Report: Pulte Homebuilders
Category: Builders & Contractors
Pulte Homebuilders? Nightmare Homes? Good Luck suing? Rip-off Builder from HELL. *REBUTTAL *EDitor's Comments
*Consumer Comment ..manufactured homes are fine
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Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company? Victim of this person/company?
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Pulte Homebuilders
Fax:
Greenville, South Carolina, 29607
U.S.A.
Submitted: 2/23/2000 12:00:00 AM
Modified: 3/25/2008 1:37:40 PM
Lorinda
Simpsonville, SC
We bought a Pulte home in 1996, and we have lived in a NEW HOME NIGHTMARE ever since. We have the following problems with our NEW PULTE HOME!
1) All walls move when we push on one wall. We have seen the chandelier move on windy days.
2) Front and Back door leaks.
3) Out of plumb walls and uneven doorways. Cracks in and around windows and doorways.
4) Mold in doorway, ceiling and attic
5) Slab Foundation is not level.
6) Stairs barely meet code and are so steep and small that we continue to fall down them.
7) Plumbing knocks/Hammers in wall.
8) Plumbing freezes in winter.
9) We cannot heat our downstairs properly in the winter.
10) Numerous cosmetic issues that are little compared to all the major problems at this time.
Humorous Stories about our Pulte Home Corrections:
1) A dry wall sub-contractor pulled 6 corner beads off one of our corners before he could repair the corner in our foyer.
2) A nail was protruding through the ceiling so a Pulte employee repairs it by putting caulk all over nail. Now we have a glob of caulk hanging from the ceiling. He could have at least put the nail back up in the ceiling.
3) Our front door has leaked since we moved in our home in 1996. Pulte employee's caulked our front door to correct the leak, which did not work. So they came back and caulked, then caulked again and again and caulked again and again and again and again. It became a joke between us about the caulk. Even the employees were snickering. They even came back one day and used a 30 year caulk. WOW! The caulk became so unsightly that they finally had to install a board to cover up the mound of caulk. Funny huh! By the way our front and back door still leaks.
4) The vinyl floor in one of our bathrooms did not meet flush with the wall so instead of patching it or replacing to fit correctly, they just painted the floor to match the vinyl covering. Can you believe this?
5) Our back door leaks and when one of their warranty employees witnessed the water, he described it as moisture. How convenient when Pulte does not cover moisture in their protection plan. Clearly I was looking at water and Pulte's employee, somehow was seeing moisture.
As one can see we live in a nightmare home that has been like this since we moved in and has not been corrected by Pulte. Now we find out we do not have the right to jury trial because we signed a paper in our closing, that has a BINDING ARBITRATION CLAUSE. Wonderful because we cannot get a fair trial and we know we cannot sell our home and get a fair price. WHAT IS FAIR HERE??
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING WITH PULTE!
When we signed papers at our closing with Pulte Homes; we did not understand what we had signed, and were rushed through the signing of papers during closing. What believed we were signing closing documents, and did not know we were signing away our rights! The following was on one of our documents:
'This Agreement is subject to Arbitration Pursuant to the uniform Arbitration Act'...
This clause was written in our purchase agreement. What about our rights? We find out we have a binding Arbitration Clause in our contract. Now we find out we have to go to Arbitration instead of having a fair jury trial. Is this legal? How can Pulte get away with this due to our Constitution?
Our Constitution reads:
The 7th Amendment (1791) to the Constitution Of The United States guarantees trial by jury in civil actions in the Federal Courts where the amount in controversy exceeds $20.
Does this seem fair? As consumers we should put a stop to Binding Arbitration Clauses by writing our politicians!
We also signed away the warranty of habitability of our home. In Pute's contract under the heading Limitations of Liability: It states; We limit our obligations under the limited warranty to repair and replacement. The limited warranty is the only warranty applicable to this purchase. There are not other warranties...including warranty of Habitability......
It appears they do not warranty the home if you cannot live in it! Strange huh? Why buy a home if you cannot live in it?
