M Christopher Homes bites the dust and keeps the deposits. (Allen: insurance, mortgage)

[MurphyPl1]

Crew yes they are operating under Artisan

Rudy Rivas and his crew left Grand to go out on their own. I met him early on as M Christopher and between the Grand connection and some sketchy comments he made I was concerned. He had one guy that left and now has Adamson homes. I think he was the only reason they did as well as they did as long as they did.

I was 100% not surprised to hear this.

[karenw729]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

That's sad. People's investment should be protected by law.

I know these incidents are quite rare but for some reason I always preferred existing homes. If you have the obsession for a home to be spanking new, pick an spec/inventory home and call it a day. I don't care for delayed gratification and mystery of how a town, subdivision or house is going to delight or disappoint me. Life is too short for unnecessary uncertainty and material obsessions.

I don't think these kinds of incidents are rare. Bella Vita homes also just went belly up and also stiffed their customers. This happens probably daily with the smaller general contracts, as I have experience first hand. There needs to be regulation of this industry and enforcement of existing laws, i.e., I think there's already a law that they're not supposed to co-mingle client funds.

[UnfairPark]

You are right, I was wrong. I did a quick search and felt truly surprised by how often this happens and how little protection consumers have. Builder warranties also go bust so even if you do get a house, you are stuck with all the faults and when builders are short on money, they do cut lots of corners.

[WorldKlas]

I learned from the news story that people can obtain performance bonds to protect themselves. Something I will research if I ever make a major investment in a new home or even a remodel.

[octo]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

felt truly surprised by how often this happens and how little protection consumers have.

Uh, in this case the law protects the builder. The builder is in bankruptcy PROTECTION.

[gocubs418]

M Christopher was my runner up for my pool/spa. Dodged a bullet potentially.

[speedyg]

Artisan Pools is them as is Artisan Realty so beware of that. I'm not sure if they are still operating Royal Flush Septic installation business which they bought out a year or so ago.

Please note that the someone else bought the maintenance part of Royal Flush and renamed it King's Crown. That's a separate business under different ownership. I think it is just the owner and one guy who works for him. They have been providing good service for me.

I think there is another pool company called Artesian Pools in Frisco with different ownership. If I was them, I would sue over the similar name.

[Waterdragon8212]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

You are right, I was wrong. I did a quick search and felt truly surprised by how often this happens and how little protection consumers have. Builder warranties also go bust so even if you do get a house, you are stuck with all the faults and when builders are short on money, they do cut lots of corners.

This is so true. In our previous house, the builder went belly-up about a month after the home was "finished." There were numerous things the builder either did incorrectly or flat out didn't complete. We went back and forth with them over the month they were still in business to no avail. Once they went bankrupt, we were screwed - especially since one of their blatant errors resulted in a massive leak that forced us to have to replace nearly the entire first floor of hand-scraped hardwoods.

[Jaye ceesay]

I am one of his victims. I have no idea what to do now. What makes it worst, is his insults and You should see the text messages he sent me when I called him asking for my money.

[aggie972]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

I learned from the news story that people can obtain performance bonds to protect themselves. Something I will research if I ever make a major investment in a new home or even a remodel.

The contractor has to get the bond and name you as the obligee. If you're going this route, make sure that you get the original executed bond in your hand, and then call the bonding company to verify it just for good measure. A lot of contractors will say "We're bonded" and be referring to a fidelity bond (which protects the COMPANY against employee theft) or a license and permit bond which you actually can claim against, but you might not get much if other people who get screwed too claim before you do and manage to exhaust the limits of the bond first. Only a performance bond would fully protect you against non performance of the contract.