D.R. Horton Homes Reviews

On a different note, we’ve had issues with DR Horton since the start. When we went to go sign our papers and get our keys, THE COMPANY GAVE US THE WRONG KEYS TO OUR HOME, so we had to use the electronic code for a week before they even sent us the right keys. And the people at the office had the audacity to ASK US TO DRIVE AN HOUR AND A HALF TO THEIR OFFICE TO GO GET THE CORRECT KEYS, if we wanted it sooner than a week. And you know what’s crazy? My parents recently (in May 2023) also bought a DR HORTON home a few streets down AND THEY ALSO GAVE THEM THE WRONG KEYS, and the office freaked out and asked us to send the keys back like it was our responsibility that we were handed the the wrong keys.

The HOA here is ridiculous too; which the office lies about and says is a very mild and easy HOA. No, our entire property gets violations noticed all the time on minor things and threatened to be fined, but the common area responsibilities are never done (street signs are crooked, trees are unruly and crooked, the edging on sidewalks isn’t ever done, the pool area is covered with flies all the time, the shrubbery is overgrown, and there’s venomous snakes in the retention pond.

Over the course of the next three months we learned that the amenities "sold" to us were in fact not true. We would NOT be allowed access to the pool, this was only for the townhomes in the community. There would NOT be a park. We were NOT being provided a patio. Our home was NOT provided with the Qolsys IQ Panel for smart home capabilities. The internet provider was NOT AT&T. It was one "oops", "sorry about that" after another. By the end, once everything was taken away, we felt as though we were not given the true information of the community for single homes and we felt as though our right to an informed decision to live in this community was taken away.

On top of the above, we also experienced poor communication from the Superintendents of our build. We ended up having to go through the sales agent and our realtor in order to get questions answered. 4 days prior to our closing date, the house had a level of 73% humidity built up. The humidity was making the duct work sweat with the AC running (August-it was hot), which was creating water in the basement. This went unaddressed by the Supers and we once again had to contact the sales agent and realtor.

Overall it was an exhausting process of "Nos" and "Sorry" from the employees of D.R Horton. As the home buyer we felt as though there was nothing we could do and it felt as though we had/have no rights. It was sign the closing paperwork and move in or we were going to be homeless. I would and will NOT recommend D.R Horton to my friends, family or strangers. Sorry.

Now the house is being built and they have eliminated or downgraded numerous features that I signed for. They even completely downgraded the hvac setup and placed the 1 and only return air vent on the base of the wall right in the middle of the living room. I don't know how this setup even passes code as it wouldn't in numerous states. It is the most inefficient, cheap, easy way they could have run it with no regard for the homeowner at all. They even utilized the space in the AHU closet incorrectly so ductwork can not be added at a later time without completely redoing everything.

I was finally able to speak with 1 person regarding only the hvac and they tried to claim that it had to be run that way and COULDN'T be any other way. When I mentioned to them that wasn't true and told them why they then changed their tune to they WOULDN'T change it. So at worst they either lied or at best they just didn't know what they were doing when they designed it. Would like to add pictures but not seeing an option. Needless to say very disappointed and feeling mislead with no options. I am so regretting my decision to purchase with them and already know the hvac issue is going to be a nightmare in Florida. Just please be aware if you are looking to buy a home with DR Horton.

I had to call Whirlpool to get it fixed (they don't deal with the appliances from Day 1 after you purchase your home). In summary, there's very poor quality control. The General Contractor/Manager doesn't appear to check on the quality of each step of the home building. The owners have to do their own assessment before the 1st walkthrough, after, before the final walkthrough and after to make sure things get fixed. They do this to save on manpower and make the homeowner do the job of figuring out what's been done properly or not. If you don't know how to build a home (I don't), how would you necessarily know until it's too late? Beyond disappointed in the quality.

