Reviews for DR Horton Builders (Potomac, Fort Washington: credit check, loan, home builders)

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by molukai

Cold air rushes through the power sockets too.

We have bought two new houses and have had to caulk around window openings and power sockets with both. No, it is not normal, but we did not consider it worth fighting with the builder to get them to do it. Caulk is cheap.

BTW, many builders (like Horton and KHovnanian) use Hispanic laborers now.

[pow_wow]

Ryan homes builds in the same area. I have read similar national reviews compared to DR Horton. Anyone in the area have specific experiences with them?

[molukai]

I considered Ryan Homes prior to purchasing, but ended up against it because their houses are generally smaller and less aesthetically attractive than DR Horton. As far as quality, I would assume they're about the same, but I could be wrong.

[KCP_1980]

We just signed a purchase agreement with K. Hovnanian for the Lakeview in Brandywine community after researching all of the builders and developments in the southern PG county. We looked at Birdlawn, we looked at Tantallon on the Potomac, we looked at a few other developments with DR Horton.

Google Ryan Homes and decide for yourself about whether or not you think they are worth pursuing. Our research led us to rule out Ryan Homes entirely; we would not even tour one of their communities. I liked a lot of the DR Horton houses but felt that it was a "budget build" in that it felt like a basic builder house when we walked through some of them.

Ultimately the decision for us was between Richmond American and K. Hovnanian. It was due to price, location, home options, etc. We LOVED the Richmond American homes (especially the Jackson model) but the builder didn't treat us well and their sales person had a poor attitude. That tipped the scales in favor of Khov.

[bowian]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

BTW, many builders (like Horton and KHovnanian) use Hispanic laborers now.

It's more like how many haven't been using them. For at least a decade now. Cheap labor ups the profit.

Regarding builder issues, I always say, get a good inspection pre-drywall and post-drywall. Put the findings in writing and send it to the builder certified mail. If the builder agrees to fix the problems, put that in writing too, even if they won't reduce their promises to writing. Any problems should be sent to the builder in writing, certified mail.

[molukai]

I also looked at Khov as a possibility as well prior to purchasing. They are about the same as DR Horton from my personal viewpoint (in terms of quality, aesthetics, etc.). Khov had some nicer basic features than DR Horton, but it also looked like the base pricing was higher as well. I hope that you've had better luck in your new home than we have, KCP!

[molukai]

bowian, inspectors mean nothing. I had a pre-drywall inspector tour the house and all of his suggestions he verbally stated to the project manager as well as wrote it down. He also overheard the sales lady admit that they screwed me on the two zone two furnace system, which he also wrote into a letter. It ended amounting to nothing: DR Horton said "fine, take it or leave it", knowing that we could not easily leave the deal after waiting for months by that point, were past the rent renewal deadline for our apartment, and were already damaging our credit from credit checks by potential mortgage companies.

[Skyizdlimit]

Molukai,

I am seriously considering the Tantallon on the Potomac subdivision and the DR Horton (Wilmington) model and I am sorry that this happened to you. This news is disturbing. Should I avoid them altogether? What could be done on the front end to prevent those issues from happening?

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by Skyizdlimit

Molukai,

I am seriously considering the Tantallon on the Potomac subdivision and the DR Horton (Wilmington) model and I am sorry that this happened to you. This news is disturbing. Should I avoid them altogether? What could be done on the front end to prevent those issues from happening?

Skyizdlimit,

If you decide not to go that route you should check out Tantallon Preserve (around the corner). A buddy of mine's mom moved over there and is happy with her purchase.

[yousah]

I live in ILL and saw this post as the first one on the page as I was scrolling down. Anyway, for what it's worth, both Horton & Ryan used to build in our area and were among the lowest quality builders. I'm an appraiser whose been appraising for 25 years.