Ryan Homes - Good or Bad experiences (Charlotte, Weddington: broker, houses)

[lukepoke]

Originally Posted by lituani

Thanks to all for starting & contributing to this thread - I've found it very informative for learning about the new home building process.

We are considering a Ryan home in a new housing development in Michigan. So far, my discussions with existent owners who built there have resulted in generally positive comments about the process and result.

One major drawback holding up our moving to next step is getting them to agree to build with copper plumbing. Does anyone else have copper plumbing in their Ryan built home??? I can't imagine them declining my $350K check because they "prefer" not to build with copper, but curious whether anything else they currently or previously build including traditional plumbing.

If you do have copper plumbing in your Ryan home, please chime in (and mention what year and market your home was built). Thanks!

I have a Ryan Built home in SC and it has PEX cross linked polyethylene piping for all supply water. PEX is a great product that has been used in Eureope for years, unlike some of the other CPVC products that were used in the US and had issues. Most builders now in SC/NC are using PEX because it is so much easier to install, it has a great track record and copper has become so expensive. If Ryan wants to use PEX on your home it will probably work quite well over the lifespan of the home and it is more resistant to freeze crack issues which are a problem in those cold MI winters.

[jennej]

Originally Posted by looneytoon

Stay away from Ryan, Ryland and Centex!!

Just my 2 cents.

Our Ryland home in Northstone in Huntersville was very well built. We had one issue last year and even though we weren't under warranty anymore, Ryland was very responsive and fixed the problem within a week, no charge.

In fact, we just sold the house and the buyer's inspector said that it was one of the cleanest houses he'd seen in a long time. We only had two issues: a burned out light bulb in the attic and a possible broken window seal (it wasn't broken, just really dirty because we've lived here 5 years and have never cleaned the windows! ).

I don't have any experience with Ryan or Centex, but my husband's father is a building inspector with Mecklenburg County. He said that in his experience, Ryan, Ryland, and Centex generally build good houses.

[Charlottean]

Pex is good stuff.

I have a Ryan home and it was built with this.

In addition, I have never heard of a production or merchant builder using copper plumbing.

[Yogi Bear]

For those of you that love the Somerset Model with Ryan Homes, I just found a new community in Union County that offers this model along with many others in a new community called Glendalough. It will have 258 homes, a swim club...and a little retail town center in the middle...designed for the residents. Homes start in the $240's and go to the mid $300K. My husband and I who live in Charlotte now...are planning to buy and move there! Check it out!

[lituani]

Originally Posted by Charlottean

Pex is good stuff.

I have a Ryan home and it was built with this.

In addition, I have never heard of a production or merchant builder using copper plumbing.

Glad to hear the pex is working for you. While I'm not familiar with southern building trends & practices, there are innumerable millions of homes (production & merchant) up here in the midwest built with copper plumbing over many decades. Those homeowners would conclude similarly about their plumbing that copper is good stuff.

Based on the research I've done, pex simply is not acceptable to me (and I'm not looking to initiate a copper-vs-pex debate). Was simply hoping to find out whether Ryan ever builds homes with copper, or are they using plastic plumbing exclusively.

But you brought up an interesting point about production/merchant builders. I will need to expand my research and find out whether other homebuilders in Michigan use pex/plastic plumbing exclusively, or whether copper is available from them.

[lukepoke]

Originally Posted by lituani

Glad to hear the pex is working for you. While I'm not familiar with southern building trends & practices, there are innumerable millions of homes (production & merchant) up here in the midwest built with copper plumbing over many decades. Those homeowners would conclude similarly about their plumbing that copper is good stuff.

Based on the research I've done, pex simply is not acceptable to me (and I'm not looking to initiate a copper-vs-pex debate). Was simply hoping to find out whether Ryan ever builds homes with copper, or are they using plastic plumbing exclusively.

But you brought up an interesting point about production/merchant builders. I will need to expand my research and find out whether other homebuilders in Michigan use pex/plastic plumbing exclusively, or whether copper is available from them.

In some locations, building codes still require copper piping. If that is the case, Ryan would build their homes with copper. But if the code allows PEX it would be almost guaranteed that they will build with PEX. Check the local building code in your area. Most location in the US now will build under the ICC, or International Residential Building Code. Although some areas still building under BOCA, or the model building code.

[lituani]

I was surprised that - even though I will pay the premium for copper plumbing, help find and pay a qualified sub-contractor, exempt them from any installation or warranty claims and write that into the contract - Ryan does not want my money. Appears Ryan is "not a custom homebuilder" which is their catch-all phrase they invoke when you introduce a request which they don't want to consider. Surprising, but okay. Guess I'll have to find another builder to take my $350K.

Thanks again to everyone who provided input on the copper plumbing question.
And good luck to everyone who has experienced issues resulting from their homebuilding experience.

[seahawks80]

Originally Posted by lituani

I was surprised that - even though I will pay the premium for copper plumbing, help find and pay a qualified sub-contractor, exempt them from any installation or warranty claims and write that into the contract - Ryan does not want my money. Appears Ryan is "not a custom homebuilder" which is their catch-all phrase they invoke when you introduce a request which they don't want to consider. Surprising, but okay. Guess I'll have to find another builder to take my $350K.

