D.R. Horton townhomes (Jacksonville: for sale, home builder, neighborhood)

[emsck23]

I'm looking at a couple of places to live one of them being StoneHaven at Aberdeen, a townhome community in St. Johns Co. built by D.R. Horton. I did some research into D.R. Horton/their reputation and heard some not so great things about them. Anyone have any experience with a D.R. Horton home builder in the St. Johns/Jacksonville area? I'm also looking at Greenbrier at Bartram Park built by Pulte (they are more expensive though). Thanks in advance

[agreatlife]

I've had a few closing with customers that bought DRHorton homes, we had inspections done prior to closings and found quite a few minor defects. DRHorton took the lists we gave them, and had everything fixed prior to the closings.

Pulte does have a reputation as building a very sound and quality home. I haven't had closings with them, but I have been impressed with the homes I've previewed.

Whatever builder you choose, I do recommend that you have a home inspection prior to closing. It's also recommended that you visit your home site periodically as it is being built. There's some very good info on another thread on this forum about things to look for.

[emsck23]

Thanks! Good idea about the inspection. I have been impressed with Pulte homes too. Any thoughts about Centrex homes?

[agreatlife]

Centex has been having financial problems, and they have scaled back on a lot of their development. I have been impressed with the value, as have some of my customers. You'll want to see how built out the development is that you are considering.

[emsck23]

Thanks again I will take your advice.

[jackaroo]

My parents bought a DR Horton home. They seemed fairly responsive to any issues identified during the pre-closing walk through process and I am not aware of any issues that have come up since.

Pulte has a good reputation. They don't offer many choices on interior finishes, but I think that is consistent with many of the big builders.

As already stated, Centex is in big financial trouble right now and is looking to exit the northeast Florida market. This means that you may be able to get a great deal, but if they no longer have a presence in the area, the follow up may be questionable. Of course, Centex is also a big publicly traded company, so that may give you some level of comfort.

Good luck with the house hunting process.

[ShakenStirred]

I personally would buy from only these companies (As far as National 100 Buildiers only) in no particular order:

1. Centex
2. Pulte
3. KB Homes
4. David Weekley
5. Woodside Homes

Of course Centex is pulling out of N FL, so that would depend on the neighborhood.

[cellson]

We have a Pulte townhome (for sale actually). We have been very impressed with the way we were treated by Pulte. Right after we closed there was a leek in the AC and we called about 9pm after realizing that the carpet was damp. A Pulte rep called back immediatly and a crew was there the next moring at 7:30 am to make the necessary repairs. Good luck with your search!!

[cricketfan]

Somehow I favor a local or regional builder over a national builder like DR Horton or KB and the others. There is the exception of course if we're talking about super-duper luxury or something out of the ordinary.

I know that regardless of the builder they all have to conform to uniform building codes so you do have that degree of protection. But with a local or regional builder I like to know that I can pick up the phone and get the ear of the company owners. Our home was built by Cornerstone and we were in communication not only with the foreman (very important) but with the owners when necessary during the whole process. That you couldn't do with a big national builder, I don't think.

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by cricketfan

Somehow I favor a local or regional builder over a national builder like DR Horton or KB and the others. There is the exception of course if we're talking about super-duper luxury or something out of the ordinary.

I know that regardless of the builder they all have to conform to uniform building codes so you do have that degree of protection. But with a local or regional builder I like to know that I can pick up the phone and get the ear of the company owners. Our home was built by Cornerstone and we were in communication not only with the foreman (very important) but with the owners when necessary during the whole process. That you couldn't do with a big national builder, I don't think.

Yes, my list was for the National Builders only, but there are many, many great local builders, and I can say without questions that CornerStone would be at the top of my list for local builders. I've worked as a sub for these guys for years, and they are one of the builders who will pay a little more to have a subcontractor to good quality work, and the people running this company are top notch. It bears mentioning that I work for somewhere around 60-70 builders in the Jax area, and if someone asks me for a recommendation, the CornerStone name is always one of if not the first name out of my mouth.

A lot of the national builders use private inspection companies, which can be good or bad. Sometimes a builder can convince private inspector to "overlook" something on the promise of correcting it, but then other times private inspectors can be tougher than the city inspectors. A lot of the codes are open for interpretation, and it's imperative to use a builder with a good reputation. That being said, yes, there are many great local builders to choose from.