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View Poll Results: ANDERSON HOMES VS KB HOMES
ANDERSON HOMES BETTER? 23 62.16%
KB HOMES BETTER? 14 37.84%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 06-28-2007, 06:07 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
115 posts, read 462,876 times
Reputation: 62

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What kind of problems are you having? Could it be that they're holding off on the walking trails until a higher percentage of the lots have been sold?
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Old 06-29-2007, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Clayton, NC
1,515 posts, read 6,968,507 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbgirl View Post
What kind of problems are you having? Could it be that they're holding off on the walking trails until a higher percentage of the lots have been sold?

Problems?
Are you talking about the walking trails with Anderson homes? I believe the walking trail will run through the new neighborhood they are currently building. From the looks of it, it will be real scenic and a good walk. I'm not sure if KB is having a walking trail or if the two will blend in together or what. I think the new section of KB has some sidewalks, but I haven't been down that way in awhile. I did take some pictures a month or so ago, maybe there is something indicated in the pictures that might reflect that. It looks like KB will be building a couple of hundred new houses (someone correct me if I'm wrong) so that might be something to consider if you are looking to purchase a house for a short term. Some of the newly built houses are pretty close together. You could possibly stand in between them, stretch out both arms and touch both houses. Great for those who don't want alot of lawn. The new houses are quite pretty though, some very clever design went into them.
They are currently working on building the new Anderson homes, I'll keep the board updated. Alot of lots have already been sold but there are some really good spots still available, some with "large homesites".

Right now, I'm walking through the older neighborhoods next to Anderson. Very pretty houses but lacks a few sidewalks. Its no fun walking in the street, but at least there are no cars who fly through.
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Old 06-29-2007, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Between a nook-a-ler reactor and a dump, North Cackalacky
283 posts, read 1,256,890 times
Reputation: 135
One differentiator in favor of Anderson is their Energy Star certification. These homes are built to a higher standard in terms of insulation, fit, ducting, and builder-provided appliances. This results in lower utility bills and is a bit more "earth friendly".

FWIW we looked at KB Homes on Main St / 55 in Holly Springs and were very underwhelmed by the quality - looked like cheap rental homes. On the way out we stopped at Bridgewater (Anderson), walked through several homes, and signed a contract.

To ferrickhead's point about upgrades, perhaps the home she got had many upgrades standard. Ours did not and it is a Taylor. Carpeting is standard, hardwoods and ceramic are upgrades. Chintzy countertops are standard, Corian, marble, granite etc are upgrades. Prewiring for ceiling fans is an upgrade. Ugly veneer cabinetry is standard, nice oak or maple is an upgrade. The one thing we are not pleased with is going into the design center, we had no idea how much the upgrades were, and IMHO there's no way to make all of those decisions in the 2-3 hours you have in there.
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Old 06-29-2007, 09:53 AM
 
88 posts, read 400,952 times
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I voted for KBHomes. We are currently building at Twin Lakes.
We have yet to move into our home, but the process thus far has been a positive one. I realize it will vary from community to community and highly dependent on your sales agent. I think we lucked out with our agent. We took our sweeeeeeet time deciding on a lot. I can't tell you the number of times he was out there with us measuring, calculating. In the end, the lot we wanted had a $20K premium on it (quarter acre, wooded cul-de-sac lot)! We simply couldn't swing that much more money, but none of the other lots really "got" us, so we decided to wait until another phase opened and actually started looking at other builders.
A couple of days later, our agent called and said he negotiated to get the lot premium cut in half (so it was the same or cheaper than 90% of the other lots premiums), AND a lower selling price on the house (by $6K). So, we signed papers that night.
Ditto a pp who mentioned follow-up with KB. In our owner's manual, there are papers geared for follow-up at specific times after construction. On that note, we've hired our own individual inspector to have during the construction process, and KB welcomes and is aware of this. We had faith they would do a decent job building the home anyway, but we hope this ensures they will pay even MORE attention to the details, knowing are expectations are incredibly high.
I know the standards and upgrades vary so much. In our community, many of the upgrades are standards. Smooth ceilings, hardowoods and tile floors, fireplace, sprinkler systems AND fully landscaped yards, burms between neighboring houses, ceiling fans, solid wood cabinetry, etc. are all standards in our home. And like I mentioned before, our agent was incredible. All we had to do was ask, and it was given to us. We have a printed paper with the exact pricing of all upgrades, have made our wish lists, and know exactly what to expect when we go to the design center next week. Another beauty, is the design center visit is two-fold. First visit, we go and see all of our options and make preliminary decisions. The, we get to *go home and think about it for several days* before finalizing anything. Giving us time to shop around, if needed, for things such as appliances (though all but fridge are included), price out do-it-yourself jobs, order window treatments,etc. I have yet to meet a builder who allows that.
So yes, so far, so good. I've heard horror stories about KB and many other builders, at that. It all comes down to personal preference, budget, and that gut feeling, I think - and I'm learning it varies even more in each community, as each is managed by different people.
Good luck with your decision. If you have any questions about KB, don't hesitate to contact me!
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Old 06-29-2007, 10:25 AM
 