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Updates & Rebuttals:
- Possible Solution to Your Pulte Home Nightmare [5/19/2002 3:20:13 AM]
- Frivilous Lawsuits ..Pulte devotee [5/19/2002 3:20:54 AM]
- EDitor's Comment to the above REBUTTAL [5/20/2002 11:19:05 AM]
- [5/20/2002 11:26:40 AM]
- A Quick Solution and a Comment to the resent Rebuttal April [5/27/2002 10:14:19 AM]
- RE: to Rebuttal Billie [5/27/2002 5:06:57 PM]
- I agree regarding arbitration's unfairness Cindy [5/29/2002 10:52:43 AM]
- Document Review Allen [5/30/2002 5:51:56 PM]
- EDitor's Note to the above Comment: [5/31/2002 2:37:25 AM]
- RE: Allen's response ..How much did you get paid to say such crap. April [6/3/2002 2:47:12 PM]
- Buyer Beware jagdeesh [6/11/2002 10:11:41 AM]
- EDitor's response to above REBUTTAL [6/12/2002 2:38:16 AM]
- Check with your Lender David [6/13/2002 9:48:08 AM]
- 1ST TIME HOMEOWNER ...never dreamed I'd see them on this website as a rip off home builder. Sharon [8/1/2002 9:14:31 AM]
- It didn't used to be true that you needed a lawyer, a buyers agent, and an inspector and engineer to buy a new home and be reasonably assured you were getting what you paid the builder for. Homeowner [8/12/2002 5:44:50 PM]
- Check your facts Some states REQUIRE a lawyer at closing... Bethanne [10/11/2002 9:34:57 AM]
- Regarding Editor Comments to my posting Allen [10/20/2002 7:16:37 PM]
- RE: Allen's response ..How much did you get paid to say such crap.(April-Waldorf, Maryland) Allen [10/20/2002 7:35:14 PM]
- Doing business with people you don't trust. Charles [10/27/2002 1:39:50 PM]
- First Day of ownership Susan [11/18/2002 1:10:38 PM]
- The builder's mistakes are the BUILDER'S fault Sue [11/26/2002 6:01:23 AM]
- In response to the victim... Carl [12/10/2002 9:18:17 PM]
- SC Brokers Response Tom [1/15/2003 9:00:13 PM]
- It's only 'whining' when you're a paid shill OR... CS [1/23/2003 5:38:47 PM]
- owners on the job?? Ken [1/31/2003 9:59:17 AM]
- Friend of a Pulte Homeowner in Michigan ..how such bad workmanship getting by the local inspectors Pat [2/1/2003 12:40:10 PM]
- No inspector, no attorney? Then you are partially to blame Domino [3/18/2003 8:43:58 AM]
- This has been quite the rebuttal forum and I couldn't help but join-in. Arguably, the most important and expensive investment in life is a home. Kerry [3/18/2003 6:14:31 PM]
- Pulte Homes No better or Worse Pat [3/31/2003 1:56:38 PM]
- Former Employee Accounts Payable Manager Dar [5/27/2003 2:03:18 PM]
- Not a victum, or an employee of Pulte, but I CAN RELATE!!!! AND HERES MY TWO CENTS WORTH K [7/8/2003 5:04:20 PM]
- Home Inspector is not the answer to the problem Ronald [8/22/2003 11:55:19 AM]
- Upon stumbling across this rip off complaint I have to admit I was in shock. Leana [8/24/2003 3:05:01 PM]
- Regarding leaks around doors and windows... Calvin [9/18/2003 4:05:02 PM]
- I agree re: flashing on windows! Ginger [9/21/2003 5:47:40 PM]
- We Had The Same Problem With Our Townhouse Tammy [10/3/2003 8:37:24 AM]
- Satisfied Pulte Home Owner Marjorie [11/12/2003 12:02:52 PM]
- i bought a house too, not pulte though C [7/18/2004 5:14:20 PM]
- Boys will just be boys? Darren [7/29/2004 2:25:42 PM]
- Everyone should have a lawyer!!! Andrew [11/11/2004 4:59:39 PM]
- I Also Own a Pulte Home Brian [11/23/2004 12:13:14 PM]
- Blaming the Customer is not the solution CS [11/24/2004 12:13:06 PM]
- beware, you must have a private inspector to make sure that you house is buil right Dave [12/5/2004 4:48:24 PM]
- Building insite to the consumer Daniel [1/15/2005 8:56:15 AM]
- plumber in Pulte Homes Richard [1/15/2005 6:22:45 PM]
- Non-Profit that can help Holly [8/17/2005 8:04:12 PM]
- I was a New home salesperson for 12 years and here's the scoop Melissa [9/15/2005 1:37:53 AM]
- Response to Holly in Woodstock Traci [10/4/2005 1:38:29 PM]
- 'in NO state do they suggest or incourage the new buyer or new renter to bring an attorney along' R [11/8/2005 8:57:43 AM]
- Glad I bought a Manufactured Home Lori [11/8/2005 5:43:15 PM]
- Response to the person recommending Champion manufactured homes Cindy [11/11/2005 9:59:39 AM]
- I live in a Pulte Home too Kate [11/14/2005 12:40:45 PM]
- Amazing...but true Ernesto [11/16/2005 10:04:59 AM]
- We sold to Pulte with restrictions J London [11/9/2007 11:35:46 PM]
- I worked for Pullte shortly Pultedolt [11/25/2007 5:29:25 PM]
- our dealings with pulte so far Bobby [3/25/2008 7:45:54 AM]
- manufactured homes are fine Valerie [3/25/2008 1:21:28 PM]
Possible Solution to Your Pulte Home Nightmare
It's unfortunate that had to spend your hard earn money on a makeshift home for your family.
