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Maronda Homes

I've heard not so great reviews regarding new build Maronda homes, but I was wondering if anyone lives in a 15-20 year old Maronda home and has any reviews on how it is holding up.  Thanks.

Re: Maronda Homes

  • Our new neighbors moved from a newer Maronda and had a lot of bad things to say, but then they also don't like their Ryan. Our other friends also lived in a Maronda, but it was a townhouse and it was newer than 15-20 yrs.

    I think balbacm lived in a Maronda, so she'll probably chime in for you!
  • We looked at a 3 year old Maronda home and it was in need of way more repairs than I would expect from a 3 year old house.  I have heard that Maronda is making improvements on how they build but I don't have any experience. 
     
  • We currently live in a Maronda Townhome (1st floor Master Model).  We are the original owners and it is 5 years young.  We haven't had any major problems besides having to replace a board or two on our deck that was already built.  In the 5 years of us owning the home, we have done some cosmetic upgrades but we have not had any structural issues.  Are you looking to buy a new Maronda home or a resale?
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  • imagemrj322:
    We currently live in a Maronda Townhome (1st floor Master Model).  We are the original owners and it is 5 years young.  We haven't had any major problems besides having to replace a board or two on our deck that was already built.  In the 5 years of us owning the home, we have done some cosmetic upgrades but we have not had any structural issues.  Are you looking to buy a new Maronda home or a resale?

    It's a resale in South Fayette.  The house needs cosmetic upgrades, but I'm more concerned about the quality of the structure.  Of course my DH thinks the house is a piece of crap so I am trying to convince him otherwise.

  • i lived in a new build Maronda for 6+ years and it was fine.  you can definitely tell they take short cuts with the types of materials, carpets, finishes, etc they used.  you do get a lot of house for the money though.  they don't let you upgrade or choose anything to customize, which is one reason why many of the homes are affordable.  we now rent out that house and our tenants haven't reported the roof caving in so we are good there :)  It was built in 2004 and has all of the original appliances and carpet.

    i now live in a new build Ryan and i can say that there are a lot more obvious structural repairs going on in my new neighborhood than I ever saw in my old neighborhood.   we have not had any issues (knock on wood) and i really love our house and our neighborhood.

    honestly, any mass builder has issues - even custom $1M homes. I have friends that live in Heartland, S&A, Ryan, Maronda and they all *** about this or that.  Luckily we had a good experience (knock on wood again) with both Maronda and Ryan so far.  

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  • imagebea8480:

    imagemrj322:
    We currently live in a Maronda Townhome (1st floor Master Model).  We are the original owners and it is 5 years young.  We haven't had any major problems besides having to replace a board or two on our deck that was already built.  In the 5 years of us owning the home, we have done some cosmetic upgrades but we have not had any structural issues.  Are you looking to buy a new Maronda home or a resale?

    It's a resale in South Fayette.  The house needs cosmetic upgrades, but I'm more concerned about the quality of the structure.  Of course my DH thinks the house is a piece of crap so I am trying to convince him otherwise.

    Where in South Fayette? Are you familiar with the area originally? I currently live in South Fayette. My advice would be have an inspection done and see what you are dealing with. I have to agree with the pp, any mass builder you are going to have trouble with one thing or another.
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  • Are you only looking in south Fayette? There are some other non maronda homes in that price range for sale.

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  • In addition to everything that was already said, check the material that was used for the plumbing.  DH and I looked at a house in South Fayette and we basically ran the other way because it used the PVC that apparently resulted in some lawsuits (DH knows more about this than I do.  I can't even find anything online about it).

    Plumbing/leaks have been the biggest complaints among friends/relatives with Marondas.

  • imagemrj322:
    Are you only looking in south Fayette? There are some other non maronda homes in that price range for sale.

    I really like South Fayette and I really like that neighborhood because it is more "mature" and the houses don't all look alike.  We drove past some others and I looked inside a couple of others and out of all of them I like this one the most.  Just can't convince my husband.

  • I would never pay 300K for a Maronda. That house is overpriced, particular if it needs work.  We built a Heartland in SF 3 1/2 years ago for just a few thousand more than that.  Brick front and way better quality in appliances, finishing, building materials, etc.

    I like the location of that house, but you can do much better, especially for that money.

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  • imagemommabear17:

    I would never pay 300K for a Maronda. That house is overpriced, particular if it needs work.  We built a Heartland in SF 3 1/2 years ago for just a few thousand more than that.  Brick front and way better quality in appliances, finishing, building materials, etc.

    I like the location of that house, but you can do much better, especially for that money.

    I agree with you 100%.  We made a verbal offer that is much lower than that and they didn't refuse it.  They asked for a written offer, but like I said my husband has put the brakes on.  I'm just trying to get feedback regarding the quality because he is convinced that they are "garbage".

