Meritage Homes (Dallas, Spring, Howe: credit, attorney, custom home)

[GHJohn]

The key is to see a Meritage home in the process of being built. My wife and I had the privilege of seeing one in its framing stage and they are a very poor builder.

[Rakin]

Check out the following website

The Home Builder Implode-O-Meter - tracking the home building industry implosion

I would stick with 1. Highland 2. Drees in this price range. Southerby & Darling are very good also if you can find the price you're looking for.

[calmdude]

I presume JD Powers is a reliable source of information. Here is a link that takes you to a survey of most major builders. After clicking, choose the Metro area of interest. Do see the last 3 pages as that is where the results and rankings are. This probably aggregates more reliable data than what you can get in this foum. Good luck in your search. Meritage comes out to be slightly above average.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pdf/2007177.pdf (broken link)

[Rakin]

JD Powers is about 70% accurate. Many of the higher builders in the top are there cause they tilt the surveys their way. I've been in closings where the builder sits there and helps the buyer fill out the survey.

Due to builder financial problems, I would be concerned that Meritage or several others may not be around to warranty any new home. If you have problems get it fixed now, don't put it off till later.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by calmdude

I presume JD Powers is a reliable source of information. Here is a link that takes you to a survey of most major builders. After clicking, choose the Metro area of interest. Do see the last 3 pages as that is where the results and rankings are. This probably aggregates more reliable data than what you can get in this foum. Good luck in your search. Meritage comes out to be slightly above average.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pdf/2007177.pdf (broken link)

I don't put much stock into these kinds of surveys. I don't care how long JD Powers has been around. How many times have YOU PERSONALLY been contacted to give your opinion about something you have purchased by them? I've bought 3 homes from 2 different builders and umpteen cars/trucks and I've yet to be called or mailed a survey.

[calmdude]

If you look at the JDP site, they do take a lot of pains to (a) survey many people in (b) many categories for (c) many many home builders (d) with a lot of questions. I am not aware of anything like that available widely. I am not saying that the 10 opinions in this thread are not valid. If you look at the appendix of the pdf file, there is not one opinion in the forum that covers all the categories listed, yet we are rubbishing the JDP survey. I am not saying that small samples may be erroneous (like the home builder who sat in from of the client filling surveys). I can tell you there may be many cases where people are simply pissed off at a builder and create a lot of "internet noise". I for one - you do not have to - value studies done reasonably properly by people who know what they are doing. I value the JDP surveys a LOT - you may or may not - to each his/her own. There is a lot of information out there - the trick is to choose reliable studies and not just go by 2 or 3 opinions.
For cars, would you choose opinions of say 10 people over what Consumer Reports says? If you do - then I cannot convince you.

Suggestion: if you disagree, please post something better with a larger sample size and done by a more reputable company.

PS: I am not a builder, a rel estage agent or with JD Powers

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I don't put much stock into these kinds of surveys. I don't care how long JD Powers has been around. How many times have YOU PERSONALLY been contacted to give your opinion about something you have purchased by them? I've bought 3 homes from 2 different builders and umpteen cars/trucks and I've yet to be called or mailed a survey.

[TexasWeatherman]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I don't put much stock into these kinds of surveys. I don't care how long JD Powers has been around. How many times have YOU PERSONALLY been contacted to give your opinion about something you have purchased by them? I've bought 3 homes from 2 different builders and umpteen cars/trucks and I've yet to be called or mailed a survey.

Here's a good statistics book...
Amazon.com: Statistics for Engineers and Scientists: Everything Else

There's a good section in there on the math behind surveys.

[m00se]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I don't put much stock into these kinds of surveys. I don't care how long JD Powers has been around. How many times have YOU PERSONALLY been contacted to give your opinion about something you have purchased by them? I've bought 3 homes from 2 different builders and umpteen cars/trucks and I've yet to be called or mailed a survey.

I purchased a new home November 2007 and currently have in my posession a JD Powers survey which I will be completing and mailing back to them.

[calmdude]

Originally Posted by Rakin

JD Powers is about 70% accurate. ...

Sincere question - how do you know this? If you correct the 30% error, you could be a billionaire by opening your own survey company

[CurrentlyinSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by calmdude

Sincere question - how do you know this? If you correct the 30% error, you could be a billionaire by opening your own survey company

90% of all statistics are made up.....10% of the time