Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
you didnt designate it as private...sorry...my bad....
Ill be more careful....btw we are in the Magnola Place/Magnolia Villlage/Flowers plantation area since you asked.
The first place we looked was centex at Magnolia. We found a house that we liked, but decided to keep looking. We drove through that neighborhood around midnight on a Saturday night and drove really fast out of there.
So glad we didn't buy. That place was a nightmare.
" Powers " didnt talk to me and curiously I dont know one person...not one...that they have talked to. I wont say what I am thinking about that rating. (( and it isnt a curse word either )))
We received a questionnaire from them about a month after closing.
But even so, I've never placed much faith in J.D. Powers ratings ever since I saw a commercial a few years back from Time Warner Cable saying that J.D.P announced them as being best in customer service. whaaaa????
We looked at Centex homes and several other builders in about 6-8 neighborhoods over a marathon labor day holiday and decided on a DR Horton home in a neighborhood in North Durham. We bought an inventory home (still being built) that met our needs, and which had most of the ammenities (flooring, lights, etc.) kicked up a notch or two to make it appealing, but not too the top level which would make it too pricey for sitting in inventory . Bottom line is that the end of fiscal year discounts the builder is offering paid for the ~ $30k in upgrades.
BUT, when we got home, still very pleased with everything, I stumbled upon a web site named 'drhorton sucks'. Some disgruntled customer built this site with every negative and nasty dr horton issue they could find added or linked. Featured were hundreds of scary testimonials from folks all over the country who claimed they were screwed to a greater or lessor degree by this builder! This took the wind out of our sails for sure. After much further and careful review, including asking for feedback from members of this forum, we were relieved that none of the big quality issues seemed prevalent over the years in the Raleigh/Durham area, which led us to the conclusion that these big builders depend on local expertise in each market, and there seems to be good local resources overall in Raleigh/Durham. Customer service from a big company is always going to be cookie cutter, and when the going gets tough fiscally, they will cut costs wherever they can to meet profit targets. Can't have highly comped execs in Texas going without quarterly bonuses can we?
Time will tell about our tolerance for the "nails popping" kind of issues, but at least the "foundations cracking" kind of issues don't seem to be happening the the R/D area, and we're looking forward to moving to our new home in Durham in November.
Beware, foundation issues are an epidemic here in NC.
Much of the soil is clay, and damage from soil subsidence ranges from mild cosmetic to serious structural failure. Just try the AM radio and hear the ads from foundation repair companies.
Be sure to get a thorough inspection before closing. Also, you may want to have the inspector or an engineer evaluate the soil and the builder's work to prevent damage from packing of the clay after construction.
When we lived in New Orleans, pilings were sunk 60 feet before the slab was poured. Even then, some buildings were torn apart by settling. We lived in a home like that once.
Hey everyone, just wanted to give you an update on how things are going. We spoke with the site supervisor today (the guy responsible for the building - not the sales) and he was extremely gracious and flexible with us in working to find a date for our walk through - and was extremely informative when describing the process to us.
We had previously communicated with the sales rep (through our realtor), asking when we'd need to be here for the walkthrough and she mis-informed us about the walkthrough schedule - so my man scheduled work that would take him out of town based on the sales rep's input, and we found out today that he would be out of town exactly when we needed to be here for the inspection. (The reason we asked her about the schedule was to determine whether it made sense for my man to take his job on the road. If it was going to conflict with the inspection, then he wasn't going to take it.) I shared my frustration with the site supervisor and went on to share our displeasure around other communications we've had with the sales rep.
Throughout my entire conversation with him (and through all previous interactions with him) he just embodied professionalism and has earned our trust.
We have our walkthrough/inspection in about 3 weeks and we're hiring an outside inspector too. I'll keep updating as things progress.
by the way, I've read a lot of posts about the concerns with the water heater in the attic. Not to take this thread off topic, but what do you all know/think about tankless water heaters, cost to installing, return on investment, etc.?
It is common for subdivision residents to share the costs of the larger development. P.U.D's do that all the time.
Get a copy of the HOA bylaws, and determine if they are being adhered to. This means you will need legal counsel, I am sure, to help interpret them.
You will need an attorney. If you are serious in your concern about your rights; start looking for one.
My guess is that the builder holds enough votes to call the play without regard to homeowner vote. That is how they protect their interests when they invest into building a subdivision. Sometimes as many as 3 votes for every unsold lot.
When there is a set number of lots and homes sold, they will turn the control over to the homeowners.
It is all spelled out in the bylaws. Hearing them at a meeting where folks are excited is not the way to learn what they mean.
Reading them, studying them, and hiring an attorney to represent you if needed is the course of action you need to take.
This trail would be a snap for an experienced real estate attorney and staff:
Magnolia Village was annexed into Flowers Plantation and subject to covenants:
You can sign a legal, constitutionally-compatible contract that cedes some of your God-Given rights.
You do that anytime you buy property with protective covenants, among many other transactions and agreements we make in life wherein we voluntarily cede our rights.
"Voluntarily" is a key word, implying we are aware of the ramifications of what we are doing. "Disclosure" in real estate helps us arrive there.
If you think disclosure was improper, you should be addressing an attorney, IMO.
Last edited by SunnyKayak; 10-31-2007 at 08:02 PM..
Reason: post in reference has been remove
This makes me even happier I rent. At least, I can understand my lease.
Makes me happy too since we have no HOA and our neighborhood still looks great. Man I just love that! Sorry about Centex though, I would imagine I would be going insane over all of this.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
