price my home in the same range.
First step - file a complaint with the local BBB. It gets the complaint on record and they might even respond to it (doubtful). Then take them to small claims court. It's inexpensive and if they don't show up you win automatically. Then file with the Federal Trade Commission. Most builders will eventually capitulate if you harass them long enough. Just keep at it and let them know you will NOT just go away and forget about it.
And check out this website, Homeowners for Better Building. Lots of good info:
I talked to Corey Barton shortly after closing and explained to him that I felt cheated as a result of the dishonesty of his agents. He told me that buying a house is a big investment and that I need to do my own research and not trust the agents. I find this hard to do when CBH are the ones that you have to rely on for correct information. Corey Barton has not returned my last couple of phone calls to answer two simple questions I asked him in our initial conversation.
What about the quality of a CBH home? After living in our home for a week we noticed several (about five) of the nails in the drywall in the ceiling were pulling away (leaving large dimples in the texture). After three weeks, there are now about 13 places where nails are protruding through the texture. We had CBH come by to look and they said they would fix them. The employee then told us that this is a common occurrence and he still has to fix them is his home all the time. This leads me to believe that I will have a lot of work to do once the one year warranty is past. We have also already had some of the siding fall off.
Just moved to Boise and bought a new home and wanted to share my experience with Corey Barton Homes (CBH). CBH is definitely the largest home builder in Boise and probably in the state. I was looking for a home that was large and relatively inexpensive. I thought I found what I was looking for with CBH. Little did I know what I was getting into.
In looking at CBH homes, I asked the agents many questions. I was pleased with what they said. They were very positive. However, a couple of day before closing, I had some questions that I wanted answers to. I left several messages with CBH and could not get anyone to call me back (I guess that is what you get when you leave you questions on the voice mail). I went ahead and closed (since I did have to give $2000 in earnest money). Upon closing, I soon found out that many of the things the CBH agents told me were incorrect. It turns out they were willing to tell me anything to get me to buy the house. If it was not for there lies, I would have chosen a different house with a bigger yard for less money.
I talked to Corey Barton shortly after closing and explained to him that I felt cheated as a result of the dishonesty of his agents. He told me that buying a house is a big investment and that I need to do my own research and not trust the agents. I find this hard to do when CBH are the ones that you have to rely on for correct information. Corey Barton has not returned my last couple of phone calls to answer two simple questions I asked him in our initial conversation.
After moving into our home, a neighbor asked us about our CBH experience. He then proceeded to tell us that most people in the neighborhood feel the same way. Wish I would have known this before hand. Hopefully I can warn people so that they do not make the same mistake that I made.
What about the quality of a CBH home? After living in our home for a week we noticed several (about five) of the nails in the drywall in the ceiling were pulling away (leaving large dimples in the texture). After three weeks, there are now about 13 places where nails are protruding through the texture. We had CBH come by to look and they said they would fix them. The employee then told us that this is a common occurrence and he still has to fix them is his home all the time. This leads me to believe that I will have a lot of work to do once the one year warranty is past. We have also already had some of the siding fall off.
So what is my advice to other homebuyer looking to purchase a new home. Don't waste your time buying a CBH home. The home is poorly built (they do know how to build a CHEAP home), the agents are dishonest, and Corey Barton is not willing to take any responsibility or even answer simple questions. Avoid the frustration and go somewhere else. At the very least, talk to other people about their CBH experience. I have talked to many that are making their first CBH home their last CBH home.
Sounds typical, D.R. Horton Homes, the largest home builder in the US, is in the Boise area, with 2 subdivisions that they are building in, I would suggest that you do your own investigations, CBH may be one of the biggest in the valley. But I dont belive the track record is so great.
The home is just fine ... for a structure that was built in 10 days.
Nails do pull away from the walls causing them to pucker out. The walls are not exactly square. But for construction that is completed as soon as the foundation is complete, it's remarkable really. And the design could be much worse.
Six years later, the house is still fine. I recommend bigger windows for sure. A better utility room. And something attractive to look at from the street. Charming architecture... are you kidding? We planted willow trees and conifers out front to disguise the ugly front. It looks nice from the street now that the garden pulls your eye away from the #%*! front!
The light fixtures are cheap. And repetative all along the street. But then so are the garages and front yards. Not exactly imaginative. If you want charm, get a renovator for the outside or find a REAL neighborhood.
A fireplace would have been nice. A window over the stove would have been lovely. A stove that didn't make you face the wall instead of greeting people coming in behind you. So not feng shui.
Well, what did you want for something thousands of dollars less than the others? Spend the money on what you want on your own. Garden tub? Mmmm, sounds nice. Not a CB feature but it would be nice. Decks? I can choose the design years later. But that view from the street! Uh lord! An entire "neighborhood" of these monsters? EW! Nope. Not proud to live on this street, in this place that still has a feel of a construction site these years later. Not proud to show anyone the neighborhood. Better to drive them up blindfolded. Read... Edward Scissorhands.
We had a CBH Home, it was our first home built in 2000 when he was just starting, his first houses were great and we had no problems with our house, we sold it last year and after 7 years, it was in great shape. However everyone who purchased a CBH home lately has been unsatisfied. I have talked to friends who have horrible stories about their CBH homes, so I believe he sacrificed quality for quantity. His reputation is so bad that they changed their name as of last year. I would never buy a CBH today, I believe he used to be a great builder when we purchased our first house, but that is not the reality of his houses today.
Sorry to hear all 'your problems' with CBH. But you get what you paid for - you even said you wanted an inexpensive large home - well that's what you got. It takes CBH 10 days to build their average home. I knew all these things when I bought a CBH and I'm very happy. I'm a CA transplant and truth be told, my CA home was fantastic. The workmanship was beyond compare to anything I've seen in Boise - including the Tuscany Villiage area. So, I was prepared to experience a downgrade.
For what I sold for in CA and what I wanted to buy in Boise equals early retirement for me. So as far as buying a CBH, I'm very happy. However, I wish I would have done more homework as far as Boise is concern. I was lied to by people who live here before I moved here. I never expected 100 degree summers, poor air quality or major traffic issues at 5pm. This is WHY I left CA. So my CBH is just fine, I've received 2 phone calls from their office after I moved in asking if everything was ok. I received a gift basket along with 2 touch up kits. The problem for me isn't my home, my problem is Boise Idaho and the surrounding area. This area is not what I expected and to hear people who live here still talk about what a heaven Boise is, I guess they haven't experienced other areas of the country.
So my friend, to me it sounds like you need to hear the phrase, "BUYER BEWARE". Good luck to you and me as well. It's taken a lot to adapt to the area, oh this also includes 10 pm sunsets and Jay Leno coming on at 10:30 - what's up with that? I won't even mention other things that bug me. I will say this, the people I've met in my CBH neighborhood are some of the nicest people I've ever meet. So, the quality of people here is great, the area not so much.
Oh one last thing, if you bought a pastic sliding home, you really are in the outs with what to expect from home quality. You should have spent the extra $10,000 for an exterior upgrade.
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won't buy cbh again
CBH - Fine with me