I have had vendors, warranty reps ... come through my home but all of them assure me there is construction standard then there is the lower standard, which is DR Horton standard. This is pathetic and disappointing. I am a disabled veteran that has very limited income and other resources and the manager of the construction on site is not providing proper oversight for these homes. - I have photos and communications that go back to prior to buying my home that proves the hoops Ive had to jump through.

Please kindly reach out to me to discuss this utterly failing crew of poor representation of DR Horton Products. All I need is my floor to be held to the ANSI A137.1:2022 – Standard Specifications For Ceramic Tile not a lower standard which the management team continues to speak about. I have elderly people that will live here and I do not need trip hazards caused by poorly installed tile and uneven sub strait. To include Unacceptably Off Square - WALLS. - Their Corporate office needs to be aware of this. If this does not get to the right people I will be forced to take further steps.

I shouldn't have to buy a brand new home that has gunk from construction caulk in the traps. And the construction crew shouldn't use my future dishwasher to wash their paint brushes. I shouldn't have someone coming into my home and saying a bead of caulk will fix that gap in the grout under your shower. And MOST OF ALL I should have the DR Warranted company telling me the warranty is only going to repair a broken shower pan rather than provide me with a brand new one. There is obvious caulking done to get them by on the walk through which I have pictures and dates and documents - to include emails of all of these conversations.

Repair the poor tile job to standards. Completely hollow ceramic tile that is ready to break. One side of a tiled living room makes it feel like you are in a fun house. Patching not replacing a supposed brand new shower insert. Local management as they talk to you ignorantly and without care. There is an easy and affordable fix to all of this if done right and not bandaged. Exhausted -

We are also having difficult getting warranty items completed with very poor (no) communication on when things will get completed. The warranty department has been nice and tell you what you want to hear but no action is evident in getting even major items completed which is totally unacceptable. It really is too bad as if they could just finish the job, I would feel so much better about DR Horton. It is because of this poor customer service that I would never recommend them to my friends. I know others who have recently had home built and while it was a bit of a struggle to get warranty and punch list items done, it was nothing like we are experiencing with DR Horton.

1 year into ownership: Turns out their "independent" inspection doesn't catch much. We started having a leak on the second floor, and it turns out they left gaps in the pipe jack installations in the roof at least 1/4" in size when building the house. Something that should have been found on their inspection. It took me 2 months, multiple warranty requests, tracking down the contact for the contractor they use to make these fixes, and this contractor either lying to me or being forgetful enough to miss two separate appointments made to repair the house. When attempting to contact the DR Horton customer service center they never answer and never get back to you when you leave messages. I mean never. I haven't received a single call back from them. Not looking forward to dealing with other issues on the house with them. By far the worst experience I have had with a business in my life.

But it was their responsibility to put the sod down as soon as they received it. Several residents would come through the neighborhood to view their home being build and many gave accounts of the sod being rolled up over days, dying and brown. One of the newest homes that sold, they didn't even replace the dead sod, they LITERALLY put the new sod on top of it and sold that house anyway. Everyone from the neighborhood, had questions and watched in horror when this was done, because everyone felt like they cut corners and the buyers had no idea (they've since been told I believe) There's also a house in the neighborhood where the grass is literally 2 feet tall and there has been a snake spotted in the neighborhood. Although snakes can appear everywhere, people going up and down the street walking, playing with their kids are concerned.

We've gotten together as a community and feel like paying $300 a year in a HOA fee is a bit high when they DO NOT maintain the common areas. It was only recently that they cut and removed overrun shrubs and bushes with standing water. People have been emailing them. Out of all the new communities out here. D.R. Horton definitely was the one who cut the most corners. Knowing what I know today and how getting responses from them that are always passive-aggressive, we would have chosen another builder.

