has anyone bought new construction? (or Pulte?)

CaseBride

We are looking for a house here in ABQ. We are having trouble finding an existing one that we like (meaning, it has a floorplan we like and it is in good condition - the condition seems to be a big thing - it seems that most houses on the market right now are in pretty poor shape, in our price range anyway). Our realtor just mentioned the option of new construction to us, since there is a planned community that just opened that is in a pretty good location for us. Pulte is the builder.

Does anyone have any experience with Pulte, or with new construction in general? I should stress that we are still in a very preliminary, investigating stage. I have honestly never considered new construction before. I would like to hear good and bad of course. We are going over there later and I am sure their sales office will make everything seem great, but I want to hear from real people.I appreciate whatever information you want to share. If you want to PM me that is fine too.

(I did a web search and it seems like with every major builder, there are both good and bad reviews, but I found more positive ones for Pulte than negative, especially in the ABQ area. There's another community here being built by DR Horton but after searching for them we are not even considering it, because especially in the ABQ area I found a ton of negative reviews.)

Thanks!

whitdog23

A very trustworthy construction client of mine once said to me that unless I had the time to pursue warranty claims for the foreseeable future after buying new construction, never buy new these days.  I know people in my neighborhood (who bought from the "best" builders) who had issues with flooding (one had their upstairs spa tub start to fall through the floor because the plumbing wasnt hooked up properly, leaking windows, poorly installed cabinets and counters, electrical issues, faulty appliances, grading, etc.  I dont know a single person who had an easy time resolving any of these issues even though they were under warranty. Some of the problems didnt appear for a year or two and had caused a ton of damage already.

I know there are exceptions to the rule and I am sure it varies greatly by the area but new construction tends to be thrown up so quickly in this economy that corners are cut (ones you often cant see immediately or find during inspections) in order to make a profit.   GL whatever you decide!

todds_wife

My folks have owned two new places in the past 10 years and been happy with both. They have had minor issues with both, ( paint scuffs, squeaky floors, one outlet that didn't work in the first house. All found and fixed with no issues by the builder within two weeks of them calling about them. Neither were Pulty, though. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new build, and then I would hold the builder accountable for any issues. It isn't like an older house is going to be perfect either- whatever you buy you just have to go in with your eyes open.

RyanandManda

My parents had a house built for the family when we moved to CO 19 years ago (holy cow, it's been that long?!?).  It's Ryland.  There were issues, for sure, and there were owners on a neighboring street that said their home was "faulty" and were suing and all kinds of ugly stuff.  I remember Ryland's people coming and fixing things on and off for a couple of years and, overall, I'd say my parents are really happy with their home.  They almost moved again when I was in high school and were going to have another house built so, obviously, there experience didn't scare them away from buying new.

I also remember my parents signing their contract and a week later finding out that they had raised the price some $20,000 for new buyers so they were excited to have gotten things signed and then finding out their home was worth more than what they paid for it, if that makes sense.  Now, even with a bad market, it could sell for probably $100,000 more than what they paid and they haven't gone crazy with updates or upgrades.

asilsjf

whitdog23:

A very trustworthy construction client of mine once said to me that unless I had the time to pursue warranty claims for the foreseeable future after buying new construction, never buy new these days.  I know people in my neighborhood (who bought from the "best" builders) who had issues with flooding (one had their upstairs spa tub start to fall through the floor because the plumbing wasnt hooked up properly, leaking windows, poorly installed cabinets and counters, electrical issues, faulty appliances, grading, etc.  I dont know a single person who had an easy time resolving any of these issues even though they were under warranty. Some of the problems didnt appear for a year or two and had caused a ton of damage already.

I know there are exceptions to the rule and I am sure it varies greatly by the area but new construction tends to be thrown up so quickly in this economy that corners are cut (ones you often cant see immediately or find during inspections) in order to make a profit.   GL whatever you decide!

 

What I'll add to this (we bought new construction last year) is to really look at the warranty And stay on top of it.  Our issues were fixed because of my constant nagging.  New construction will likely have issues, so just make sure you make the time to follow up.

 

Meg.eliz

My parents bought a new construction about 7 years ago from Ryland and have not had any issues. Also, my uncle is a contractor for Pulte in Virginia and when it came time to build their new house they had it built by Pulte. It was a higher end house because of the area they live in but they have not had problems either. 

carrierrie

With new construction, I think it's important to independently inspect along the way. Don't trust that the city or county inspector that issued the permit will catch everything. I have heard awful things about pretty much every single builder out there and I'll be honest that Pulte is one of the worst. I think the economy in it's sad state has made a positive impact on new construction in that it has slowed down the process as well as brought to light many issues that were rampant in the 90s and early 2000s - improperly installed EIFS, "sick homes", etc. If new construction makes sense to you, do it but prepared to be heavily involved and pay for independent opinions.

ELCJet

We bought new construction in 2009, but Richmond.  I hired an independent inspector and he did several inspections at various points in the building process; we're pretty sure the house is built pretty well, and aside from some grouting issues with the tile on our main floor, we haven't had to hound them much at all to fix things under warranty.

 I think the important thing to remember with new construction is that the base price is really just a base......Between our structural add-ons and finishes, we added 26% to the base price of our house when all is said and done.   While it's pretty expensive and you pay a premium for all the fancy upgrades, you also have the opportunity to finance it instead of burning up your cash, which you'd do on a home reno.  So that's the nice part about it.  But even after that, you still have to purchase hardware for your cabinets, window coverings for the house, back yard fencing and landscaping......It's a giant money suck!!!