DR Horton Homes

- Curt, Realtor

Our house was a little pricier than the surrounding neighborhoods but with the customer service we have had and the people at D.R. Horton who made us feel special, it was a lovely experience. Not to mention the 1 year "bumper to bumper" warranty we have on the house in case we need any repairs done asap is AWESOME! We love the area and the backyard is WAY bigger than any other builder was offering in our price range. D.R. Horton takes into account that you don't want 10 ft of backyard and a neighbor so close you could open your window and touch their house. We have had an awesome experience so far and really love our little home.

I am fortunate enough to know what to look for during the building process and I drive the supervisor crazy. It really comes down to a floor plan, price and location that you will like. My DR Horton Homes met this criteria on all three on two of the builds. I’m fortunate with relocating in different states they were here. All builders have these issues and it’s down to what you want. Just make sure the person in charge of building your house (supervisor) gets out of his truck and goes over the work they are doing than sitting on their phone all day and just cutting P.O.’s. If he seems that lazy then your house will look it. They need to keep on the quality and I felt my guy did his best. After one year now they came back with the contractors and repaired my floors and interior paint. I happy and that is all that matters. Do I see problems in the future. Maybe but if you have any house you will. That’s life. Hope this helps.

When it came to finishing the model home, I was brought in for inspections and looked at the home several times. I wasn't able to choose my own colors and cabinetry because the far was too far along by that point, but I didn't mind. I used the DR Horton Financial company as a lender for the loan, and the representative Tiffany was very helpful. She answered every one of my calls, and always had an answer. If she didn't she got back to me promptly. The closing was not delayed, I was kept in the loop, and it was executed as planned.

On to the final walk-through inspection. This is the area where DR Horton has room for improvement. About 2 days prior to closing, the builder scheduled the initial and final walk-through. I was skeptical that things would be fixed in that time, but it was. It is important to note that all findings were cosmetic, and nothing major. I'm not a handyman, so I wouldn't be able to tell if something major was wrong anyway.

On the day of closing, everything went smooth and we purchased the home. There are still some things that need to be fixed (there is a dent in the garage door), but nothing major. The only thing that I noticed is that on my kitchen island, under the granite countertop, the builder did not install a piece of molding. Purely cosmetic, but still. The overall process went smooth.

**IMPORTANT**. If you take one thing from this review, take this. I hired my own inspector (cost about $300) to inspect the entire home for anything that is wrong. Even though it is a new home, you never know what might be wrong so hire a professional to look at the home for you. Don't let anyone tell you not to have an inspection simply because the home is new -- my inspector DID find some discrepancies.

Also, FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE. Hire a real estate agent. They are your advocate and when things aren't going your way, it is good to have someone fighting on your side. DR Horton paid my real estate agent's fees, I think this is something they regularly do. The inspection that I paid for and my real estate agent were my two biggest reliefs when it came to this process. I used the VA loan because I am a veteran. I say this because I'm not sure if this affected any portion of my home-buying process differently than someone else.

Kevin **: DO NOT use him. He's embodies everything people dislike about a salesperson. I'm genuinely amazed he's still there. Kevin is an entirely different person after he sells you a home. He was verbally aggressive and rude with simple requests we had when Anthony wasn't available. He's not respected and disliked by many in the Entrada community. The Building Supervisor: Mike ** - He's overworked and has very poor follow up skills. I like him as a person, he's salt of the earth, but he's burnt out and doesn't have the support he needs..

Those that built your home:

- We had many problems with our home and was shocked at the quality of the material used. You don't notice it till you move in and discover that the windows are generic, down to the light fixtures and kitchen sink that are cheap junk.

Warranty: Excellent people, Terry has been fantastic. Read your warranties carefully. HOA: I don't mind HOA's, but in Entrada, my wife can't even plant a flower in our yard without "signed" approval form. The regulations are brutal. Currently, DR Horton is running the HOA, not the residents, until the rest of the community is completed. The HOA person is about as bad as it gets; her attitude is offensive.

"Gated community": The gates are for looks here; people can quickly drive through the gate after you pull through. It's also not gated; there's gates on the front, but around the community are bushes for a barrier. DR Horton fixes both gates regularly because they used an inferior system. So, often when you pull up, you can't get in; you have to drive to the other entrance and hope that the gate is working. There are many other problems, but this should give you enough info to make a decision. My advice, don't let the community center and the brand new homes sway you. Take your time when choosing a home. I wish I would have.

Sandi

My neighbors also reported me to Charles County twice, in December 2018 and December 2019. The county stated in writing that I am not in violation of any county ordinances. Furthermore, the county also stated in writing that lots J30 and J31 (my lot and the neighbor's lot) both appear to have grading issues. The county requested several times that DR Horton repair the grading in both lots but they have refused to do so. It is outrageous and probably illegal to tell my neighbors that I am responsible for their yard grading errors. I am a DR Horton customer who in good faith purchased a $450K home. I am not their engineer. DR Horton needs to act responsibly and and fix this problem!! I will not allow them to use my fence as a scapegoat. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE! My research shows that there are many DR Horton homes around the country with standing water in the backyards.