An Attorney by the name of Isaac Byrd of Jackson Mississippi had a clients who recently filed suit against Jim Walter (Home Buidler) where the jury found Jim Walter liable and awarded $13.3 million to 3 (three) plaintiffs.
(The firm also had and Asbestos case of $150 million where the 6 (six) palintiffs were awarded 25 million each. I hope lead based paint wasn't used on your walls.)
Isaac Byrd & Associates Attorneys PROVED that the company (Jim Walter) committed fraud and breach of contract. The plaintiffs were promised a QUALITY home and this was NOT done.
I understand that you reside in SC. Byrd and Associate Attorneys' are licensed in MS, WI, IL, TX and FL. Please give them a call and tell them your situation and I guarantee they will assist you. They will probably give you the name of a REPUTABLE attorney in SC who WILL handle your case appropriately and effectively.
This is NOT a sales pitch. I don't care if you have to call 95 more attorneys....just locate an attorney who will assist you. Please don't give up. Continue to have faith.
I am in real estate and I DO understand your nightmare. I just WANT justice to be served to you and your family as justice was served to the plaintiffs listed above. I wish other Pulte Homeowners would join you and file a suit against the company as well. The more evidence the better the verdict for the plaintiffs.
As consumers, we need to put an end to deception and fraud. It is ridculous!!!
Please let the Attorney or Receptionist you speak with know that his (Isaac Byrd) niece Monique (Chicago) gave you the information.
Best wishes and many blessings.
Byrd & Associates
1-800-748-8617
Frivilous Lawsuits ..Pulte devotee
It's interesting that you feel like you're being deprived of your right to a jury trial. Binding arbitration is neutral, objective and fair. Obviously, it prevents you from getting the millions of dollars you'd like to have as a result of the 'pain and suffering' you've gone through while Pulte works to correct the problems wuith your home.
I'd even bet that they would repurchase the home for what you paid. I don't suppos that would be satisfactory to you though. So why don't you share with those of us that are interested exactly how much more than the price of your home would satisfy you? I don't expect you will and I'm sorry that the easy money isn't going to happen for you here. Good luck padding your retirment fund!
EDitor's Comment to the above REBUTTAL
Pulte devotee,
What about all the years of pain and suffering Pulte put these people through? Pulte should have settled this a long time ago and the damages would have been a lot less.
You state, just buying back the home should be enough? ..I'm sure that option was first suggested by the victims a long, long, time ago, ..hundreds and thousands of dollars of aggravation ago.
You must be a Pulte employee or just a complete idiot for saying what you have above.
What about Pulte's reputation? Go ahead, knock on a few doors of their customers who have lived in a Pulte Home for more than 8 or 10 months and then get back to us.
A Quick Solution and a Comment to the resent Rebuttal
I know many of the Pulte Homes board members personally. Pulte usually builds very nice homes to fit individuals needs, but like any Construction, there tends to be times when the contractors and subcontractors are lazy and unprofessional. As to the recent rebuttal from the 'Pulte Devote' I also like and have done alot of busines with them in the past as myself and family are in the 'Construction' business, but when this happens to someone, it does need fixed and the situation should be at what ever cost the victim seems satisfied with, not what YOU feel is right.
