LGI Homes

When we set an appointment for me to have a conversation with their mortgage person, they said, "You got to upload your stuff, upload your stuff before you talk to this person." But they never gave me any way to upload it. I heard from nobody except my sales guy. I have no place to upload it. I'm not emailing things with my Social Security number on that. So I agreed to play the game. However, I was never interested in their mortgage. I had a better deal paying all my own closing costs with my lender than what they were offering.

Ten minutes before my court-appointed time to talk with their mortgage rep, I finally got an email. I was working and I scheduled it on my lunch break to talk to them. When we connected on my lunch break, they asked, "Did you upload?" I said, "No. I just got this access 10 minutes ago. I'm working. And by the way, I don't want your mortgage." The rep said, "Oh, okay." Then his boss called to strong-arm that I had to do complete underwriting. At this point, I called my mortgage guy and conferenced him in on the phone call and he asked, "What's the problem?" They said, "Well, we require people do this underwriting."

By this time, I had my condition underwriting completed with my mortgage. They verified my employment. I was golden, except for whatever conditions needed to be met with the title company. They had fully vetted me. So LGI just continued to strong-arm me that I had to go through this process. My mortgage guy said, "What if for some reason, the way you do your underwriting, you don't approve her? Can she then go with my lender? Because my lender has completely approved her." They said, "Yes, you just have to talk to our people." So I uploaded all of my documents to their portal. I called that mortgage gal back and said, "I've uploaded everything. You do what you need to do, but don't call me because I don't want your mortgage."

Ten minutes later, my sales guy and his supervisor, Chelsea, called back. I told them, "Look, I gotta get back to work. What do you want?" I was really angry. I was being bullied into having to have a mortgage conversation I was never interested in and I've never wavered. I calmly and clearly decided already, which is my right as a buyer.

I actually read the purchase agreement to them because they said, "You have to do this. It says so on the agreement." I said, "Oh, where?" They told me the paragraph and then I said, "Let's read that aloud together." It says that the buyer must do all of these things by these days with the buyer's lender, not the seller's lender. So we went through rounds, and then they said, "Well, let's just have a reship." Then I said, "What does that mean? I gotta get back to work. You've got 90 seconds." They told me that they went up the chain and talked to their vice president and that they were gonna proceed with my lender, which was ridiculous. The pressure and the strong-arming of the requirements to get fully underwritten by their preferred lender were inappropriate.

I had conditional underwriting documents showing the lender's name, the interest rate, and everything that they had validated as far as my qualification. After we went into an executed agreement, I sent that to them the next day because the contract said that within 14 days, I have to provide that stuff to them. They got that on day three. So I was in compliance with my contract. We closed in three weeks. But that was with not their preferred underwriter. But I love my sales guy. But I'm not so hip on his boss. I love this house and neighborhood. There are a few built-in issues like in the upstairs, HVAC doesn't cool adequately. So something should be done with the ducts to make it more comfortable.

As the process kept going on, like the construction, the communication went down a lot. I had to call every day or every other day to check on, “Hey, what's going on?” Dude said, “We are on schedule.” I was supposed to close October 27. And in the beginning, when I asked him, “Are we sure we're gonna close on October 27? Because I have to give two months’ notice to my apartment.” So I told him my situation, “I have to give them two months’ notice, so make sure. Tell me that we are going to close October 27 or around there.” He said, “Yes, we'll definitely close on October 7, if not, maybe a week.” That's November 10. So, I gave my two months’ notice at the apartment. They already rented it out, too, because I told them, “I don't want to pay any extra, so please rent out my unit first if possible.”

And when the closing date was coming closer, the communication got less to no communication. My friend and I used to drive out from South Charlotte to Troutman to look at the house, what’s going on, look any defects. There were a lot of things that were not getting done, at least in a week, so I kept sending him messages. “Hey, this is not done.” One of the ceilings didn't have a panel, so I told him, “Hey, panel’s not there." And there was no water boiler. I kept telling him all of these things. He said he communicated to the building manager. But later on, after the first week, around November 6, when we didn't close, so we came by and inquired with the office. He never told the building manager all the issues. So, the building manager was not aware of it. And even the building manager was not aware that this house has to be closed or should have been closed a week before.

I was supposed to close on October 27. It was not done. I was here in the office November 8. I said, “Hey, I only have two days. What can I do?” And the advice the representative gave was, “Just don't move. What are the apartment people gonna do?” That’s not me. I never had any bad remark in my rental history. So, I said that's not gonna work. And he said, “Okay. We're gonna close it next Monday,” which was November 11. And come November 11, still not ready. There were still some things not done.

