sandlin homes (Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth: sales, power lines, custom home)

[SweetTeainTX]

We're looking at buying a custom Sandlin home in Roanoke. Does anyone have experience with the builder or feedback on the town? We work in Coppell and Grand Prairie.

[nsumner]

They have a good product and have been in business for a long time. I have found that they charge much more for upgrades than a lot of higher end builders.

Before you write a contract, I recommend that you visit their design center (on Davis) and pick your upgrades, then you have a better idea of your final price so you can negotiate better on the home upfront. Once you write the contract it's practically impossible to get them to include some upgrades.

If you are considering a house that is in inventory, you can negotiate much more.

Remember that when you deal with the builder's rep at the model home, they are working in the best interest of that builder not yours. Get yourself a buyer's agent that will look after your own interest and it will not cost you anything.

Naima

[jestone]

Originally Posted by SweetTeainTX

We're looking at buying a custom Sandlin home in Roanoke. Does anyone have experience with the builder or feedback on the town? We work in Coppell and Grand Prairie.

it's proably too late, but i have been in a sanlin home for over two years and am still dealing with problems first discovered in the walk thru and then after the first big rain... lot is not graded properly, they commit to things and do not follow thru... took 10 weeks to get a bathroom completely fixed after a line broke in the ceiling for the a/c and water went EVERYWHERE!!!

[loves2read]

we have friends who live in sandlin home in colleyville--they had few problems because the husband was retired when it was built (from plan stage) so he was there every day and made sure they made things good
Sandlin has a good reputation in the area around Bedford/Hurst because this is where they started--many of their first homes are still in use with few problems like foundation failure from what I can tell
but as the area has grown they have had to move out--they build in several different price ranges now--from tract homes around 200 or less to true custom homes--
anytime a builder expands it is more difficult to get quality help to do the work right--
I think any builder charges a lot for upgrades--it is where most of their above line profic comes from...

[joecustomer]

Originally Posted by SweetTeainTX

We're looking at buying a custom Sandlin home in Roanoke. Does anyone have experience with the builder or feedback on the town? We work in Coppell and Grand Prairie.

The community was extremely hard to find, which is not bad for some I understand. My concern was that it seem to be at the bottom of a Hill with water near the top part. So could water come down on the homes? Yes I admit I am not an engineer but the extra power lines were not attractive.

The pricing of the homes seemed very expensive; comparable to other builders. We did talk to some other builders in the area and found the upgrades at Sandlin were extremely overed priced. I would advise pricing them out on EVERYTHING before you consider to buy.

The most shocking part was we were in the office and some current buyers were very concerned about the delays in completing their home (yes I know construction...can happen and usually does) and they were treated horrible. After hearing the belittling tone of the sales person (John Sandlin) was enough for my wife and I to know never to come back. I do admit though...if a builder took almost a year to start and finish my home, I would want my money back.

So in opinion, I did not purchase and felt that you could get a bigger home with more stuff, comparable quality and better service at other builders in the nearby area. It is not a suprise that the community has done very poor considering it is almost 2 years old whereas other communities are younger and are selling a lot more.

[Dinkyfish]

The community was extremely hard to find, which is not bad for some I understand. My concern was that it seem to be at the bottom of a Hill with water near the top part. So could water come down on the homes? Yes I admit I am not an engineer but the extra power lines were not attractive.

The pricing of the homes seemed very expensive; comparable to other builders. We did talk to some other builders in the area and found the upgrades at Sandlin were extremely overed priced. I would advise pricing them out on EVERYTHING before you consider to buy.

The most shocking part was we were in the office and some current buyers were very concerned about the delays in completing their home (yes I know construction...can happen and usually does) and they were treated horrible. After hearing the belittling tone of the sales person (John Sandlin) was enough for my wife and I to know never to come back. I do admit though...if a builder took almost a year to start and finish my home, I would want my money back.

So in opinion, I did not purchase and felt that you could get a bigger home with more stuff, comparable quality and better service at other builders in the nearby area. It is not a suprise that the community has done very poor considering it is almost 2 years old whereas other communities are younger and are selling a lot more.

I live in this neighborhood and found this last post in the forum and feel compelled to respond to several things that are erroneous.

First, the neighborhood is only a year old. We were the 2nd family here mid July of 2007. There are about 40 houses now in the neighborhood. Considering the housing market everywhere, I would think this neighborhood has done really well.

