Does Anyone Own A Westin Home? (Stafford, Richmond: lawyer, licensed, hired)

[huma281]

Originally Posted by Mack8856

I have lived in a westin for 9 months now and had nothing but problems and poor service. Once the sales done they are also.

Did you have your home inspected by a third party? I noticed that builders "relax" when you don't do this. It's worth the $1k to keep them on their toes to build you a better than their average homes.

[dd1153]

Originally Posted by huma281

Did you have your home inspected by a third party? I noticed that builders "relax" when you don't do this. It's worth the $1k to keep them on their toes to build you a better than their average homes.

this doesn't make sense at all. most builders want their homes perfect... or right near it. the reason being is that most builders offer warranty on items in the home. what is the point of building a half *****ed home and then spending more once the warranty period starts?

this is where it comes down to buying pretty homes vs. buying functional homes

[huma281]

Originally Posted by dd1153

this doesn't make sense at all. most builders want their homes perfect... or right near it. the reason being is that most builders offer warranty on items in the home. what is the point of building a half *****ed home and then spending more once the warranty period starts?

this is where it comes down to buying pretty homes vs. buying functional homes

The majority of construction managers do not care and will skip making repairs on warranty items. I purchased a new home myself from a reputable builder and I've sent countless emails/calls/texts to get stuff repaired. I'm about halfway down the list, but it shouldn't take over three weeks after I closed to get these things fixed. They should've fixed it right before or a week after I closed. I pointed out these issues at least a week prior to closing.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by dd1153

this doesn't make sense at all. Most builders want their homes perfect... Or right near it. The reason being is that most builders offer warranty on items in the home. What is the point of building a half *****ed home and then spending more once the warranty period starts?

This is where it comes down to buying pretty homes vs. Buying functional homes

bs

[Sevn86]

Hi all,

We are looking at building a Westin Home out in Riverstone (Sugar Land) in the new section called Alden Springs, and I had a few questions I hope yall can answer. The salesman at the Westin model home said they are currently offering promotional package #2093 for new home contracts. I don't have the list infront of me, but I will post what all is included later tonight. He also mentioned that he would be able to get us what he referred to as "secret" money in the amount of 10k. My question for you is, can we get them to give us more money to use towards upgrades? The base price on the new plan (The Taylor) is $475k. The new section has been open for about 2 months and they have only two contracts and 5 inventory homes they are building. Also they still have like 6 or so homes left to sell in the old section on the less desirable side of Riverstone. With the market being so hot, and sales in Riverstone sky rocketing, do you think that we can push them for more money? What percent of the base price should we aim for? Also does the seller pay closing costs?

Heres some info on the area for those not fimilar with Riverstone. The homes across the street from Alden Springs are starting at 580K - over a million. The section right behind Alden Springs is selling for 530k - 850K. The homes offered by Westin Homes starts at 411K - 475K. (as of now)

Any info/ advise I can get would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you for your time.

Naazim

[a_guerrajr]

A couple of years ago (2011) when the market was slow, some customers claimed 10% in incentive money;plus the owners title policy if you used the preferred lender. As things picked up, it dropped to 7% as a standard, and usually they would throw in granite, spindles, rounded corners, and maybe something else. Then it was just a flat 6%, and now about 3% is as good as it gets. So based on the homes price, you are probably getting $14,750 from it, after the "promo", they leave you with 10k. Not bad, you can always fight for more, some communities need the sales and some just sell. If you are using a realtor, have them confirm the selling square foot price and also how long homes have been sitting idle. With that you can make a case for more incentive money. When we purchased, we scored 9%, 3 of which we applied to closing and 6 towards upgrades. So I guess you can probably use the 10k for closing, unless they strictly have it for upgrades only now. Ask about the preferred lender incentives as well. Seems like the area is high, so at least you will be in a nicer community.

[Sevn86]

Originally Posted by a_guerrajr

A couple of years ago (2011) when the market was slow, some customers claimed 10% in incentive money;plus the owners title policy if you used the preferred lender. As things picked up, it dropped to 7% as a standard, and usually they would throw in granite, spindles, rounded corners, and maybe something else. Then it was just a flat 6%, and now about 3% is as good as it gets. So based on the homes price, you are probably getting $14,750 from it, after the "promo", they leave you with 10k. Not bad, you can always fight for more, some communities need the sales and some just sell. If you are using a realtor, have them confirm the selling square foot price and also how long homes have been sitting idle. With that you can make a case for more incentive money. When we purchased, we scored 9%, 3 of which we applied to closing and 6 towards upgrades. So I guess you can probably use the 10k for closing, unless they strictly have it for upgrades only now. Ask about the preferred lender incentives as well. Seems like the area is high, so at least you will be in a nicer community.

Thank you! Really appreciate the info, I was reading through some of your threads, and posts. Lots of great info for newbies like me. We don't have a realtor, but I'm currently in the proccess of getting my license and hope I can represent my parents. I'll end up being too new for this and so that's why I asked for advise. We have never purchased a new construction so I don't even really know what to look for and how to negotiate. So westin no longer pays closing costs? We plan to sell our current home and use that money to put towards the new one. From what it looks like, the new homes should sell quick as all the other subdivisions are selling left and right. What kind of upgrades should we focus on? I hear cabinets and countertops for both kitchen and bathrooms. I just wonder if 10k will be enough to do all that we want.

[Barman31]

Does anyone have an upgrade price list for Westin? The three communities I went to would not give the price list. We plan on signing to build with Westin when new lots open up in a month or two in the subdivision we like, and are trying to get a ballpark on what upgrades to select to reach the dollar figure we wish to spend (20-30k). The more current the better, but I will take anything just go get an idea. We just want to make the process as smooth and fast as possible when lots are opened.

[Sevn86]

Does anyone with the castlebrook floor plan know how much it was to add the outdoor covered patio? Would really appreciate the info.

[Talpa]

Originally Posted by westinhomesblow

They are terrible builders. Great design but that is it. Terrible standard featrues, the goofiest sales manager I have every met in my life, and horrible build time.

this is my experience. have a 1999 build that has poor std. features ie. insulation, windows, cabinetry joints, door framing, casing joints not square (not close). good design - poor execution. the only overall saving grace was i was a corp. relo w/ major oil - i needed a house quickly - and my "pkg" paid for things, got a decent APR thru wells fargo (corp leveraged) at the time (have since of course refi'd). my home was almost complete when i bought it, so all i picked out was carpet (now wood flooring). so for a "std" build - my experience is poor. my little '83 Ryland in Coppell was a better home if that is any measure.