Chesmar Homes Opinions? (Alamo, Boerne: sales, neighborhood, buying)

[EL7]

Hi all! We've been in SA for a couple years now and are ready to purchase a place. We've looked at several builders but are drawn to the floorplans by Chesmar Homes. We're very interested in the Ridge Creek development on I-10. We did explore the Chesmar developments down in Alamo Ranch but feel that being closer to the I-10 corridor works best for our needs.

Every builder I talk to speaks about the labor shortage and how the oil boom took a large part of the labor force. Now that construction season and the market are booming again, everyone is hard pressed to get the trades onto the job sites in a timely manner. Also there is little incentive for the trades to keep the developer construction supervisors happy because there is plenty of work for them to go to.

We took a look at some homes in various stages of construction and feel like there is a definite decline in attention to detail and quality compared to our initial search two years ago.

Chesmar makes some beautiful homes but I'm hoping to hear from some actual owners who can speak to how satisfied they are with the quality and any warranty work they've needed. When we built during the last housing boom in IL we had several issues that we needed taken care under warranty by Pulte and the process was always like pulling teeth with them. We anticipate being in a similar situation now and are hoping to hear how Chesmar stands by their products.

Also, any input on the buying and building process would be appreciated too. So far, I haven't been to a single Chesmar sales office (The Summit, Braun Arbor, Ridge Creek, Stillwater Ranch) where I haven't been impressed with how friendly and helpful their sales team is. As such, I want to see past the sale and get a feel for the actual reputation of the product itself

Thanks in advance...

[EL7]

Also, as a follow up, any input on Gehan homes would work as well.

[TXStrat]

I can't speak to either of the particular builders, but can tell you that it is a good area to live. If you have school aged children, both neighborhood (assuming with Gehan you're referencing Sable Chase) are in Boerne ISD. The location is great for access to shopping both at La Cantera and the RIM, and the small town appeal of Boerne, and the Hill Country going further afield. Traffic is a bit heavier than normal right now with the construction going at Ralph Fair Rd. and Boerne Stage/Leon springs, but once that project is complete, it will make a huge improvement in local traffic patterns. I have watched many of the Chesmar homes going up in Ridge Creek, and the construction looks solid.