McBride and Sons Homes - Vantage Homes Bait, Switch, and Relentlessly Screw Chesterfield, Missouri

In my opinion, the builder is the business of bait and switch. The company advertised prestige homes in the beginning at prices well over $500K and then unilaterally changed the association's indentures behind the backs of its original customers so it could mix in $190K homes. As a result, the subdivision is a revolting hodge podge of mismatched architectures. The builder also backslid on its offer of standard paved driveways and the result is an unsightly juxtaposition of plain cement and cobblestone. Prospective buyers should cruise through the subdivision and witness roof lines "plunge" and "skyrocket" between units. It's as though Lionel and HO scale train sets are being combined together! I had over 62 items on my original punch list at closing. Close to a year later, major items problems have not been resolved. Problems are still being discovered and soon, the cumulative list of defects will grow to 100! Caveat emptor. Before you sign a contract check out the clause about the buyer paying a fine for not closing at the time of the builder's choosing. The likely result is a half-baked home that you are legally bound to accept. Also, check out the dictatorial nature of the association bylaws, which the builder can modify at any time to suit himself. The homeowners themselves will have no say until the year 2010. On top of all this, as you access this Frankenstein like community, you will be greeted by newly established porn-palace and the nasty societal elements such establishments breed. Access to this project is poor and over infrastructure that is heavily damaged by concrete trucks. If you bring this up with a representative, ignore all claims that an access road to Zumbehl Rd. is being contemplated in 2010. Document all promises like these in writing. ...It's now been close to two years since closing on this home and the structure still isn't complete. Most importantly, what Vantage Homes promised as a prestige community is closer to a housing project, complete with overglorified army barracks. Their advertisements should read "boring little cookie cutter homes for sale," and I guarantee you, they are just that. Beware of the project manager who will promise the sky, deliver nothing, and spontaneously transform from deceptively sweet to overtly insulting. This 'gentleman' is rapidly lowering standards so far in this subdivision that soon, roofs will be optional! Most of all, fear the Vantage president who ignores all pleas for ethics and morality and whose only interest is fattening his wallet. No one, absolutely no one, is content with Vantage, so avoid this project as you would the plague! In short, Vantage is a company that has broken many hearts. They have robbed many of the opportunity of owning a prestige home within a setting of other prestige homes. We watch with great concern as the Vantage slum grows around us. And yes, there is no access road to Zumbehl. In fact, the City of St. Charles is considering the closing of its highway 94 entrance to this soon to be isolated free-for-all... If you are a potential buyer, do the smart thing and knock on a few doors. The builder works hard to isolate the lookers from the residents as part of their extensive spin control campaign. Many basement foundations have severely cracked and even caved in. The large majority of owners, even the third tier, are up in arms over the newest display model that is just barely over the minimum zoning size. Further, there is no real carfree maintenance of the yards, Just ask real residents, not the builder or its minions. Here's some important advice... 1. Have an attorney carefully read the association indentures. They're loaded with "gotchas." Further, make sure you have the most recent indentures, the one loaded with many new amendments serving only the builder. 2. Insist on 20% of your down payment be placed in escrow, until you are satisfied with the job. That is entirely within your rights. 3. Hire a professional home inspector to critique your new purchase. 4. If you are interested in owning at Hollow Brook, you are buying into a tense and divided community. 5. "McBride" and "Vantage" are really one and the same. 6. Ask about the builder "loaning" the association (which is controlled by the builder) money to cover builder-incurred debts. and the special assessments and monthly fee hikes that have resulted.