Gran Paradiso- Lennor house (appliances, new house, buyer)

[Buckeyes]

Hi all!
We are building with Lennor and just got word that our closing date is April 15th! Yay finally
Question... Does anyone know what the orientation is? And is there any info you would like to share with me about closing? Things you should have done?

Thanks!

[mruane1953]

I bought across the street Islandwalk so not Lennar but the day before closing we had a walk through/orientation. I assume they are similar. Basically it was a chance to inspect and start the punch list of things that needed to be addressed (hopefully yours will be as short as ours was).

Beyond that it was a way for the builder to show you how the house works. Sounds a bit silly when I say that but knowing where the shut off valves for water are, how they work (some are twist, some are push/pull), where the breaker box is and what switch controls what switches...etc. They also provided all the manuals for the various appliances and systems (cooling), maintenance and cleaning instructions for various surfaces. They also provided a list of contacts to handle different problems we might have to handle warranty work. We have a customer service rep assigned to us for basically a year so he did this walk/through and had fairly regular contact with him in the weeks after closing getting the various items addressed.


Congrats and best of luck!!

[ScottiesMom]

Originally Posted by mruane1953

I bought across the street Islandwalk so not Lennar but the day before closing we had a walk through/orientation. I assume they are similar. Basically it was a chance to inspect and start the punch list of things that needed to be addressed (hopefully yours will be as short as ours was).

Beyond that it was a way for the builder to show you how the house works. Sounds a bit silly when I say that but knowing where the shut off valves for water are, how they work (some are twist, some are push/pull), where the breaker box is and what switch controls what switches...etc. They also provided all the manuals for the various appliances and systems (cooling), maintenance and cleaning instructions for various surfaces. They also provided a list of contacts to handle different problems we might have to handle warranty work. We have a customer service rep assigned to us for basically a year so he did this walk/through and had fairly regular contact with him in the weeks after closing getting the various items addressed.


Congrats and best of luck!!

I don't mean to hijack the post, but how do you like IslandWalk? They broke ground on my homesite yesterday so it's probably a little late to ask... Do you have any advice?
I think the orientation is a great idea and I plan to bring a notepad so I can write down the details. I wish someone had done that for me here - I've lived in this house for four years and don't know how to work the gas fireplace. I guess I won't be needing it!
Thanks!

[Buckeyes]

Thank you for the info! It does sound silly but once you think about it, it will be nice to know how items work and where they are.

[motordavid]

If one wants another set of eyes on the walkthrough, I rec'd having a home inspector do their process while the new buyer is listening to the 'how to turn the shower on' stuff...

For a few hundred bucks, a good qualified HI can give the new owner his opin, and may spot some things that need attention that the buyer would not see in their emotional fog of the 'new house'.

GL, mD

[upgrader]

Originally Posted by ScottiesMom

I think the orientation is a great idea and I plan to bring a notepad so I can write down the details. !

In this day and age, why not set your smartphone on voice record and put it in your shirt pocket? That's what I do whenever dealing with an information provider.

[ScottiesMom]

Originally Posted by upgrader

In this day and age, why not set your smartphone on voice record and put it in your shirt pocket? That's what I do whenever dealing with an information provider.

I may do that do, but old habits die hard!

[bbronston]

Tip: take your paperwork with you and go thru the entire list of everything you purchased to be sure you received it. Also, be sure all the outlets and cable "drops" are there. I've seen more than one instance where drywallers forgot to cut out the boxes that ended up behind the walls.

Often, so much time passes between the design studio appointment and the pre-closing walk-thru, that it is easy to forget all the things you decided upon. A little time spent now is worth it to avoid potential annoyances later.

[mruane1953]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Tip: take your paperwork with you and go thru the entire list of everything you purchased to be sure you received it. Also, be sure all the outlets and cable "drops" are there. I've seen more than one instance where drywallers forgot to cut out the boxes that ended up behind the walls.

Often, so much time passes between the design studio appointment and the pre-closing walk-thru, that it is easy to forget all the things you decided upon. A little time spent now is worth it to avoid potential annoyances later.

SOOOOO True. Bring a small night light and try every outlet/switch. Took us a month to figure out that the switch for the pool light wasn't hooked up properly. The "stucco" peeps had cover over the place where the wire exits from the home.

[mruane1953]

Originally Posted by ScottiesMom

I don't mean to hijack the post, but how do you like IslandWalk? They broke ground on my homesite yesterday so it's probably a little late to ask... Do you have any advice?
I think the orientation is a great idea and I plan to bring a notepad so I can write down the details. I wish someone had done that for me here - I've lived in this house for four years and don't know how to work the gas fireplace. I guess I won't be needing it!
Thanks!

Welcome! We love it! Signed a contract at the end of last April. Closed October 9th (right in the middle of the construction window they gave us initially). I was very leery given that we were in NJ during the build.

Came down for pre-drywall inspection with Construction Mgr. They took the time to go over everything (plumbing, electrical, structural) both on the inside and outside of the house. Bring a camera and take pictures of the plumbing and electrical wherever it enters/exits the wall (need to keep track of what room you are looking at to label the pics later). I don't plan on doing any major work, but knowing where the metal studs/wires/pipes are around those points for me is key. The plumbing is basically a heavy duty rubber hose and a misplaced attempt to attach something to the wall could result in a puncture. I also took pics of the builder installed blocking so that the TV could be hung on the wall. Folks from the Geek Squad appreciated being able to see them, although they have done enough installations here that they can probably do it blindfolded.

The Const mgr and cust service rep come to the orientation but this is just so the CM can make the introductions and do the hand-off. This is where you will get the manuals/contact phone no's etc. We it it off with ours and were able to get some other recommendations for handymen etc other then the ones officially listed. From talking to neighbors we have found that the quality of the customer service reps can be a bit spotty in terms of responsiveness. Ours (Tyler) has been fantastic....he had just started and we were his first house. Very proactive!

As for taking notes.....definitely, but they do give you a pretty comprehensive spiral bound "user's manual" about a half inch thick along with all the user manuals for the appliances. Take the time to see that you have all the manuals. Took us a few days/weeks to realize we didn't have the complete manual for one of the appliances.

We had the most problems with cabinet doors being nicked etc. and nearly all of those problems were noticed after the orientation as they had tried to use touch-up paint (White cabinets) and it was only when we saw the touch up at a certain angle or in certain light that it was really noticeable. Took a couple of trips by the warranty folks but got it all sorted out and replaced with no hassle.

Good luck and feel free to DM me if you have any questions. We are on Neviano St.

Mike