looking for reviews on dealing with GL Home Builders (Boca Raton: buying, closing)

[yasadora]

Hello,

My husband and I are trying to decide between buying an existing home or going with a new build in Palm Beach county. After looking at web sites we are leaning towards GL Homes. We will be visiting the area numerous times, (already have been a couple of times) but want to use our time well..

We are looking for folks who have dealt with GL home to comment on their experiences...
We are considering The Preserve at Bay Hill estates....any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...
Additionally does anyone know is there a way to get a copy of the GL upgrade/options book before actually committing to buying?

Thanks
Karen

[BVG_Steve]

I can tell you my experience with GL is the yare a good builder and build nice communities, but the yare tremendously overpriced and especially when buying brand new. it is no different than buy a new car, and the day you close on your home your re-sale value will be 20% less than what you paid. GL plays games with lots etc and creates an artificial demand to inflate prices.

[UFGators]

I am purchasing a home in The Preserve at BayHill and will give you my 2 cents on all the things that have happened to us.

Everyone I talked to about GL was in love with them. I had high expectations. These expectations have not been met. Now, when ever we point out an issue, they jump all over it and promise to fix it. But what annoys me is all the things we have had to point out. Granted, this is my first new home build in over 10 years, but I don't remember it being this bad the first time I built new, and this house is MUCH more expensive than the last one I built. We had our walk through last week and I could tell the GL guy was a little uncomfortable at the things we pointed out that needed to be fixed. It just seemed sloppy. Now, they have promised to fix everything by closing, so we shall see how well they do.

Besides that, if you had asked me last week about this community, I would have raved about it. That was before our appraisal came back. Our brand new home was appraised for far less than what we are paying. GL has basically hidden behind their contract, saying that these appraisals are one man's opinion and our contract specifically says we have to come up with the additional money that we now cannot finance because the appraisal is low. They have offered no help or discount, only to move the close the date back so we can come up with the money. It is not a nice feeling when you are about to buy a new home and the appraisal says you are over paying. We feel we are between a rock and a hard place. On a house we have been planning for over a year, we either have to accept this and find some extra cash, or walk away.

I think its a great community, and I love the big lots and home designs. But it is a value for your money? Doesn't seem so anymore. They don't appear to be built any better than others, with the same sloppy work that seems all too common in South Florida. They would not give any discount or extra free options to us, besides the standard $10K free options they give to everyone. If you do get any discounts I would love to know about it. I just don't know how different from other builders they are. Maybe other builders give a discount behind the scenes. Good Luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

Oh and they did provide us with a copy of their options before we signed. There are a ton of them so get ready to do some reading.

[City Guy997S]

UF,

Sorry to hear about your low appraisal. What is killing you is the surrounding communities, Osprey Isles, Ibis, Loxahatchee/Acreage are all selling for less than they did in the boom (or in some cases like Osprey, less than they sold for new). Bayhill prior to GL was a mixed bag, some decent homes (nice size, lots, golf views) without all the country club expenses but some of those houses are now 20 years old and in need of updating. Ibis resales are being crushed by the club membership requirements.

Can you simply get another appraisal?


As far as production builders, they all have the same equation: buy cheap dirt, build a house as cheap as possible and overcharge for every option/upgrade! Toll Brothers is still building wood frame 2nd floors even in 4mm houses!

[xusnatc]

Originally Posted by UFGators

I am purchasing a home in The Preserve at BayHill and will give you my 2 cents on all the things that have happened to us.

Everyone I talked to about GL was in love with them. I had high expectations. These expectations have not been met. Now, when ever we point out an issue, they jump all over it and promise to fix it. But what annoys me is all the things we have had to point out. Granted, this is my first new home build in over 10 years, but I don't remember it being this bad the first time I built new, and this house is MUCH more expensive than the last one I built. We had our walk through last week and I could tell the GL guy was a little uncomfortable at the things we pointed out that needed to be fixed. It just seemed sloppy. Now, they have promised to fix everything by closing, so we shall see how well they do.

Besides that, if you had asked me last week about this community, I would have raved about it. That was before our appraisal came back. Our brand new home was appraised for far less than what we are paying. GL has basically hidden behind their contract, saying that these appraisals are one man's opinion and our contract specifically says we have to come up with the additional money that we now cannot finance because the appraisal is low. They have offered no help or discount, only to move the close the date back so we can come up with the money. It is not a nice feeling when you are about to buy a new home and the appraisal says you are over paying. We feel we are between a rock and a hard place. On a house we have been planning for over a year, we either have to accept this and find some extra cash, or walk away.

I think its a great community, and I love the big lots and home designs. But it is a value for your money? Doesn't seem so anymore. They don't appear to be built any better than others, with the same sloppy work that seems all too common in South Florida. They would not give any discount or extra free options to us, besides the standard $10K free options they give to everyone. If you do get any discounts I would love to know about it. I just don't know how different from other builders they are. Maybe other builders give a discount behind the scenes. Good Luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

Oh and they did provide us with a copy of their options before we signed. There are a ton of them so get ready to do some reading.

The only way to have them meet you at the appraised price, or to let you out of the contract is to start picketing with signs. Yup, doing this is pretty extreme, but not being able to afford a home because you don't have the money to go to the closing table is also extreme. Picketing, stating the homes wont appraise will give them bad press. I could see me setting up shop with signs on the weekends. ; )

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by xusnatc

The only way to have them meet you at the appraised price, or to let you out of the contract is to start picketing with signs. Yup, doing this is pretty extreme, but not being able to afford a home because you don't have the money to go to the closing table is also extreme. Picketing, stating the homes wont appraise will give them bad press. I could see me setting up shop with signs on the weekends. ; )

Yeah but the risk would be that he loses his downpayment for not closing (probably 10% on a 500K build, means $50,000). Tough to call that one!

[yasadora]

wow thanks for your honesty....
so if you had it to do oer what would you do?
Did you look a existing housing?
I do not want anthing that has an equity buy in...
but the realestate landscape there is complex...
thanks again

[UFGators]

Sorry for the late reply, been swamped. I have kind of gotten over the whole appraisal thing at this point. When I wrote my first message it had just happened and I was mad. But in the end I will come up with a little more money and be done with it. I really do love the community and the house. Besides, it seems to fit my past history with homes, buy high and sell low

I have spoken with a lot of people who bought in Rialto, which was the other community we really liked. Some have done really well if they got in early, but they have also really raised there prices also. I feel there wasn't much value left in that community either.

We did not really look at existing homes. I would have wanted to, but the wife really wanted new. There are pro's and con's of course with both i suppose. I love when people say "oh you bought new so you got exactly what you want." You NEVER get exactly what you want. There are always compromises.

I agree with you on the Equity buy in. That is why I steered clear of Ibis and Mirsol. I like that we can join if we want or just live without it. We actually only plan on joining PGA for summers for awhile until we decide if we like it or not.

We close soon and I will be happy to keep you updated with our opinion of the community.

[yasadora]

UFgators
Thanks...
please do write an update..
The community you are moving to is one of the new home sites we have on the short list of possible places...
We had actully looked at Rialto... the houses were lovely but just too close to the highway for my taste...I can't see that going well for resale....

again
thanks

[jbd310]

We were looking in Boca Bridges & Seven Bridges in Boca Raton but based on all these awful GL Homes reviews, I’m running the other way fast !!