Location: Clayton, NC
1,515 posts, read 6,968,507 times
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Congrats on your new home, waterbabies! That's awesome! How's the noise level out there? I drove through it and could hear the planes overhead. That would make me insane. I wish I had the abilty to block out noises like that..and crying babies at restaurants, lol.


Tee-tee...hardwords, appliances, etc actually do come standard..not sure why you paid extra? That really confused me. They added a crown molding piece (not sure what you call it) and beautiful hardware to my cabinets at no extra costs. I also have a Taylor model too.

I tell you what though...I have never been in love with my electric bill before, lol. Every month when I get the bill in the mail, I don't freak out. It's a nice change. Anderson did a wonderful job on the energy efficentness of their homes and it shows every month on my bill!
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Old 06-29-2007, 10:40 AM
 
88 posts, read 400,952 times
Reputation: 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferrickhead28 View Post
Congrats on your new home, waterbabies! That's awesome! How's the noise level out there? I drove through it and could hear the planes overhead. That would make me insane. I wish I had the abilty to block out noises like that..and crying babies at restaurants, lol.
It REALLY bothered us when we first moved here. We're currently living a couple of miles away, so still in the flight path. And honestly, I don't hear it anymore, unless someone (new to the area) says, gosh, those planes are loud. We've obviously become oblivious to it.

Re: the standards... I'm not familiar will all of the local builders, but of the handful we've looked at, hardwood and tile was NOT standard, so that's why I mentioned it. Laminate and linoleum were. And from where we're coming from, it's a huge thing... we had to "upgrade" with buying and A/C unit for our last house.
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Old 06-29-2007, 05:54 PM
 
Location: Between a nook-a-ler reactor and a dump, North Cackalacky
283 posts, read 1,256,890 times
Reputation: 135
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferrickhead28 View Post
Tee-tee...hardwords, appliances, etc actually do come standard..not sure why you paid extra? That really confused me. They added a crown molding piece (not sure what you call it) and beautiful hardware to my cabinets at no extra costs. I also have a Taylor model too.
Perhaps your development is different, or maybe you got a home that was already built and had the upgrades built into the price. But over in Bridgewater, none of that is standard. Carpeting throughout (except kitchen and baths), cheap cabinetry, etc etc. I am looking at the list of standard items and optional upgrades right now..............
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Old 06-29-2007, 06:07 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
115 posts, read 462,876 times
Reputation: 62
ferrickhead...i wasn't having any problems. someone had posted before me that they were having issues with anderson and apparently all the neighbors were as well. i just wanted him to state what kind of problems he was having since i've never really heard anything negative about anderson. but the post is gone now, so either i'm going crazy or it was deleted.

btw...i'm building in the anderson development in fuquay and am happy with the progress so far.
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Old 07-10-2007, 09:57 AM
 
5 posts, read 16,473 times
Reputation: 12
I have been doing lots of research btwn both and have found that #1 - Anderson just had their new lots released for building Mid May, thats why you have not seen any homes going up. #2 - time = quality, b/c of the Energy Star qualifications Anderson goes thru many more inspections then KB does (I would rather wait a bit for a better built home) #3 - Anderson starts at 170 not 200 and Anderson offers ALOT more already included (9foot smooth ceilings, f/p, bath with sep shower/tub, upgraded doors, etc, etc,etc) and their lots start at about a 1/4 of an acre (I belive that KBs are around .15?) #4 - 28 year history of zero warranty claims for Anderson IMO that speaks volumes!

