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Considering a new development by them and was looking for some feedback from the area.
Did you use a buyer's agent? If so, was it worth it?
Did you hire an inspector? Did they give you any trouble for doing so?
I always recommend using a buyers agent to represent you in new construction. The site agents represent the builder only and it doesn't cost you a cent to have your own representation. This way, your buyers agent will accompany you to all your appointments with the contractor to look at/talk about and make decisions about your new home.
It's not a bad idea to employ your own home inspector to inspect various stages of construction for you. Once the walls are up there's no telling what's behind them. I hired one when I purchased my new home several years ago. And, by the way, Ryland has a very good reputation in our area. Good luck!!
Ryland homes seem 'OK'. I've seen some that had issues and others that didn't. I'm going to guess a lot depends on material at hand, experience of the crew, and the schedule. They tend to be more concerned with building and moving on. My experience with both Ryland and DR Horton was they like to clear cut. I prefer to see more natural mature trees left behind if possible.
I know some folks that have moved into a Crescent Home that took forever to build and they've had real problems getting the builder to come back and finish punch list issues and errors.
I say you can "drive" a better deal if no outside agent gets a piece of the action. I found that to be true in 3 new purchases. one in IL and two in SC. If an outside agent, most are getting 3% or a lesser agreed upon amount. Either way, negotiate hard and put that money into home options.
The average real estate agent could not tell the difference between a shingle roof nail and a finish nail. Hire a lawyer to review anything before signed. Hire an inspector to make several site visits/inspections as construction goes on.
IF you can drive a better deal, like saving most or all of what the buyer agent's commission would be, AND you are experienced in buying a home, AND you have the extra time, then I would agree that you might find it worth going it on your own.
As for the production builders, you're always going to be able to find someone who's had problems with a builder who is building as many houses as these guys do. You'll also get more house for your money through them generally. Simple economies of scale prevent the smaller builders from building at the same sqft price. It's a little bit of a quantity vs quality decision.
If I were to have someone inspect a house at stages as it's being built, I'd choose an engineer or contractor before a home inspector.
NOT your average Realtor
SC builders license #12958
Of the people that have built with the "mega builders", the options tend to be smaller and the ability to "go off script" and customize can be very limiting in areas. They get economies of scale because they build a certain number of designs and don't vary from the script often.
A story of a home I had built in Mount Pleasant in 2001. It was in a section/development of about 40 houses which was part of a larger Home Owners Association. Not a custom home but one could pick model, options, etc.
Within days of moving in (I was about the 35th of 40 homes) two neighbors came around asking if I was happy with my home? I asked why they were asking? They replied many were not happy the way "punch lists" were being handled. They felt the construction site manager was blowing them off and they were considering banding together to take some legal action.
I asked if they knew what kind of beer the site manager drank? They said no. I said Coors Light. I asked if they knew what kind of cigarettes the site manage smoked? They said no. I replied Marlboro Lights.
One of them still did not get it. I said save yourselves time and money. You might be quite surprised what less then $50 worth of beer and smokes got me. One said you bribed him. I said I did what worked.
When buying in a development, there will be a site manager or two. I do not mean the sales agent but the construction site manager(s). Meet and befriend the site manager(s). Bribe....bribe.....who said bribe. They are small tokens of gratitude.
I love new homes. I do not like buying older homes especially if they need any work.
Although a home purchase might well be your largest ever purchase, one does not get champagne for beer prices. $300K construction is not $450K construction so do not expect such. Few builders will wheel and deal on the house base price. They will wheel and deal on options. Typically you can get the options for about 70% of list price. Spend money on the options. They are what will pay off especially if you have to sell within a few years.
Of the people that have built with the "mega builders", the options tend to be smaller and the ability to "go off script" and customize can be very limiting in areas. They get economies of scale because they build a certain number of designs and don't vary from the script often.
Very true. These are customizable homes, not CUSTOM homes, which is something I've seen people forget when building with these tract home builders. We built in a small Ryland community in 2011/2012, and the overall experience was great. We have had some issues, but I know people who have built 100% custom, and have had similar issues as well. We had a water heater replaced after 10 months, and we have some mild creaking developing in one room in the upstairs (fixable with a little extra support), but otherwise, no real complaints.
You can definitely tell when you get the A or B team, as far as construction crews are concerned. Our home was built during a slower time, so only 2 other homes were at the same stage of construction. The overall "craftsmanship" has been very good. We have friends in the neighborhood that built when 6-8+ homes were at the same stage, and there are definitely some little things here and there that you notice. Bigger gaps in the molding, maybe some additional cracking in the drywall joints, little things like that.
We also compared Ryland to all the other tract builders in the area, and we like their floor-plans better, even if a couple of the other companies had a little more wiggle room with the options (Sabal for instance).
We also did not use an outside Realtor. I was told that if outside counsel was used, then you couldn't take advantage of certain promotions that Ryland was offering (a lease buyout program was one of them - we were in an apartment while house hunting). We didn't feel like we needed assistance anyways, since this isn't out first home, but that was still a consideration.
Obviosuly, your experience will vary, because the types of sales staff at each location can vary wildly. We lucked out that our Ryland sales rep was exceptional, and very easy to deal with.
In the end, papers were singed in November 2011, we went through the design process in December, construction broke ground in late January 2012, and we were moved in by the end of April. We did have an outside inspector come in before the drywall was hung, and we literally visited the job site 3-4 times a week to look over everything - something that I would highly suggest to anyone.
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