  • How soon are you wanting to move?  I am sure a lot of houses will come on the market after the holidays? Which I am dreading because we are currently on the market :(

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  • I agree that the price seems inflated.  How old are the furnace/AC/Roof? Because if they are all original they will all be needing replacement in the near future.  It was sold to the current owners in 2006 for 242,000. So what did they do to add an extra 50k in value to that house since then?  As far as the quality of a Moranda home, I have heard the same but have no experience with them personally or any specific experiences from friends or family.  But I did recently move. And it is such a stressful process, that you really need to be sure that the house is the right one to go through with it all! And you both need to be on board with it. So I would not discount your husband's concerns. 
  • imagebea8480:

    I agree with you 100%.  We made a verbal offer that is much lower than that and they didn't refuse it.  They asked for a written offer, but like I said my husband has put the brakes on.  I'm just trying to get feedback regarding the quality because he is convinced that they are "garbage".

    I think that there is a lot better housing stock if you are interested in South Fayette. At any given time there are a good amount on the market, with new ones coming on all of the time. As a previous poster said, there will probably be more coming on the market after the holidays.

    I have family that lives in a Maronda that is probably about 6 years old. They did Maronda because they wanted more square footage, and went into it knowing that they'd have to put a lot of their own money into it.  I don't think they've had any major problems so far, but it just has not aged well.  There's a lot of corners that were cut when it was built.

    This is something you and your husband have to be 100% in agreement on. If he thinks it is crap, you probably can't overcome that.

    I've noticed several houses recently going for sale by owner, including in my own neighborhood, so make sure you check those out as well.

     Good luck!

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  • imagemrj322:

    How soon are you wanting to move?  I am sure a lot of houses will come on the market after the holidays? Which I am dreading because we are currently on the market :(

    We are not in a rush.  Our house is completely remodeled, but it is an older home that is a little cramped. 

  • imageAmandaJLewis:
    I agree that the price seems inflated.  How old are the furnace/AC/Roof? Because if they are all original they will all be needing replacement in the near future.  It was sold to the current owners in 2006 for 242,000. So what did they do to add an extra 50k in value to that house since then?  As far as the quality of a Moranda home, I have heard the same but have no experience with them personally or any specific experiences from friends or family.  But I did recently move. And it is such a stressful process, that you really need to be sure that the house is the right one to go through with it all! And you both need to be on board with it. So I would not discount your husband's concerns. 

    Everything in the house is original.  They did not do anywhere near $50K in improvements, which is why I offered $250K for it as a starting point.  I think that they know that the house is way overpriced because they didn't tell me to go fly a kite with that verbal offer.

    I honestly don't think that my husband will be happy with a lot of the houses in South Fayette because he doesn't like the cookie cutter look, which this neighborhood is not.

  • imagemommabear17:
    imagebea8480:

    I agree with you 100%.  We made a verbal offer that is much lower than that and they didn't refuse it.  They asked for a written offer, but like I said my husband has put the brakes on.  I'm just trying to get feedback regarding the quality because he is convinced that they are "garbage".

    I think that there is a lot better housing stock if you are interested in South Fayette. At any given time there are a good amount on the market, with new ones coming on all of the time. As a previous poster said, there will probably be more coming on the market after the holidays.

    I have family that lives in a Maronda that is probably about 6 years old. They did Maronda because they wanted more square footage, and went into it knowing that they'd have to put a lot of their own money into it.  I don't think they've had any major problems so far, but it just has not aged well.  There's a lot of corners that were cut when it was built.

    This is something you and your husband have to be 100% in agreement on. If he thinks it is crap, you probably can't overcome that.

    I've noticed several houses recently going for sale by owner, including in my own neighborhood, so make sure you check those out as well.

     Good luck!

    There are just several things that I really like about this house, that I haven't really seen in others, like a vaulted ceiling with skylights in the family room, a bedroom and full bath on the first floor, the garage on the first floor, and I love the backyard because of the size and because it is flat, which I feel is hard to find in South Fayette.

    I am originally from New York so my grandma's and father come to visit a lot so the bedroom and full bath on the first floor is really attractive to me.

  • What about Upper St. Clair?  Also very accessible to 79 and 50 (especially the Bridgeville side).

    There are several more "mature" neighborhoods that have varying styles of homes that are definitely within that price range.

  • imageInkedMegs:

    What about Upper St. Clair?  Also very accessible to 79 and 50 (especially the Bridgeville side).

    There are several more "mature" neighborhoods that have varying styles of homes that are definitely within that price range.

    We've thought about that and I've been looking there as well.  I just haven't found anything that I've liked, especially a layout like the newer homes have.

  • If you love it, and the lot is nice, and it's determined on inspection to be in good shape structurally and they're willing to work with you on your price, it sounds like you just need to convince your H! I wouldn't let the fact that it's Maronda deter you that much. I have no idea who built the last house we lived in!
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