Best Builder of the Poconos area? (Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono: transplants, sales, real estate market)

[firebirdcrazy]

I am tired of NJ and the high tax, High car Insurance, Expensive crappy houses, and Corzine crap going on. I Work in the city, but am willing to do the commute. On Sunday going to see LTS Builders and what they have to offer. I have heard bad and good things about them so please anyone with good information on builders in the Poconos area please share it with me. Experiences and how I should handle a new build would help too. Also what are the best locations with the better schools since I have a 9 year old. Thank you for your time.

[poconoproud]

My best advise is to interview a few builders, not only the one. There is a home show March 15th and 16th at Split Rock Resort. I am not sure if LTS is going to be there, but I am sure you will get a close look at several others. If you go on the pocono builders association website, I am told they have coupons off admission. They may have a list of vendors, too. Good Luck!

Pocono Relocation Guide

at bottom of the page, is county links, on county pages, are township and other links for the pocono's.

[jar546]

You can PM me and I can give you feedback on who I have worked with over the years. I will tell you who to stay away from and who has been easy to work with.

[GENO-777]

Ang Reich Construction Rt. 348 Mount Cobb Pa.

[wv2pa]

Ang Reich
Bruce Covey Builders
Carey Construction
D & D Development (they do modulars)
these I have heard several good things about and no bad.

[wv2pa]

Larry Smith
Pat Perih
These two are also very good.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Wallenpaupack Custom Builders and Falcor Construction, highly recommend them both.

[digitalwoodshop]

For Pike County this is a great resource.

Pike County Builders Association, Milford PA

I went to school with the guys that own this.

McKean Custom Homes (broken link)


Good Luck,

AL

[Laughing Heir]

Originally Posted by firebirdcrazy

I am tired of NJ and the high tax, High car Insurance, Expensive crappy houses, and Corzine crap going on. I Work in the city, but am willing to do the commute. On Sunday going to see LTS Builders and what they have to offer. I have heard bad and good things about them so please anyone with good information on builders in the Poconos area please share it with me. Experiences and how I should handle a new build would help too. Also what are the best locations with the better schools since I have a 9 year old. Thank you for your time.

My firm has worked in NePa for about 40 years. One thing I can tell you is be VERY selective. When I first started doing this (about 10 years ago), I would accompany the appraiser to the site for a construction draw ... and there wouldn't be anything to assess, didn't even break ground yet. In recent years, with the publicity of rampant fraud, the bullseye on transplants has become smaller. Certainly, some due diligence on your part will make a decision easier. I applaud you for asking the question.

In the Monroe County portion of the Poconos, I would recommend finding builders that have weathered a couple of market booms & busts. LTS serves a couple different market segments (almost exclusively tract homes) and isn't in the business of running off with escrow monies. We've probably appraised hundreds of their homes, mostly average to good quality.

If you have the credit and/or cash for true custom construction, there's a company on Route 209 heading out of Stroudsburg that builds beautiful slammers. I can't remember his name of the top of my head, but, they are near Snydersville.

If you're looking to the Mount Pocono and Lake Naomi region I would recommend Liberty Homes. 'Mack' is the sales rep that we deal with for appraisals and appears to be a thorough salesperson.

Any builder you come across out there is going to have some bumps and bruises on their reputation. When it comes to the housing industry, one thing I can assure you of is that someone involved in the transaction is always angry with someone else involved in it. i.e. the builder didn't do it quick enough, pretty enough, etc. One place I would not recommend placing a lot of weight on information from is trade groups that collect dues from builders or their reps. The status quo is, well, the status quo to them. Just ask people in Lackawanna County.

Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a lot to purchase (and this is a big one) is to ask about the dues, if any. Sure, gated communities are nice in theory. However, in practice, they are executed poorly and IMO the amenities are not commensurate with the fees paid by the homeowner. Nor are homes in PUDs usually any more valuable than the ones located directly outside the gates. Is the security patrol and pool (you'll never use) really worth an additional 100 beaver pelts a month?? Also, your rights as a property owner are severely and adversely impacted by the PUD form of ownership.

The people that live in Monroe County will probably be able to give you a very accurate snapshot of the quality of schools. Price wise, people are paying more for Stroudsburg & Pleasant Valley Schools than anywhere else in Monroe County. But, I would trust a concerned mom over a real estate market any day.

I hope your meeting with LTS went well and that any of this helps make you a more informed consumer.

[poconoproud]

Originally Posted by Laughing Heir

My firm has worked in NePa for about 40 years. One thing I can tell you is be VERY selective. When I first started doing this (about 10 years ago), I would accompany the appraiser to the site for a construction draw ... and there wouldn't be anything to assess, didn't even break ground yet. In recent years, with the publicity of rampant fraud, the bullseye on transplants has become smaller. Certainly, some due diligence on your part will make a decision easier. I applaud you for asking the question.

In the Monroe County portion of the Poconos, I would recommend finding builders that have weathered a couple of market booms & busts. LTS serves a couple different market segments (almost exclusively tract homes) and isn't in the business of running off with escrow monies. We've probably appraised hundreds of their homes, mostly average to good quality.

If you have the credit and/or cash for true custom construction, there's a company on Route 209 heading out of Stroudsburg that builds beautiful slammers. I can't remember his name of the top of my head, but, they are near Snydersville.

If you're looking to the Mount Pocono and Lake Naomi region I would recommend Liberty Homes. 'Mack' is the sales rep that we deal with for appraisals and appears to be a thorough salesperson.

Any builder you come across out there is going to have some bumps and bruises on their reputation. When it comes to the housing industry, one thing I can assure you of is that someone involved in the transaction is always angry with someone else involved in it. i.e. the builder didn't do it quick enough, pretty enough, etc. One place I would not recommend placing a lot of weight on information from is trade groups that collect dues from builders or their reps. The status quo is, well, the status quo to them. Just ask people in Lackawanna County.

Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a lot to purchase (and this is a big one) is to ask about the dues, if any. Sure, gated communities are nice in theory. However, in practice, they are executed poorly and IMO the amenities are not commensurate with the fees paid by the homeowner. Nor are homes in PUDs usually any more valuable than the ones located directly outside the gates. Is the security patrol and pool (you'll never use) really worth an additional 100 beaver pelts a month?? Also, your rights as a property owner are severely and adversely impacted by the PUD form of ownership.

The people that live in Monroe County will probably be able to give you a very accurate snapshot of the quality of schools. Price wise, people are paying more for Stroudsburg & Pleasant Valley Schools than anywhere else in Monroe County. But, I would trust a concerned mom over a real estate market any day.

I hope your meeting with LTS went well and that any of this helps make you a more informed consumer.

Just an update, Mack no longer is with Liberty Homes. He has moved to one of the other home building companies in the Blakeslee area, Centenniel.