Second, the neighborhood is not hard to find. It's very easy when giving directions to friends and family (114 to Litsey Road). It's actually a great commute to the Dallas area for work. We moved from the Austin area and it took my husband 1 hour to go to his office 17 miles away. His office now is over 20 miles away in Dallas and his commute is 35 to 40 minutes tops in traffic. IT's very convenient to Southlake/Grapevine for wonderful shopping and entertainment.

Third, the neighborhood is built high. I'm not sure what water you're talking about coming from above as we live at the top of the big hill of the neighborhood. We actually have beautiful views out here, one we couldn't find after looking for over 30 days for a home last year in the metroplex area. We were looking at older homes in Grapevine and Colleyville and Trophy Club that were way more expensive than ours here and they needed to be completely gutted and have about 50 grand dropped into them to make them how we wanted. We found this place after seriously thinking of just nixing the whole move because of our frustration in finding a beautiful home that was affordable with all the upgrades we wanted! The neighborhood is secluded somewhat as it's on down Litsey Road, but that was a great thing for us---we love the feel of being in the country and the privacy this affords us.

Fourth, being that we were the 2nd family in here, i can tell you now that not one house in this neighborhood took over 4 months for the build process (i'm sure it's longer with the design center and choosing plans). We've watched each and every one go up so far and the crews and workmanship is incredible. We've also gone to other neighborhoods close by that are new and building and we do not see a comparison in the quality of the homes. Yes, we've had minor issues with our home, but Sandlin has fixed them. We are still getting a few more things fixed as we speak due to our 11-month walk-through. Having lived in two previous new homes, this is to be expected especially for picky buyers/homeowners like we are. Bottom line is Sandlin has stood behind their product with us and hopefully will continue to do so.

Just thought I'd share our experience here and at least shed some truth to what was said before.

[ngnsr]

Any other responses to this?? I, too, am looking to build in this neighborhood.....

[loves2read]

I think Sandlin has one of the better reps for small tract builder in this area
but building a home always carries complications and problems--some that the builder causes and is not willing to address, some that happen because it is just not possible to build a perfect house, some because people don't always know what they want when they start to build--changing your mind is expensive...

[formerny'er]

We looked at that neighborhood as well and decided against it. That neighborhood is actually located in Ft. Worth, not Roanoke. The mailing address is just Roanoke. Taxes are much higher in Ft Worth and there are no amenities for the residents of far North Fort Worth. We built a home that is within the city limits of Roanoke and are very happy with our decision.

[joecustomer]

Originally Posted by Dinkyfish

I live in this neighborhood and found this last post in the forum and feel compelled to respond to several things that are erroneous.

First, the neighborhood is only a year old. We were the 2nd family here mid July of 2007. There are about 40 houses now in the neighborhood. Considering the housing market everywhere, I would think this neighborhood has done really well.

Second, the neighborhood is not hard to find. It's very easy when giving directions to friends and family (114 to Litsey Road). It's actually a great commute to the Dallas area for work. We moved from the Austin area and it took my husband 1 hour to go to his office 17 miles away. His office now is over 20 miles away in Dallas and his commute is 35 to 40 minutes tops in traffic. IT's very convenient to Southlake/Grapevine for wonderful shopping and entertainment.

Third, the neighborhood is built high. I'm not sure what water you're talking about coming from above as we live at the top of the big hill of the neighborhood. We actually have beautiful views out here, one we couldn't find after looking for over 30 days for a home last year in the metroplex area. We were looking at older homes in Grapevine and Colleyville and Trophy Club that were way more expensive than ours here and they needed to be completely gutted and have about 50 grand dropped into them to make them how we wanted. We found this place after seriously thinking of just nixing the whole move because of our frustration in finding a beautiful home that was affordable with all the upgrades we wanted! The neighborhood is secluded somewhat as it's on down Litsey Road, but that was a great thing for us---we love the feel of being in the country and the privacy this affords us.

Fourth, being that we were the 2nd family in here, i can tell you now that not one house in this neighborhood took over 4 months for the build process (i'm sure it's longer with the design center and choosing plans). We've watched each and every one go up so far and the crews and workmanship is incredible. We've also gone to other neighborhoods close by that are new and building and we do not see a comparison in the quality of the homes. Yes, we've had minor issues with our home, but Sandlin has fixed them. We are still getting a few more things fixed as we speak due to our 11-month walk-through. Having lived in two previous new homes, this is to be expected especially for picky buyers/homeowners like we are. Bottom line is Sandlin has stood behind their product with us and hopefully will continue to do so.

Just thought I'd share our experience here and at least shed some truth to what was said before.

Explain why they had a ton of spec that they discounted because buyers bought at Briarwyck? They over charged and you need to defend your neighborhood HA!!! The electric lines and lack of sales compared to others??