Hunter Homes Reviews? (Huntsville, Madison: appointed, mortgage, how much)

[1sttimebuyer256]

Good Morning,
I'm a first-time buyer (hence, the screenname) and I am looking at Hunter Homes "Legend" series that are located in Andover, Maple Ridge, Savannah, and Carriage Station. The square footage for the price is what caught my eye. However, I've heard a few bad reviews here and there and I was wondering/hoping you can tell me your experience with Hunter Homes. Whether there are hidden costs in the mortgage, construction issues i.e. plumbing, electrical, landscaping, thin walls, leaking etc.

I'm trying to get full-brick, 1800 + sq ft for under $145,000 for a new home. I've only seen Hunter Homes being able to provide that type of deal...unless, I'm missing someone or something.

Who would you recommend?

What do you think about Hunter Homes?

Your answers are greatly appreciated!

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by 1sttimebuyer256

Good Morning,
I'm a first-time buyer (hence, the screenname) and I am looking at Hunter Homes "Legend" series that are located in Andover, Maple Ridge, Savannah, and Carriage Station. The square footage for the price is what caught my eye. However, I've heard a few bad reviews here and there and I was wondering/hoping you can tell me your experience with Hunter Homes. Whether there are hidden costs in the mortgage, construction issues i.e. plumbing, electrical, landscaping, thin walls, leaking etc.

I'm trying to get full-brick, 1800 + sq ft for under $145,000 for a new home. I've only seen Hunter Homes being able to provide that type of deal...unless, I'm missing someone or something.

Who would you recommend?

What do you think about Hunter Homes?

Your answers are greatly appreciated!

If you do a search on this forum, I think you'll find the info you seek.

I've walked through some of their homes and I didn't really care much for the floorplans.

I'd also add, you get what you pay for, and if it seems to good to be true, it usually is.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by 1sttimebuyer256

Good Morning,

I'm trying to get full-brick, 1800 + sq ft for under $145,000 for a new home. I've only seen Hunter Homes being able to provide that type of deal...unless, I'm missing someone or something.

You may want to check out Breland Homes. They sell @ $85/sq.ft. which is just slightly above Hunter, but the difference is in the amenities. Shop & compare. It is always Buyer Beware

[Seattle2Madison2010]

I just bought a Hunter Home in the Legends Series... I read the reviews, but also know that not every person will love the same home as me. I'm thrilled with our new home, we got to design it from top to bottom with several amenities (if you're curious go to their Showroom and take a browse at upgrades!) including granite counter tops, a wood burning fireplace and a covered back porch. Sure it's a smaller home, but we're paying $50/sq ft ...for an all brick two story home. The models are done real cheap, but I think it's good for the home buyer who can't afford much or doesn't want much done to it to get a good idea of what it looks like. We went to several model homes that were done beautiful with all the upgrades -- then when we went to look at what came standard, we were disappointed in the cost of what we'd have to pay to get it to look like the model!

What's also nice about Hunter Home's is they don't build on random lots, leaving empty plots for a year or two unbuilt! We went to Breland homes "The Willows" in March 2010 and they had a handful of lots built and under construction... when we went back in August 2010 not much more had been worked on and there were several homes "alone" with empty lots all around it! Talk about buzzkill when someone decides to build right next to that solo home in a year or two and having to listen to construction for 6 months!

Another perk is Hunter does build their frames in their warehouse eliminating construction time -- 2.5-3months from start to finish! Breland on the other hand told us 6-7 months! So I guess it depends on when you want to move... for us we were sold with Hunter. We are getting a full brick, for under $150K (with UPGRADES!) at a fantastic interest rate... they also offer you $300 if you recommend someone to buy in ANY of their communities at any time while you are a resident in their community. They also currently offer $5000 to use in their show room on upgrades if you are active duty, retired or a veteran!

Sure people will hate their homes... and push you toward jeff benton or breland or adams... people tried that on us, but we were sold on Hunter. We also heard several negative reviews when we lived in Seattle with DR Horton communities... Don't take the suggestion of someone else when it comes to your home, first time buyer!!!

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by Seattle2Madison2010

Sure people will hate their homes... and push you toward jeff benton or breland or adams... people tried that on us, but we were sold on Hunter. We also heard several negative reviews when we lived in Seattle with DR Horton communities... Don't take the suggestion of someone else when it comes to your home, first time buyer!!!

