Pulte Homes

I asked two questions regarding the title and she talked down to me like ”How dare you ask me any questions.” Little did she know that I was a Real Estate Broker/Realtor in my last career. I was wondering to myself if she talks down to everyone or just Hispanics. Don’t know but she needs to be reported for talking that way to anyone! This was on Nov 21st 2019 and they are conducting closing in the garage of one of the model homes in Buckeye. The Pulte loan and financing try and confuse people because they are crooks. The only decent one was the sales guy, Ken. The construction was ok. They just haven’t gotten the code device on the garage.

1. Fireplace malfunctioned due to faulty switch and shorted out - 2011, right after warranty expired, repairman determined mis-wire on installation.

2. Siding not properly attached at points - PULTE notified while under warranty...their solution was to drive a screw in to prop up siding which dropped again after 6 months but warranty expired.

3. Wooden post in crawl space and lack of vapor barrier...both reported while under warranty, neither fixed despite them saying it was complete. We are old and can’t crawl under our house to see. Learned of no fix after recent roof inspection that happened to include crawl space in package. Now our problem.

4. Nail pops in several rooms.

5. Microwave malfunction due to short in line. Took multiple calls and letters from two experts I retained to convince PULTE that We were concerned about a fire starting for them to come look at it. We insisted they trace wiring, they found a screw drilled through the electrical line...that they said was from our homeowner installed air conditioning. WE DID NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING AND NO ONE BUT PULTE REPS HAD EVER BEEN IN OUR ATTIC.

6. ROOF LEAK 18 months after purchase...dead valley in roof not built or repaired properly. Long story here but years of complaints about a slow leak that would come and go. They never constructed or repaired it correctly. This year...we retained an attorney and made demands. PULTE admitted they tried to fix it but we were now out of warranty and it was no longer their problem.

Our attorney said...they (PULTE) were not only un-Christian like...but just ** to not make it right. We spent $5000 on inspection, repair and attorney fees and lost in small claims due to the wording in their warranties regarding leaks. They sent their VP of finance to defend the case. Not a construction expert...but their finance guy....that tells the story. The money will be replaced but watch for us on social media...and maybe the news here in Washington because we are going to tell our story much the same way they repeatedly ignored our complaints....over and over and over again until we make them as miserable as they made us when all we wanted was a home we could feel safe and secure living in as we grow old.

Our neighbors all have stories too but the best was from our local fireman neighbor who they refused to respond to his personal electrician’s concerns about the installation of canned lights...evidently they were a tragedy in the making and our neighbor had to remind PULTE that HE WAS A FIREMAN in our city before they acquiesced and retired his whole house. BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL WHEN MAKING A DECISION TO BUY A PULTE OR CENTEX BUILT HOME!!!

Actually the electrician came, inspected the area and said this is the roof causing the problem, not the fan electrical, and told me that the area was bad due to water. Call Pulte warranty again, this time they send a person to fix the roof. Well, work is finished. But I asked, "How about drywall?", the person said drywall is not his problem. Call Pulte again, and this time the Pulte warranty representative said that no mold problem no fix. I just need to wait until mold develop and and show him the picture as a proof. Since from day 1 when I created the ticket, this representative never show up at my house to check ==> unbelievable professional???? Probably a superman>???

Carpet unraveling due to not being installed properly. Fixed in a poor way with exposed carpet backing on section where the carpet threads already came out. Kitchen and laundry room cabinets that *bend* when you put normal everyday items on them like dishes in the kitchen and laundry detergent in the laundry room. The cabinets are worse quality than Ikea! We were told the cabinet shelves won't be replaced unless they bend so much that they break. Some of our brand new cabinets have already had to be replaced because of installation/material quality issues. One wall stud wasn't even nailed into place, we could move it sideways with 1 finger. Other studs are not properly nailed into place either. The warranty manager asked if our own contractor could nail them into place instead of Pulte employees!

A toilet wouldn't flush properly and the warranty manager (in writing) tried to lie and state that that's how low-flow toilets worked - meanwhile we have 2 other toilets of the same design that flushed properly. After 4+ months of back and forth Pulte finally paid for a plumber to fix the toilet (it took 3 minutes and two simple adjustments). HVAC system stopped working twice in the summer, with 4 visits necessary from AC technicians due to incorrect sump pump discharge routing. The issue took legal threats and months of back and forth to get fixed - and the core issue was over a $3 section of pipe that need to be added for the sump discharge and routed to a drain.

Interior wall drooping and crooked on one side. Mostly fixed after 4+ attempts - but still not all the way straight. Missing shingles on roof with exposed building envelope allowing water to enter. Fixed after weeks of legal threats and several visits from the Pulte warranty manager. I've heard Pulte is being sued in North Caldwell because of water intrusion issues across their property there. Windows that don't open and close properly - ALL latches had to be replaced because they were filled with drywall dust. Now some windows make terrible noises when opening and closing - and we've been told we just have to "wear them in." Every single window (except one that had to be replaced because it was installed with a broken frame and one window in a bathroom) is difficult to open because the window openings were not built square.

Based on information provided to us, we placed our home on the market in June 2019, and thankfully it sold quickly. However, we have now been living in a hotel in excess of three months while the closing date on our home has been delayed 3+ times! We are now into Nov 2019 with no indication of an actual date when we can occupy the home. And our contract states that the builder can delay closing with no expectation for them to reimburse us for living expenses.

My living expenses exceed what I would pay on the new house mortgage. And did I say, we have already signed closing documents and transferred a half million dollars into escrow! That money is no longer earning any interest while we wait for a closing date that we can’t rely on! If you have a choice, don’t do business with this company in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA! I can’t believe a large company, already into phase 4 of a build process, can’t give a legitimate closing date!

It also appears that the structural board is not installed correctly. My bedroom floor upstairs shakes so badly when the back door shuts my whole bed shakes! I have asked several times for the paperwork to show who inspected and signed off on the house but Pulte are not providing me with that paperwork! I wish I had never bought this house. The stress it’s caused is effecting my health, I can’t sleep. I often feel completely depressed. Does anyone in Texas already have a class action lawsuit filed that we can join in on?

Pulte has decided to bail out on anyone with one of those digital cooktops they contracted for. My warranty specialist told me the other day that I'm on my own. When I asked for his supervisor, he called me a couple days later. I was asked to give it a day or two to see if he could work something out. That was more than a week ago and we've heard nothing. We have not been able to cook now for more than a month on a stove top. Pulte, when are you going to do what any other good manufacturer does today? Stand behind your customers instead of your vendors.