Choosing the right (production) new construction builder?

[Bronze]

Originally Posted by bbronston

I think this method (asking here) is probably more random than walking around talking to people living in the communities but, if you want a suggestion for trying to narrow down the choices, here's one possibility. Contact each and ask them about their warranty. Most will warranty their work themselves for a year or two and then leave the rest to a third party warranty company. See what each does, and check the reviews for the warranty companies, and rank them from best to worst in terms of standing behind their product. Then possibly talk to those neighbors and see if they've had any experiences with warranty work. That's often where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

I agree with this 100%. Bad builders will not even try to rectify your warranty problem, but tell you to take it up with the applicable subcontractor. That is not what a builder should be doing. You might want to talk to someone at your local city/county inspection office. They might be able to tell you which builders are above the norm.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by charlygal

Most people won't have cash to buy lot or would need cash for other things. It would also depend on the ultimate value of the house, how long you plan on living there.

We had the cash to assume the mortgage.
The renovation cost was equal to 130% of the purchase price.
We lived there for 24 wonderful years.
We broke even (I was too lazy to run the numbers) when we sold in 2011. We do not think of our “home” as an investment.

[SmartMoney]

Originally Posted by charlygal

Most people won't have cash to buy lot or would need cash for other things. It would also depend on the ultimate value of the house, how long you plan on living there, etc.


All of this would be way too much hassle for someone like me with modest needs.

The OP stated she feared missing out on incentives because they were cash buyers.

[charlygal]

Any other potential buyers using a production builder? What are your thoughts?