There were tiles missing in the bathroom. There were a few other things that were missing. So, that was when my friend went into the office. He had to make a scene, “Hey, what's happening?” And the building manager stepped in and said, “We didn't know. All of these things were never communicated with us. And we didn't even know that this house was supposed to be closed.” There was a big communication gap. So, all of that was not done. And I had to pay extra to my apartment people. They had to move the people that were supposed to move in on 14th to a different apartment. And my apartment went back to rent November 25th. I closed on November 21st even with some of the things still missing.

Today, the cabinet company came and put the missing crown molding on all the cabinets. And still a couple of drawers don't work. They don't pull out smoothly, so they said they have to order some parts and they're going to come back again next week. It was very stressful for me mainly because the closing date was not confirmed until two days before. I closed the 18th, but I was told the Friday before that, “You will be closing on Monday.” I was, “Okay. Finally.”

And even on closing date, the representative did not come by, checked up. He did not call in the morning. I had to call him, “Hey, I'm on my way.” And I said, “Hey, I'm here. Where’s the lawyer or attorney? Where’s the notary guy?” After that, he came in, gave me a folder. “All the things that you need are here. Please go through.” And he gave me a keychain and pen, and he left. He didn't stay for any questions. It was very weird. It felt like either he was doing me a favor. He didn't want me to buy the house. It felt like he was trying hard to make me back out of the deal.

It felt like maybe he didn't want me here because I'm not American. I'm an immigrant. Maybe he just wants to sell the house for a higher price. Because after we put the security deposit down, the next week, all the house prices went up by 7,000. So maybe he wants to sell it to some of his friends. This was a thought process all along. It wasn't a good experience that three weeks before closing. I was depressed. I was, “What am I supposed to do? Should I just back out?” My friend said, “Don't back out. If it comes to that, we’ll call LGI corporate office and we'll deal with it.” So, I said, “All right. That's fine”

Now, for the good part, which actually made me actually stick to the plan of getting a house here. And the first representative I spoke with on phone, Lawrence, was very friendly. He was very open. He told me all the issues that we might have up ahead. So he was very open about it. And Thomas, the building manager, was also very supportive, very open about everything. He did the walkthrough of the house. He would stop, ask me if I had any questions. And he told me all the things I needed to take care of for the first year. And even now, he's still in contact. Every now and then, I message him, “Hey, Thomas. How are you?” He would reply back. He would walk out to the house. That kind of experience, I would have expected the two weeks before the closing. Even if it was delayed, if there were communication, like, “Hey, Sai. We are really sorry.” I don't even need an apology.

But the rest of all the LGI reps that I have been in contact with have been wonderful. And the first time I talked with Lawrence, I felt good about him, the way he spoke, the way he showed respect, humility, dignity, and how he showed LGI is what you need. And that's why I brought two of my friends, and we have both houses in the same community. And we both brought another friend. He's few houses down now. Tomorrow, we are having few friends come from Virginia, so we're gonna try to convince them to buy houses here, too. And all of this is because of people like Thomas and Lawrence. We are pushing people, “Hey, even if it's a little expensive now, you should consider LGI.” It's a beautiful house. Overall, well-constructed. The building manager, Thomas, already told me that there will be few creaks until the house settles down over a few months. But good quality so far. I'm more than satisfied with the house.

1. LGI Homes will insist that you use their preferred lender - Loan Depot. I used Loan Depot as my lender. However, you must pay attention to every step of the process. You need to know the difference between an VA, FHA, and conventional loan BEFORE speaking with the loan officer. Loan Depot will automatically steer you towards an FHA loan (if you are not going VA). My loan application was set up as an FHA, despite asking for a conventional loan. The loan type was changed to conventional only after I reviewed the documents and demanded that it be changed. Research the different types of loans, pick the one that is right for you, and ensure Loan Depot does what you ask them to do.

2. The estimated closing date will probably change. My estimated closing date was changed THREE times. When buying a new construction home, expect delays. My advice is to be flexible and stay in touch with your sales representative as you approach the estimated closing date.

3. I rate the quality of construction as a 4 out of 5. Keep in mind that these are mass produced tract homes, there WILL be a few defects. Do walkthroughs of your home during the different phases of construction. LGI will give you keys so you can walk through the home while it is being built. Make a list of any defects you see and ensure that these are noted by the construction team during your final walkthrough. If you notice defects after the fact, submit a work order on the website. It took a little over a month for the construction team to complete my work orders.

