Dream Finders Builder (Wellington: lender, cabinets, closing costs)

[Giants6]

Originally Posted by cricketfan

My feelings are that houses built just before the downturn were of a better quality because builders were inclined to put more into the houses since their profit margins were greater in the better economy. Common sense tells me that builders today are inclined to skimp on structural features and enhancements because their houses are cheaper and less profitable to build.

Funny, I actually think its the opposite. During the boomtimes the builders were throwing up houses as quickly as they could, so to me they weren't were worried about 'quality', but more 'quantity'. Buyers got caught up as well and they weren't concerned about the how structurally sound the house was. They just wanted to buy something before prices got out of control. We're now hearing the horror stories about imported chinese drywall, cracked pipes and foundation problems with houses built specifically from 2004-2007. You'd hope today's prospective buyers have learned something from the housing boom and are doing their due dilgence when purchasing a new build.

[SaintCabbage]

We've been fortunate to always build, we're on house #4 we built. There's always issues, but relatively minor compared to worrying about cracked pipes, hidden mold, asbestos, replacing a roof, HVAC dying, or a number of horrible other potentially costly items in an older home. Not to mention newer homes are going to be much more energy efficient.

[jmc912]

Thanks everyone for your input. I think we are going to pursue the build with DF... Hopefully they can be flexible on the options. Of course I will be on them every step of the process to make sure they aren't cutting corners. Surprise inspections!

I would hate to buy one of those houses from 2004-2007.... I know they are just full of issues. The builder used to only take 60-90 days to build a few years ago.... Now it's taking 180. Hopefully that's a sign that they are taking better care. Plus, I'm sure it's more cost effective to do it right the first time than to pay to fix their mistakes in 100 homes.

[Ducbelle]

Originally Posted by jmc912

I'm resurrecting this... I've read the whole thread and checked out some other reviews for DF... I'm still torn based on the mixed reviews. We are looking to build in their first community in Yulee, FL that's just being started (Nassau County). We have not visited them yet, we are planning a trip in August to visit and see model, discuss, maybe sign a contract, etc.

Just looking for any more advice on them... They are the only builder building in the new community... Yulee has lots of other communities with other builders, but I like the DF floor plans the best!

My wife and I just signed a contract in Johns Landing in Fleming Island. So far, everything has gone smooth. We recently went to the Design Center to pick out our options and it was a great experience. We are building the Las Palmas II (Platinum) and the standard options that come with this were amazing. It is not like you have 3 options to choose from and they all look cheap. There were multiple options for everything and we only made a few upgrades. They should be breaking ground in another month (hopefully).

[jmc912]

That's awesome! Congrats. Glad to hear it's going well. Were you able to negotiate for any upgrades? Comps or incentives or anything? Did you go with their preferred lender?

Random question but do you recall if the design center had any options for cabinets. I don't know if the standard is just one color or if they have options. I prefer dark cabinets.

We haven't been to see them yet, we are flying there in a few weeks for the weekend to look around and hopefully sign a contract.

[houseconfused]

Originally Posted by jmc912

That's awesome! Congrats. Glad to hear it's going well. Were you able to negotiate for any upgrades? Comps or incentives or anything? Did you go with their preferred lender?

Random question but do you recall if the design center had any options for cabinets. I don't know if the standard is just one color or if they have options. I prefer dark cabinets.

We haven't been to see them yet, we are flying there in a few weeks for the weekend to look around and hopefully sign a contract.

The builders have options for everything. Some just costs you more.

[jmc912]

Yes, I know that. I just don't know if they have any other options for their standard, that's all I was asking. We haven't been able to see any of the choices, upgrades, or anything because we are 5,000 miles away.

[Shannon4426]

Dreamfinders does have two nice dark cabinet colors in their "standard" options. One is called saddle (I think) and its kind of a nice walnut color. The other is espresso, which almost looks black, but I've seen a few people put I in their homes and it looks quite nice . You could even go with a mix... saddle for the cabinets and espresso for the island.

[Shannon4426]

The cabinets in these pics are the standard espresso color. I'd like to clarify that this is based on my experience with Dreamfinders, which is a year old now!

Durbin Crossing Images - Dreamfinders

[jmc912]

Thank you so much Shannon!! Trying to get a feel for what we are going to have to pay for as "upgrades" and what comes standard... Very helpful!

We go in a few weeks to go under contract. Have you experienced any problems with your home so far?