New construction homes in delaware (HOA, mortgage, house)

[rdlr]

Wise ones should listen to Nuts, who did the extensive research, moved here from another state, held a position in her community that few experience, and is anxious to share her knowledge.

On the other hand, I've always been here, work in the real estate business on a daily basis throughout the entire State (not a Realtor) and am limited to what I can share, publicly. After 78 years in Delaware, it's difficult for me to be excited about people moving here, so every once in awhile, I lose patience with people throwing blanket information around that may, or may not, be what others have experienced.
Carry on.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by rdlr

Wise ones should listen to Nuts, who did the extensive research, moved here from another state, held a position in her community that few experience, and is anxious to share her knowledge.

On the other hand, I've always been here, work in the real estate business on a daily basis throughout the entire State (not a Realtor) and am limited to what I can share, publicly. After 78 years in Delaware, it's difficult for me to be excited about people moving here, so every once in awhile, I lose patience with people throwing blanket information around that may, or may not, be what others have experienced.
Carry on.

And while I am so thankful to be here and for the compliment RDLR gave me, if not for my following the wisdom she shared, my decision could have been very different and with a very different outcome. Some of the very same posters that helped DH and I in our decision (RDLR, Beachliz, Longneckone, to name a few) and a few of us newbies are here to help anyone facing the decision I did several years ago.

Once again, do your homework and if in an existing community, ask about the reserve fund and any special assessments that have been voted in. There are pitfalls in a brand new community (to be built out) too, be sure to weigh them before jumping in.

[skeddy]

I don't work for or own a Schell Bros home....



The Best Green Home Builders in the United States - Top 20

https://www.homebuilderdigest.com/th...united-states/

12) Schell Brothers
Website | 302.226.4216 | 20184 Phillips Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Schell Brothers creates some of the most luxurious custom homes throughout Delaware beachside neighborhoods and Richmond, VA. This company was founded by Chris Schell, who left a career in finance to pursue a field in which he could give customers happiness and a better quality of life. The team prides itself on eco-friendly building, and they strive to use sustainable resources without raising the cost too much for their clients. Their SanctuAIR technology improves the indoor air quality of custom homes, reducing health problems and certain respiratory-related deaths.

Their achievements in air quality have been recognized by the EPA, who selected them from more than 700 builders to receive a 2015 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award. Schell Brothers’ homes also tend to be 100 percent more energy efficient, with consistently good scores on the HERS Index, which measures a home’s energy consumption. Finally, Schell Brothers’ 4Tress homes meet stringent requirements in durability, strength, moisture and water protection, and sound attenuation. Among their hundreds of awards are four Regal Awards for Best Green Home.

[ocngypz]

Originally Posted by skeddy

I don't work for or own a Schell Bros home....



The Best Green Home Builders in the United States - Top 20

https://www.homebuilderdigest.com/th...united-states/

12) Schell Brothers
Website | 302.226.4216 | 20184 Phillips Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Schell Brothers creates some of the most luxurious custom homes throughout Delaware beachside neighborhoods and Richmond, VA. This company was founded by Chris Schell, who left a career in finance to pursue a field in which he could give customers happiness and a better quality of life. The team prides itself on eco-friendly building, and they strive to use sustainable resources without raising the cost too much for their clients. Their SanctuAIR technology improves the indoor air quality of custom homes, reducing health problems and certain respiratory-related deaths.

Their achievements in air quality have been recognized by the EPA, who selected them from more than 700 builders to receive a 2015 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award. Schell Brothers’ homes also tend to be 100 percent more energy efficient, with consistently good scores on the HERS Index, which measures a home’s energy consumption. Finally, Schell Brothers’ 4Tress homes meet stringent requirements in durability, strength, moisture and water protection, and sound attenuation. Among their hundreds of awards are four Regal Awards for Best Green Home.

However, the article references their CUSTOM product... not their production product. Two different animals. Their custom product is sold under another name: Echelon.

[musicchick581]

A realtor made a comment about Ryan homes. A family member mentioned cracks in new homes and they said oh, that's nothing, you should see Ryan homes. So, apparently they have a bad rep, at least in this person's experience.

[EnjoyEveryDay]

Originally Posted by ocngypz

However, the article references their CUSTOM product... not their production product. Two different animals. Their custom product is sold under another name: Echelon.

I just clicked on the link in your post and it clearly says Schell Brothers; I do not see a reference to Echelon???

[EnjoyEveryDay]

Lyndyb and nuts both make several excellent points about builders and communities. Without repeating their good advice, I'll just add a couple things from our experience.

We have built new homes (twice) and purchased resale homes (four times), and both have pluses and minuses. In either case, the refrain of do your homework is the best possible advice. We are considering building another home now, and have found several builders in the area - both custom and production (including Schell Brothers/Echelon and Insight, and possibly others we haven't explored) - whom we would not hesitate to use. As with all things in life, we have found pluses and minuses to building with a custom builder or a production builder.

If one has not built a new home in a "new development" before, a good rule of thumb is to add $100,000 to the advertised price on the community advertising. E.g., if the sign says "New homes from the middle $300's!" keep in mind that is the smallest possible house with no options built on the cheapest lot in the development. And no, it doesn't look anything like the model home which not only has several upgrades but has also been decorated and furnished by a professional designer. So unless you think you will be happy with that, consider the starting price in that development to be the middle/upper $400's. And yes, when you get to the Design Center, it is easy to be tempted to add pretty things that you didn't think you would want. This is true everywhere, not just Delaware.

Our community converted from propane to natural gas last year. We needed about 80% of the homeowners to agree, and in the end, about 95% did. The conversion was flawless, but that said our previous propane system worked fine also. In fact, there is no real noticeable difference. Previously, we had a "propane tank farm" which I had never heard of, and it essentially meant that no one had a separate propane tank in their yard, our propane came in the same way natural gas does now, through pipelines with individual meters to read how much each owner used. IMO, the biggest advantage to natural gas is for resale value; many folks moving in don't really understand propane (we didn't) and therefore prefer to have natural gas. If we found a dream home down here that was on propane, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for us.

We have loved our move to Delaware and go to the beach regularly. The biggest downside is that so many people like it here for a multitude of reasons that there is no end in sight of additional folks moving in. So I will finish with seconding RDLR's advice - do us all a favor, and move to the Carolina's or Florida instead!

[ocngypz]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEveryDay

I just clicked on the link in your post and it clearly says Schell Brothers; I do not see a reference to Echelon???

Schell is the parent company.

Echelon is a division.

Contact Us | Echelon Custom Homes

[Beachy204]

Very interesting and educational reading all this information. On new builds in new communities, aren't cracks and some other issues to be expected as things settle? We're looking in Sussex County and have been advised that it's best not to do any custom painting for the first year so the builder can repair and spot repaint if necessary.

[culater88]

I have been researching for over three years for a house and didn’t want to deal with septic tanks since a lot of developments in Sussex have them so I decided to go with Insight @ Hawthorne. Spoke with many of the homeowners there and they are happy with their choice other than a few of the standard issues with new homes and the builder have been responsive to their punch list. The house should start construction soon scheduled to finish in Nov. or Dec. and looking forward a slower and more relaxing pace!