Time for Roscoe (Mark: real estate, work, houses)

[IcantSELLmyHouse]

The Tornado did not affect me,and this is more of the type of weather i like you cant beat 60 in Jan.The snow sure melted fast.Roscoe is so far a nice place to live,as far as water its not bad no problems with sewer either.But as far as housing i would stay away from anything built by Contry or Maplecrest.Three Hammer as far as i have heard builds a nice house. I do not think there is a bad area of Roscoe some places are newer but its all safe to me.

[tcat6548]

stay away from woodfield. once you sign paper youll never see them again

[Drover]

Originally Posted by tcat6548

stay away from woodfield. once you sign paper youll never see them again

[funkymcnasty]

many areas have well and septice. Look elsewhere if that is case. Steer clear of Chicory Ridge. Houses have paper thin walls!

[exberwynite]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE ELABORATE ON WOODFIELD HOMES, they're costly and I'm seriously considering them.

I'm tempted to knock on a few doors once we find a subdivision we like. I'm sure homeowners who have moved in recently have a handfull of stories to tell about the construction of their home.

I have the impression that insulation, tyvak, and such are OPTIONS on some homes. Yes, there's insulation, but only in certain areas of the home. Thats just wrong. I remember driving past some Contry homes and noticing an off-brand Tyvak being put up and it wasn't on the entire home, it was only in certain areas... not sure the logic behind that. I've also heard that if you take the trim from around the windows off, all you see are pieces of wood to hold the window from moving / shifting.. and then you see the siding on the outside of the house, no insulation/foam etc, causing drafts.

If these homes are that bad, wouldn't you think they'd be out of business? I feel sorry for the old Silo Ridge (in Machesney). I think they came from Chicago and couldnt compete with Contry, the builder ended up selling to Contry. Silo seemed well built, but way overpriced, now the homes in there are Maplecrest, the cheaper version of Contry.

[exberwynite]

Originally Posted by tcat6548

stay away from woodfield. once you sign paper youll never see them again

Can you please explain?

Do you own a Woodfield? Problems with them? I thought the builder (Jeff) was personally involved, it seemed that way anyway, when I talked to him.

Beautiful homes, a bit out of our price range, however.

[herky927]

About Roscoe and Contry Homes.

First ---Roscoe is a great area. Small and growing. The school system is great, but the average household income is a little higher than Rockford, and very well supported. In turn, I have heard that the drug problems are more seroius at Hononegah. The local rehab facility has a higher rate of kids from Hononegah than all the other school systems. I don't know if that is true but it came from one of the directors at the rehab facility. Lots of variables go into that arguement and drugs are everywhere. Onto Contry Homes.


I have lived in a Contry Home, in Roscoe, for 10 years. We have replaced most of the major appliances, stove, water heater, dish washer, and serviced the heater/AC unit three times. Our fireplace never worked properly and we had to replace it with a wood burning insert. We always had more smoke in the house than going up the flew. Heating companies tell us that the house is built so tight that air can't get in to help the draft of the fire. We had to replace the roof last year, 10 years old, because of water damage around the eves. In the end, I never moved out and the house is still standing. Oh ya, we had to replace most of the outside doors because they were falling apart. I was once told by a very high end realtor to move out of a Contry or Three Hammer home after 5 years. She said that things just start to fall apart after the 5 year mark. I was lucky enough to be around doing the build of our spec home and we asked for a few upgrades and should have ask for a few more. They use the cheapest stuff and that is why the houses are so affordable. Think upgrades if you can. Watch out for the water issues in the new sub-divisions. Make sure the dirt is graded away from the house--not always considered by the quick developers. Our sub-division, Hawks Pointe, is now having problems with great big holes caving in. The rock layer below isn't very strong and pockets are opening up from water and things just keep falling. Good luck and I hope this helps. Roscoe is a great place to live

[BondJmsBond]

herky927,

I was planning on looking at a home in the Chicory Ridge subdivision this weekend on Verbena St. that I think was built by Contry/Maplecrest back in 1998. They built it for 164K in 1998 and sold it for 173K in 2003 and now that owner is selling and asking for 189.9K. This is a 2-story with a layout that I am looking for, but since it was sold after 5 years it makes me wonder about your comment of selling after 5 years, as well as other negative comments I have read about Contry / Maplecrest homes.

I wonder how I can tell if this home is built any better than some others. Sounds like paying an inspector to check out a Contry home is worth the money.

Thanks for your information and comments.

[Homesinrockford]

Don't believe everything you hear. I have lived in a Contry Home for the last 10 years and have no problems except the occasional crack in the plaster which they came out and fixed no questions asked. The homes are built exactly the same way as any other house.Also each city had there own building codes which each home had to pass. The reason why the homes are cheaper than other builders is Joe Contarino buys all his materials in bulk. They keep enough material on hand (at all times) for 600 complete homes. They buy material by the train loads where some builders buy material as they sell a home. This is good for any homeowner because the savings are passed down to you. You will be shocked to see other builders raise prices where Conty is able to keep them steady. Now Woodfield homes I would NEVER NEVER buy or refer ANYONE to them. They treat you like dirt. Also I see someone mention a Home Inspector (Jack of all trades Master of none). This is one of the dumbest idea's. Do you think a home inspecto is going to find something that wasn't found by the City Inspectors? Save your money you won't need one. Also, Contry,Maplecrest, etc have had mad major changes in the last few years making their homes even better. If you go back a few years Contry used to have housewrap as an upgrade. Many people chose NOT to pay the 500.00 for it and found out that with out it you mat find your home drafty. This is the homeowners fault for being CHEAP to begin with. Now housewrap is a standard. Also, TYVAC is a name brand Contry homes uses the same product just with theie LOGO on it. There is NO differance. Now the reason I know all these things is I work for Contry (used to for Maplecrest) and have SOLD many many of his homes. Have any of my cleints had any complaints....NO. I am a experianced agent out here in Rockford and can answer ANY questions regarding any builder. Lastly, 3-Hammer in my opinon makes a good starter home, but they don't housewrap and there heating and air units are rated the WORST in comsumer report.

[Homesinrockford]

STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!! As a Realtor I would never send a client to them because they treat them like CRAP and are over priced. BUY CONTRY,MAPLECREST AND PETRY.