A family from my neighborhood had to have their ENTIRE floors replaced because they didn't level the foundation prior to putting the floors in. This is dishoarding because they've been there barely a year. These are just a few things of a laundry list that I could post, but wanted to help the next buyer in this economy right now. This is most people's biggest purchase of their life and they should definitely get the help needed to make sure, they aren't going through these things as a lot of the people in this community are. The reputation they have on the better business bureau (BBB) would definitely be the most accurate. Hope this helps.

Original Review: June 18, 2023

They refuse to cancel my loan application and keep spamming my inbox to complete forms I am never going to complete. Recommend you stay away from this builder and especially their loans. Seller has acknowledged that he is cancelling contract for home and I had no issue with losing deposit, it's fair and I agreed to that if I broke contract, but very frustrated with their loan officer's refusal to acknowledge this deal isn't happening.

Also sent cancelation letter via registered mail and saving all receipts and communications, because I half expect them to try to come back and act like I never canceled the contract. I am planning to start posting that online with names crossed out so people can take their time to review the lopsided contract before they ever go talk to these guys. Honestly they feel predatory. I am glad I walked away. Didn't have hard feelings but their refusal to be professional and acknowledge canceling the loan application has left me very opposed to D. H. Horton as a whole.

They installed damaged flooring, so we have had the flooring company out several times. The last time the flooring company was here, the guy damaged our flooring even more with the machine he was using to do repairs. When we moved in, there were scratches on the wall, so we had the painters come out and they used the wrong color white, so we have a big white blemish on our wall for weeks before D.R. Horton finally fixed it. The doors and cabinets they installed are so cheaply made that the wood is chipping. The door in one of our bedrooms is separating because the material used in the door is so cheap. In fact, this door is located in the bedroom that nobody uses.

The manager Sean lies to D.R. Horton buyers. We have a neighbor who requested that his walls be painted another color than white. Our concierge, a D.R. Horton employee told me that he would check into this, as I also requested a different color for my wall. Sean, the lying manager, called me and said, "We only approve a different color if the wall is deteriorating." I know for a fact that our neighbor's wall was not deteriorating, as I was told by my concierge our neighbor got approved for a different color because he raised hell.

There was a huge crack in the cement flooring before we moved in. When we asked D.R. Horton about this, they said it was normal. We requested it be fixed. Our water system that came with the house is faulty and produced very little water. Our garage door opener was faulty and had to be replaced. Now, the keypad to our front door is sticking and we have to enter our code 4-5x before the door unlocks. After 5 months of living in my new D.R. Horton home, I can honestly say that my experience has been terrible. They are a low quality builder who will build you a very low quality home. We are having issues that should not be happening in a newly built house.

There are so many better options, don’t make the mistake I did.

I have squeaks on both living floor and top floor which is due to the cheap construction material. Shower panel is not leveled because of uneven tile installation. Trims and baseboards are not symmetrical due to uneven drywall installation in almost entire house. Driveway and sidewalk are not in sync as they constructed the sidewalk way lower than the garage slab. Their contractor would agree to this and would suggest raising the sidewalk and level the driveway, but DRHorton can’t deviate from their made-up claims. Flooring laminate is not secured and the gaps between them are very evident. When I move heavy stuff on the flooring laminate, they displace from their original position leading to more visible gaps.

In short, buying a new DRHorton home is like draining your hard-earned money for inviting a never-ending repair project. I would never recommend anyone to buy a DRHorton home, especially in NJ-PA. I have mentioned this to the management members at DRHorton including President of NJ-PA division, Mid-Atlantic President and the CEO, and they won't even speak to it.

They would schedule inspection and never send a report afterwards. Not even for a single warranty ticket they could provide facts for what was inspected and what was found. They would make false claims to keep up with their reputation, but they are incapable of bringing facts to the table or to fix the problem. DRHorton also runs a bad practice to send letters via their attorney to warn residents from posting their reviews on public forums as it may degrade their market leader position. When I try to escalate on a warranty ticket due to lack to response/traction, they would try to harass me by sending a letter via their attorney.