Thanks again to everyone who provided input on the copper plumbing question.
And good luck to everyone who has experienced issues resulting from their homebuilding experience.

I think you'll find that a lot of the larger production builders have this mentality. If it's not on their short list of available options, it's either a huge charge to have them price out your "custom option," or they won't entertain the idea at all. I'm building a Ryan home now, and over all, I've been very pleased with the process. But they're definitely far from "custom"

My last house was built by Centex. It was a relatvely expensive house, and we wanted recessed lights in the hallways on the fitst and second floors. they had recessed lights priced out as option in other rooms, but not in the hallway. They charged us something like $500 to just price out the cost of the recessed lights in the hallways, regardless of whether or not we wound up choosing that option. The recessed light option in the other rooms wound up costing $100 per light. So instead of taking that $100 per light cost and multiplying that by the number of lights in our hallways, they had to charge us $500 to come up with the price, which oddly enough wound up costing $100 per light Such is the fun of dealing with the large production builders!

If you want a builder that's a bit more flexible, you might want to see if you can find a Niblock or St. Lawrence home in your price range. It might be tough to find under $350k, but if you can, those two builders are definitely open to discussing your ideas for changes.

[lituani]

Interesting to find out why Ryan declined my requests for a $350K home with copper plumbing. From the 03November Detroit News:

HOME BUILDER RYAN EXITS MICHIGAN
Ryan homes, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, is pulling out of Michigan, the latest casualty of the state's bleak economy and dismal housing market.
Ryan Homes, which made its southeast Michigan debut in 2006, will finish building 10 houses for which it already holds permits before exiting the state entirely, according to real estate agents, company employees and government officials.
The Reston, VA-based company will return deposits to customers whose homes haven't yet been built.
Al Hogan, a bulding department official in Oakland County's Lyon Township, said Ryan Homes applied for 61 building permits for new single-family homes in 2007, most of them at the beginning of the year.
...Ryan Homes initially marketed the homes at prices starting in the mid-$200K to mid-$300K range, but began offering discounts earlier this year - more than $30K in some instances.
Hogan said he was told by Ryan officials late last month that the builder would be halting its Michigan operations this year, and would only be completing the 10 homes it has yet to build in ...Lyon Township.
...Since peaking in 2004, the number of building permits issued for single-family homes in Metro Detroit has plummeted from 13,945 to 7,565 last year in Wayne Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties. Only 2,190 have been issued so far this year.
...And NVR, Ryan Homes' corporate parent, has lost nearly 50 percent of its share value this year, falling to below $430 Friday from an April26 high of $842 per share.

Looks like it's time to go value shopping for vacant parcels and a custom builder!

[rrjackson]

what this person posted below is very real. Heard many complaint on this issue, and I tell anyone who asks, DO NOT use NVR financing, as there is a known high risk of being ripped off. NVR is just a broker anyway, as your loan was already sold when you signed to take the home.

Originally Posted by Ryan Warner

1. If you give them the large down payment they demand, beware. They use this to give themselves the control to change interest rates--you refuse, and they'll laugh while taking your large down payment. If you decide to go with them, keep me in mind if you want to join in on a Class Action Suite against them.

2. I arrived in Maryland on a military assignment in January 07 and put down $19,500 on a new Town Home. In addition, I was charged $3,000 to lock in the interest rate at 6.5% for one loan and 7.5% for the second loan (called an 80/10 loan) for 255 days. I now realize I had been prey to pressure tactics and predatory lending practices from Ryan Homes and NVR Mortgage because now they are charging me 7.59% for one and 10.5% interest for the other loan. This is a dishonest business practice and reflects poorly on the state which receives on-going benefits from its military members. As a 20-year enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force with little money to sacrifice, I respectfully request your assistance in regaining my deposits.

3. In addition, Ryan Homes explained I would have to pay double the price for upgrades (+$15,000) if I didn’t use their lender (NVR Mortgage). They described this mark up as a half-off upgrade incentive. It's actually only greater leverege from NVR Mortgage when they raise your rates and you consider going to another lender.

4. After six months and with three 1-month construction-delay tactics, NVR mortgage has informed me that I must now pay 1% more for one loan and 3% more for the other loan. As you are aware, these 1% and 3% increases amount to a significantly higher house payment and a great deal of money over a 30 year period. Since informing me of the higher rates, the NVR representative told me I could either pay the new rates or lose my $19,500 down payment and $3,000 lock-in fees.

5. After researching competitive local mortgage rates, other lenders are still offering 6.75% and 7.59% interest on 80/10 loans for my 816 credit rt. None have gone up to the 10.5% NVR is now charging. So the NVR representative reminded me that using outside lenders would double the cost of my locked-in upgrades. In addition, NVR is charging $4,500 in loan “junk fees” while local competitive lenders are charging $50 in such fees.

After 20 years in the service and 19 years of marriage, Ryan and NVR Mortgage have stolen our future. My wife and I are devestated and barely get any sleep. We can no longer afford to buy a home--they have nearly half of our life savings, for nothing. Of course, we could have just agreed to pay 10.5 percent interest....