Senators-Schell Brothers Builders in Lewes (Milton, Rehoboth Beach: motorhome, buying, contractors)

[pdpfa3]

I've looked and googled looking for negative comments on insight homes and have found nothing of substance. You say they have a poor reputation, could you explain what you mean like poor quality houses or over priced. Or if anyone else has any information on them it would be appreciated.

[ChrisCog]

I have an Insight home. Love it. NO problems. The settlement "punch list" was fixed in DAYS.

[Seaponies]

I have personally spoke to some Insight homeowners and they like the energy saving features of the homes. A few of the homeowners have also complained about the grading of their homes, meaning they were constructed pretty much flat. Homes today are constructed higher up with the grass sloping away from the house itself. This drains the water away from the home. These particular homeowners didn't have that drainage.

There are some web reviews on Insight Homes. Check the better business bureau website, there are a few complaints.

[DEmom989]

I live in a Ryan home, its fine, no issues and they are building in so many places here and have a pretty good repuation. Everyone that builds with Schell seems to be completely thrilled. Look at their houses they dont even compare to others. We are saving and will hopefully sell our place soon and build with Schell eventually. My sister and I love going through their models There are many great local builders too, like Russ Palmer, Lewes Building, etc.

[DEmom989]

Terrible mold problems in Windstone. I have a friend who lives in there. Insight has a terrible reputation from everything I hear lately. I would ask some home owners in that particular community.

[Q44]

Anyone know how these developments and communities fare during a heavy storm compared to the rest of Sussex County? I'm particularly curious about some of the Schell sites.

[genevieveRay]

You dont need to worry about any of them if you are just buy flood insurance. the risk in DE is nothing compared to most states. I have an aunt in Lewes and she has never seen anything flood out side of Dewey and some places close to the canal in Lewes. Also the Long neck area.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by genevieveRay

You dont need to worry about any of them if you are just buy flood insurance. the risk in DE is nothing compared to most states. I have an aunt in Lewes and she has never seen anything flood out side of Dewey and some places close to the canal in Lewes. Also the Long neck area.

As an emergency preparedness worker during Hurricane Sandy and a LI resident at the time, your statement could not be further from the truth. Flood insurance, like most insurance comes with many exclusions, that the general public is usually stunned to find they are not covered. For example, your furnace and central air are covered but the contents of the basement are not. Nor is a swimming pool or hot tub outside. There were many people in Long Beach NY who lost a lot, even with flood coverage due to exclusions. Also, there is a depreciated valuation on goods. For example, lets say you had a tv/dvd player that was 5 years old and working beautifully. First you will need to prove the cost and date of purchase and then they pay you the current value of that TV (I.E. used), not what it would cost you to replace it today. Flood is not replacement as you can buy with your homeowners. In the case of Sandy, the people often suffered ten fold because the documentation was also lost in the storm. I know many that still have not gotten claims settled.

The coverage is 500k dwelling/250k contents and you can buy additional or excess coverage privately.

While the risk in De. may not be great, just look at what these folks went through and some are even higher than here. The variable is the amount of water in a specific time frame regardless of hurricane, rain (as in LI today, 13 inchs in a few hours), etc. All it takes is 1 incident.

[Pocopsonite]

Originally Posted by DEmom989

Everyone that builds with Schell seems to be completely thrilled. Look at their houses they dont even compare to others. We are saving and will hopefully sell our place soon and build with Schell eventually. My sister and I love going through their models.

Nice article in the News Journal (the Wilmington paper) about Schell:
Schell nurtures loyalty in a big way

It says there's a new division, Kincade, that builds homes in the under $250k range.

[Rick672]

Hello everyone. Just checking in. We visited Ryan Homes, Oakwood Village, last weekend. We had to go to Oakwood to meet the Ryan Homes representative so we could tour the Ryan development in Lewes Crossing. The representative, like the Schell brothers representative, was very knowledgeable and courteous. Oakwood Village has most of the models that will be built at Lewes Crossing. We liked the Daventry home especially with the full basement. The water table in the area is about 21 feet so water problems should not be an issue. We were told the same thing about Schell-Senators with the water table. We seem to like the layout of the Ryan Homes better than Schell.
The Ryan representative then took us over to the Lewes Crossing development and we toured the Winterbrook model. We both really liked the layout. In the model, on the other side of the great room, they are framing in a three season porch. The fireplace in the great room is a look through type so you can view it from the porch. Absolutely beautiful. She told us the house will be done by labor day weekend.
Like everything in real estate. Its location, location, location. It would be nice to be close to the Lewes-Rehobeth walking trail. Much to consider.
The best way to decide which builder is to do what some previous posters posted. Visit the development and ask some of the homeowners their experiences with the builders. We are going to keep visiting each development and taking notes.
One piece of advice I can give is how close do the ocean do you want to be located? I owned property on the bay in New Jersey and being on the barrier island was not a place to be in the winter time. The wind just blows right through you. I can remember standing on the docks and getting headaches from the cold wind blowing so hard.The weather is tough to handle in the winter especially when you get older. It is preferable for us to be a little inland and away from the elements. The bonus is you get twice the house for the buck.
Thanks for the great posts.