4. LGI homes are pretty basic, but they come with some great upgrades. If you are buying in California, you get solar included! You will save money on energy costs. The homes are very well insulated and come with a great HVAC system as well.

Overall, I am very happy with my LGI home. I'd recommend LGI to anyone looking for a new build house. Thanks for reading!

We talked it over a little bit between me and my husband and ended up deciding that this was what we needed for the time. LGI told us that it was gonna be about a six-month turnaround. We went ahead and signed the papers. We got pushed back almost a year. There were things that we weren't prepared for but we waited it out. We’re just happy we did because of the turnout of how everything ended up. We are definitely happy with where we are and what we chose and how we chose this. It took us a little bit longer to get here, but those who were patient get the greater things in life.

I like the innate craziness of the environment now and where we are. I'm glad it took as long as it did because we actually got ourselves more financially stable for the house. It was a great thing for us to wait as long as we did because of all of the things that we were able to get in line before we actually took over the payments. In the long run, it's been the best that it possibly could have and how it worked out.

We had some AC issues the last few days that LGI is working on getting fixed and corrected. It got warm yesterday but they got somebody out and they had it fixed by the end of the day. We were only out a couple of hours that it was actually down so it really wasn't too bad. There's a section in the back of our yard that and the sod was already dead. They're working on replacing it. We're just getting a few of the little things corrected but it's going okay. It’s a brand-new home so you can’t get too mad about it. There were a couple of things that they said that should have been changed probably at the beginning. The air filter wasn't changed and was blocking everything up. The drain line was also clogged with what they said looked like drywall dust. Other than that, we've not had too many issues.

My sales guy, Tommy, was marvelous. He kept me informed. I had told him specifically where I wanted the house. I didn't want it on a main corner of a main street. I wanted it where if you turn from the main street, you got to do a couple of turns to get to the street. Tommy would send me pictures every time he would come out here and show me the next level like when the cabinets were put in and when the flooring was put in. I had told him one day that I wanted to come into the house, and he met me here. We walked through the house and in that small walkthrough, I found many things that I didn't like. Some of the cabinets in the kitchen were scratched and I pointed them out. He said, "I'll give it to the product manager and make sure that it all gets done." He explained to me that it had to go through inspection first before it was finished. I was happy that he explained that to me.

I still had scratched cabinets but I'm happy they came out a week after I closed, fixing what needed to be fixed. I'm happy that everybody moved fast. They did everything in that one week. The bedrooms had carpet and I don't like carpet. That was another thing that Tommy did. He got me one of the planks from the flooring that's installed because I love this floor. I wanted to match it as close as I could get it for the bedroom. I had to wait for those floorings to be installed before I could physically move in.

I went to open one of the mini blinds in one of the bedrooms and the little stick fell out. I was trying to screw it, but it wouldn't go in. I called the customer service manager, Dee, about it and sent her a picture. She came to fix it but couldn't do it. When she lifted it up, it's all scratched. She right away put an order. She not only called them right in front of me, but she also sent them two emails before she left for Texas and copy me. They have yet to come and repair that. That's the only negative thing that I'm a little dissatisfied with compared to the cabinet guys, the flooring guys and even the concrete guys who came in that first week with no problems. But I love the home. Everybody that's come to visit me so far loves the house. I recommend LGI Homes.

When they came to fix the threshold, I asked the guy about part of my floor. When you step on it, you can hear space move. I was told that it's a floating floor, and I've never heard of a floating floor. People who I know lay floors for their employment have never heard of floating floors. When you're putting a home up in 90 days, things get rushed. The screws in my pantry door weren't in it and now, they're stripped out. They came and tried to put a screw in. Now, I have to put a work order in for that because the door is gonna fall off.

I've met one person and my husband met with the other guy. He had to come back a couple of times. He first guy was okay from what I was told. The second guy that came in, looked at it and automatically knew what it was. One of our electric switches for going up the stairs wouldn't turn on but if you go upstairs, and you just flip the switch, it would come on. It was vice versa. One of the switches always had to be on or off for the other one to work. The first guy couldn't figure it out. Then the second guy came in, and he fixed it. So, that's working. They came and fixed the floors like a week later. I'm still waiting for them to come fix the fan in the bathroom downstairs. I've been here almost a month, and I'm still waiting.