Your right all that glitters is not gold, I am not sure that knowing KB has built 2 phases in 5 months is a good thing.

JMO


Quote:
Originally Posted by brent13 View Post
Everyone here has an opinion about who builds the better home. KB or Anderson. I bought my LARGE lot with KB on November 30 and moved in May 15. There was a home being built by Anderson at the SAME time and my home was finished 3 weeks before we closed and Anderson was JUST finishing it. It's the lot on the corner across the street from the Cobblestone Place sign. I will admit that they Lots from this point forward in EITHER community are going to be that large. Most of the time after the first phase they aren't. BUT at the same time MY neighbors are great. My home ISN'T falling apart and neither is anyone else's out there for that matter. KB gives you a maintenance agreement where they come in Two weeks after it's built, 3 months after it's built, 6 months after it's built and 1 year after it's built to make ALL repairs to the home once the home has gone through all four season. I drive through anderson EVERYDAY and I have yet to see a builder out there. So I don't know where their miraculous speed is coming from putting up houses. In the time they build 3 new homes, Gary at KB has completed the ENTIRE first PHASE and is working on the second and have all those lots that have been sold framed and most of them already dry walled. So take it from someone that has WATCHED the process. everything that glitters isn't gold. If you look at the sign driving into Cobblestone you'll see where KB's Prices start in the 140's and Anderson's starts in the 200's. So I found that funny when I read something about the price of the home. KB gave me $10K at closing which I didn't even need it all and ended up getting a check BACK for buying the home. So when someone says that some things great really investigate yourself I know I did my home work and in the end the pricing where you start with a Anderson home would possibly be where you end up with a KB home. Talk to some of the home owners and get a feel for what they have experienced and make an informed decision. Wouldn't you rather have money back at closing instead of 10K to go shopping with? that sounds great but in the grand scheme of things you may have gotten 10K for buying the home but your note could have been 10K cheaper with cash left over. And as far as the grass, two words Water Restriction. Some of us like to obey the law. Thanks for your time.
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Old 07-10-2007, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Holly Springs, North Carolina
7 posts, read 39,273 times
Reputation: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by pondpeople View Post
I have been doing lots of research btwn both and have found that #1 - Anderson just had their new lots released for building Mid May, thats why you have not seen any homes going up. #2 - time = quality, b/c of the Energy Star qualifications Anderson goes thru many more inspections then KB does (I would rather wait a bit for a better built home) #3 - Anderson starts at 170 not 200 and Anderson offers ALOT more already included (9foot smooth ceilings, f/p, bath with sep shower/tub, upgraded doors, etc, etc,etc) and their lots start at about a 1/4 of an acre (I belive that KBs are around .15?) #4 - 28 year history of zero warranty claims for Anderson IMO that speaks volumes!

Your right all that glitters is not gold, I am not sure that knowing KB has built 2 phases in 5 months is a good thing.

JMO
EXCELLENT POST! I agree, Anderson puts alot of time & effort into their homes. I did some pricing between Anderson, Centex and KB homes about 9 months ago. Based upon upgrades, quality and acre size, I found Anderson to be high on the list. You can save thousands of dollars in upgrades alone through Anderson. Hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, ceilings, lot sizes and more come with the price. Why pay $25-30,000 more for a KB home when you can SAVE that amount by purchasing an Anderson? Plus energy efficient will also save you money. Amazing floors plans too, they really put alot of thought into well maintained space. I was overall very impressed.
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