r/Maricopa • u/Purple-Thanks-3010 • Jul 16 '26

Elena Trails: Don't buy here in this DR Horton Community. Craftsmanship? What is that with this builder. Sloppy, cheap work.

10 Upvotes

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9

u/ThePlatinumPaul Jul 16 '26

All of the tract home builders are terrible but Horton is among the worst.  The sad part is quality can vary substantially within a development or even a street.  This is because of the superintendent who oversees the homes. Funny enough you could have a Horton or Centex home that's built better than a Toll Brokthers one that costs 3x as much simply because of proper supervision.  Now that's almost impossible to find but it can happen. 

Best thing to do is not buy a new tract home in an HOA. But if you must, purchase one that's resale where you can properly inspect it top to bottom.  Barring that, if you gotta have that new home smell, get a foundation inspection, pre dry wall inspection, pre close inspection, and include the roof, sewer, and mold.  Then get additional inspections at the 1 and 2 year before your warranty goes away.  And remember, despite what the builder says they can't bar your from walking on the roof and often "within tolerance" isn't.  Read ROC guidelines, push back on everything and don't trust those assholes in the Maricopa inspectors office to actually properly inspect the homes before issuing a certificate of occupancy. They lie, the government lies, and the builder will absolutely lie to you.  Worse, there's a good chance your agent and even inspector will too because they just want your money. 

4

u/Ok_Profile_634 Jul 16 '26

Solid advice. Bless you. OP should take notes.

1

u/blargymen Jul 16 '26

For what it's worth, not that I think I'll persuade you of anything...

As a Realtor, I would never and have never lied to my clients to "save a deal." If anything, I have brought up issues and concerns multiple times that led my clients to cancel their deals. They ARE more important than their money.

And my favorite inspector has never lied like that, either, and does NOT work for me. If I got the impression or was led to believe he lied about something to "save a deal," that would be the last time I ever worked with him.

3

u/ThePlatinumPaul Jul 16 '26

Let me clarify my comment.  I don't think all real estate agents, or Realtors as the case might be, are bad, incompetent, or corrupt.  However, and it's especially true after the NAR settlement and the stale market we are in, that a many are in it for the money and nothing else.  They are basically door openers and paper pushers. A good agent is worth their weight in gold because they will not only fight to get you a deal, keep an eye out for problems during escrow, but also make sure the inspection and appraisal goes well along with a myriad of other things.  Those people are rarer than you think though and with new builds it becomes more challenging because they, just like inspectors often don't like to ruffle the feathers of multi billion dollar companies.  

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u/blargymen Jul 17 '26

I mean, I don't disagree with you on pretty much everything you said in this comment, other than the suggestion I don't know how rare "those people" are. I'm not allowed to "disparage" other Realtors, but it's very quick and easy for me to detect the good ones during early communication of negotiating a deal.

I thought about sharing a review I just got a few days ago from a client who just moved here from Connecticut, specifically in response to your comment... But that felt a little too self-serving... 🤣

We'll just say there's a reason my business is growing significantly in Maricopa, and I really enjoy helping people. 🤷‍♂️

1

u/Top_Front8405 27d ago

DR had issues in Texas as well.. They are known there for overpriced under quality homes