Another McCar Question (sales, rentals, new home)

[M&M2Clt]

I have been lurking on this site for a while and love it!

I have just moved to CLT and am living in temporary housing while I search for a house. I have been all but sold on Weiland's Bridgemill and have read mothing but great reviews here and throughout the web about the builder. I was ready to buy until stumbling upon a new McCar sub a couple of miles down the road called Rosemont. It is new and has no residents yet. They have several presales and several more specs under construction. I can get the same size house with the same upgrades for $40k-$50k less. This caused me to pause. I thought I would research the builder on the web before getting too excited and WHOA!! I see some terrible reviews on here. I am ready to delete them from my list but I thought I would pose this thread first and make sure nothing has changed. I am doing this because most all the posts were from 2006 and 1Q07. If you have any recent experience with this builder will you please post your views or DM them to me? I wouuld really appreciate it!!

[deepballer]

You will pay more for a Weiland house, and it's worth it, plus it will hold it's value more (new or resale).

[md to nc]

I was one of those posters from 2006/2007. Bought my McCar house in Nov 2006. Yes you will lose value because everytime they open a new phase, at least in my neighborhood, they lower the prices by 30K - 50K. Granted they are "smaller" it still is less expensive than mine. But on the contrary, they are building them of less quality. If you are one of the first in the neighborhood, you will get a better quality house. But it appears to me that the more they build and sell, the less quality they are putting into it. Plus they were taking 4-6 months to build last year, now they are getting slapped up in about 3-4 months. I would just be cautious. No builder is "great" all have their quirks. I would just look at the quality. Like I said though if you are one of the first in the area, then you should be okay. They don't want unhappy new homeowners to distract others from buying so they will do just about anything to keep you happy the entire time they are building. I don't know what it will be like after they are done, but until then any little problem, they will fix it to keep you happy.

[stephen424]

I have been looking to build in Berewick. I talked to a McCar rep as well as a Shea rep.
I asked the McCar guy why their rating was so low on JD Power and he said that it's because "only the angry homeowners fill out the surveys...ppl who are satisfied usually just trash the survey when they get it"

We visited Rosemont this past Saturday to check out some inventory McCar homes, but have decided to build a Shea.

[md to nc]

Originally Posted by stephen424

I have been looking to build in Berewick. I talked to a McCar rep as well as a Shea rep.
I asked the McCar guy why their rating was so low on JD Power and he said that it's because "only the angry homeowners fill out the surveys...ppl who are satisfied usually just trash the survey when they get it"

We visited Rosemont this past Saturday to check out some inventory McCar homes, but have decided to build a Shea.

If that was the case, wouldn't all builders have bad ratings. Just be cautious.

[deepballer]

Ha - true...all builders would have bad ratings!

That line about JD Power was bogus and the Sales Rep should be fired. Builders who are proud of their accolades, talk about them throughout the process and back it up with a finished house and great customer service will continue to be at the top of JD Power ratings. There will still be people you can never make happy and they will let you know it, but those that make more happy, will prove it in their awards...

Shea builds a great home and was Builder of the Year last year...(according to billboards).

[flexysteve]

Any builder out there can make a good one or a bad one. I think you have to look at the track record and determine your chances of getting a bad one. Kind of like a Honda vs a Kia. People may have a Kia last 300k miles and a lemon of a Honda.

The thing I'd be worried about is when the development will be finished more or have amenties. I wouldn't want to live in a perpetual construction site, and in this slow market who knows when it will be done.

I know in our neighborhood they started chopping prices and putting up smaller homes and having all kinds of 0% deals and could have an adverse effect on the people who live there. Next they may change the rules about allowing rentals and whatnot to get the homes sold and move on to the next neighborhood.

[CVP]

We looked at Rosemont. The amenities look nice, especially for young families, but I wasn't impressed with the model homes. Also, did the sales rep tell you about the stores that are going to be built on both sides of the road entering the subdivision? I suppose that's a draw for some, but I wouldn't want to drive through a shopping area to get to my home. I think Weiland in BridgeMill offers a better product and of course the amenities are beautiful! Have you looked at Audobon Lake? I liked the models there, but didn't like what I saw in the inventory homes. One benefit with BridgeMill -- you know what you're getting. Most of it is done. Rosemont, because it's so new, could turn into something you're not thrilled about.

Just my personal opinion. Everyone is different. Go with what's best for you!

[M&M2Clt]

Thanks for all the advice! I did notice the JD Power ratings where Weiland was much superior. The Rosemont sub is supposed to have over 250 houses so will more than likely takes 8-10 years to build out (have nothing to base that on, just my haphazard guess). I guess they would try to make early buyers happy to keep them from putting negative signs in their yards. I haven't tried Audobon Lake but will look that up tonight. I will watch this thread a few more days and do a little more research before making the choice to eliminate them or not.

[Stripes17]

I don't know about Wieland or Shea. However, I do own a McCar and I am very satisfied with my purchase and its appreciation. Good luck with new home; whoever you buy from!