Good post. The bottom line is that you should buy a house with the layout, quality of construction and the price that you are comfortable with. There's always "better"/ "more expensive" homes & builders out there. But if the house is solidly built, with the amenities you want, the location you desired, and the mortgage fits into your monthly budget comfortably, then you'll love your home.

The beauty of a new home is you can make it the way you want, not the way builder or previous owners want. If you don't mind a bit of sweat equity, putting in your own landscaping (trees, flower bed, etc.), you can greatly enhance the appearance of your house.

Another big consideration is the annual heating/ cooling cost. Some older homes here can cost as much as $500 ~ $800/month for heating (mostly) and cooling. Make sure your new house has good insulation, double-pane windows. For that, Hunter Home is one of few builders that is *energy star* certified that will significantly lower your monthly heating/ cooling bill. If you lower your monthly heating/cooling bill to $100~$200/mo, that's a major saving on your total monthly payments.

Considering TVA has just raise their electric rate, this is one major consideration in buying your new home and to lower your overall monthly payments (mortage + utilities).

[llb09111]

"Some older homes here can cost as much as $500 ~ $800/month for heating (mostly) and cooling."

Whoa, really?? Is heat there generally electric or natural gas? I've been looking at homes online and seeing that most stove-tops are electric, not gas, and wondering if there's a reason for that...

[writerwife]

I've done some interior painting for some folks that own Hunter homes and they were thrilled with them.
Most people when they get online to post are posting because they ran into a problem or are unhappy. People don't usually jump online to make posts about something they're happy with. Just the way things are. For instance, say last yr you purchased a new lawn mower. It works fine, does the job and you're happy with it. Are you compelled to get online and make a post about it? Not usually. But...if you purchased that lawn mower and it didn't work right and you were unhappy with the purchase or it didn't do something it was supposed to, you just might jump online and make a post about it...venting, so to speak. So, just keep in mind that when you look something up online, you're mostly hearing from those that aren't happy for whatever reason, but for everyone that does post, how many are there that are happy and have not raced to the computer to make a complaint?

P.S. My parents have a large older home and their heating bills in the midst of winter can frequently run about 500.00. (same for in the middle of a hot summer). Their home is impressive to look at but it's about 35 yrs old and leaky. Newer homes are generally more energy efficient.

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by Seattle2Madison2010

Sure people will hate their homes... and push you toward jeff benton or breland or adams... people tried that on us, but we were sold on Hunter. We also heard several negative reviews when we lived in Seattle with DR Horton communities... Don't take the suggestion of someone else when it comes to your home, first time buyer!!!

At any time buying a house, especially when it is your first time, suggestions from other people are important. Where else are you going to get the information you need to make an informed decision? Besides, the OP did ask for suggestions.

There are always tradeoffs. If their product meets your needs, great, but don't expect a $50/sq ft house to be built the same as an $85/ sq ft house. In today's competitive market, if the builders who are doing it at the higher price could do it for less and still deliver the same house, they probably would.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by djmaxwell

There are always tradeoffs. If their product meets your needs, great, but don't expect a $50/sq ft house to be built the same as an $85/ sq ft house. In today's competitive market, if the builders who are doing it at the higher price could do it for less and still deliver the same house, they probably would.

But if you're happy with a $50/sq.ft. house, then why pay for a $85/sq. ft. house?

You're right about the trade-off's and that's a personal preference & affordability issue. I can afford a $450/sq. ft. house but whether I "want" to pay for that house here in Huntsville, in today's market, in another question. (besides, it will only be a 100 sq ft house ! )

There are no right/ wrong answers here. It's a Chevy/ BMW question, but at a higher stake because a house will be a "home" but car is just a toy

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

But if you're happy with a $50/sq.ft. house, then why pay for a $85/sq. ft. house?

You're right about the trade-off's and that's a personal preference & affordability issue. I can afford a $450/sq. ft. house but whether I "want" to pay for that house here in Huntsville, in today's market, in another question. (besides, it will only be a 100 sq ft house ! )

There are no right/ wrong answers here. It's a Chevy/ BMW question, but at a higher stake because a house will be a "home" but car is just a toy

I agree completely. Hunter has a market out there, otherwise they wouldn't be around. Buy what works for you, but as I said above, you get what you pay for.

With the housing market the way it is, maybe a Hunter Home isn't a bad thing. How much lower can they go from $50/sq. ft? Adams has cut prices in my neighborhood, which certainly doesn't do me any favors.