They promised to correct what was wronged along with drains in the front of the house which also worked improperly. They put in one drain that has caused more issues. To add insult to injury the company they sent to install the drain, cut our cable and internet lines. This resulted in loss of wages being that we work from home. D R Horton's response was, "We don't reimburse for that." D R Horton has ignored our concerns, documented validity of our claims and refused to resolve them fully and properly. The only thing we have asked from the start is to take necessary actions to fix our yard. Unfortunately poor workmanship, shortcuts in production, and ignoring claims is the way this company operates for its clients.

One corner in the living room area is so out of square, looking at it you can only shake your head in disbelief. Now the master bath shower wall is cracking, I via D.R. Horton website a warranty request on JUST THE CRACK IN THE SHOWER, I did get a response that the request was received and a certain person would contact me, that was 4 weeks ago. I emailed the person who did respond who replied that they resent the info again. I have not gotten any other response, it's totally been ignored, I'm still waiting.

I was forced to pay a handyman out of pocket for the siding repairs and he showed how the siding boards were installed incorrectly. Several of the top nails were driven completely through the boards due to overpressure from the pneumatic nail gun. Upon further inspection, many other boards were loose from the top nails also being driven completely through with only a few other top nails holding the boards. Hardie installation instructions clearly state that the top nails should be flush but NEVER below the surface of the board. I understand that D.R. Horton pays contractors but they should stand behind their products and not simply default to the "sorry, you're past your 1 year builder's warranty" statement. I've owned four previous houses and this is my first and definitely my LAST D.R. Horton house. I am also happy to speak with a D.R. Horton representative and update this review.

-Huge chunk of a rear support column was missing and painted over, had to have warranty come out and replace the beam. They did and their contractor left cigarette butts, caulking, nails, trim scraps and trash in our yard.

That is just the major stuff, not even the minor annoyances like LED light fixtures breaking after 6 months, or the fact the exposed craftsman style moulding has un-sanded, unfinished edges, bad staining jobs on front door and banister and more. Warranty is basically worth less than the ink it's printed with. The first conversation that comes up with every neighbor is usually something about how poorly something was done and you spend 20 minutes complaining about the build quality.

Cleanliness During the Build: No dumpsters were used during the building phase so all garbage from the contractors (including beer bottles and pieces of wood) was thrown down onto the property. These were then covered over when the yard was (minimally) graded and sod put down or sidewalks laid. These items have since pushed up through the sod and the walkways are crumbling in several places where there is garbage underneath. Inside the home, similarly, carpet was laid directly over garbage. You can hear it when you step on it. Carpeting was cut to size out on the street (directly on the ground) before being brought into the home. Certain houses where sand had been dumped in the front yard had mounds of sand inside the house over the previously laid carpeting.

Quality of workmanship in the living areas: Several areas of the floor slab were left with large divots where either something heavy fell to create the hole or, in some cases, rebar was pushing up through the cement. Crown molding put up over the cabinets was not nailed properly together or to the top of the cabinets. Several pieces of crown molding or baseboards were cut either too long or too short but used anyway. Carpeting was cut too short in one bedroom and the attempted fix was like a combover of a bald spot.

Quality of Workmanship with regard to HVAC: We've had our plumbing checked (as a matter of routine) and, surprisingly, this got very high marks from the technician. However, when we had our furnace/ductwork checked, there were problems. The DR Horton builders installed a furnace (capacity) that was on the low end of acceptable. However, they also installed ductwork that was too small, too many branches, and not enough returns. What we notice is that part of the house always runs too warm or too cold. What we didn't know was that this is suffocating our heating/cooling system and essentially shortening the life of our system. Glad this was discovered. But, it is now costing us $7000 to $13,000 to fix the ductwork (depending on whether we fix all of it or just the worst parts).

So, the bottom line is, that DR Horton cheap outs and incompetence are costing us several thousand dollars to fix after less than two years in the home.