There is a few things legally that the homeowner can do at this point. First, contact the main office for Pulte homes, or get their address and mail them Return Recite Requested Certified Mailed letter with what you would like to see done, give them a specific amount of time (eg; 10 working days from recite of this letter) to reply to your needs, send them copies of pictures, if you have documentation of when repairs where called for and the results written down send them a copy of that, if you put any money out of your pocket send them a copy of those recites, and and all recites, documentations, pictures, etc, you should send a copy of. Address the letter to the Presisent, VP or VIP of the company.
Second, you need to contact the attorney general for SC and also send copies of everything, including your contract. Your attorney general is there to protect you. Don't bother with the BBB of SC, they never seem to want to help anyone.
Third, if there is still no resulution, contact an attorney as the editor mentioned above.
As to the Binding Arbitration, here's what you may not know: A binding arbitration in your contract is there for the company's benefit not the consumer. All that really means is that the Company (Pulte) would like you to try to work things out with their arbitration commettee. In accordance to each states and federal laws and regulations involving binding arbitrations, if this is an ongoing problem, you DO NOT have to go through arbitration, you have the right as the consumer to go about any means you deem nessasary to rid these problems and recieve satisfactory justification to these ongoing problems. You can go around this contract. The main reason for this over-riding is when the company breaches the contract in anyway it is NO LONGER VOID and VALID. So, you now have the right to sue.
Best of luck to you. If you wnat help ask the editor for my email and I will be happy to assist you in dealing with Pulte.
RE: to Rebuttal
Evidentally, you probably work for Pulte Homes.
Concerning your comments about binding arbitration. Anyone who can type on a computer can find out that binding arbitration is usually NOT an unbiased person....This third party is usually on the side of the company! (Do your homework. - BUT...you probably already knew this.)
I am also a ripped-off homebuyer.
Some people spend their life savings in order to buy a home. How would you like it if someone ripped YOU off. (The story would be alot different then, wouldn't it.)
You have no idea how it feels to get ripped-off on the biggest investment of your life.
Until you can actually walk in these people's shoes...It is my opinion that you don't know what you are talking about. This also leads me to believe you work for Pulte Homes. (Who else would take up for someone like that.)
If/when something like this happens to you...please don't cry on my shoulder. It is people like you who ENABLE the con artists to carry on their deeds.
Billie M. Teague
I agree regarding arbitration's unfairness
Another way to avoid arbitration is if you have an FHA loan, as the terms of FHA do not require it, nor do they allow any one particular method of dispute resolution to be the exclusive method, or forced upon the homeowner.
The person that said arbitration was neutral, etc, is either very uninformed, or is making up a false report to try and discredit a complaint against a builder. The person who judges in arbitration is nearly always from an arbitration company who's cash cow is the builders. The homeowner can't appeal it, and often gets a gag order so they can't talk about it.
They can't get back anything but actual repair costs, and they have to pay their lawyer from that, plus many undisclosed fees for arbitration. Yes, you do need a lawyer in arbitration, though it isn't technically required. Arbitration is often as expensive as a court trial, with undisclosed fees that quickly add up. It is designed to wear down the homeowner and make them give up, and to ensure the builder will win.
After you filed a Rip-off Report on this web site, please contact www.hadd.com for homebuilder complaints, too, if you haven't already.
Document Review
It is unfortuanate that this homeowner has encountered this situation. However, the homeowner has to shoulder some blame. Why would you sign any document without first having it reviewd by an attorney? This document review should of been done before you even agreed to buy a house from this builder. Did you have any type of home inspection done prior to move-in? I'm not talking about the typical walk through that the builder wants to do with you. The homeowner, like many new homeowners, may have been blinded by the excitement of the new home purchase process & unfortuanately a lot of these new buyers cast common sense aside.
EDitor's Note to the above Comment:
Allen,
Yeah, right! In many states the prospective home buyer is told by the builder/seller, real estate agent, and title agents that you don't need a lawyer, so they can get an opportunity to deliberately take the advantage.
Your statement is like telling a woman who has just been raped that she should have done something more to keep her panties on.
RE: Allen's response ..How much did you get paid to say such crap.
Unbelievable! How much did you get paid to say such crap. If you own a home, you know full well, no matter how many homes you own or rent, in NO state do they suggest or incourage the new buyer or new renter to bring an attorney along. It's not common sence not too. Most home owners that buy for the first time, save their hard earned money for settlement costs, the builders are quite aware of this and love it. It gives them the upper hand in situations like the above. They know these people don't have the extra hundreds or even thousands to pay for an attorney.
Not only do they, NOT RECOMMEND an attorney, but the builders and morgage companies will rush the buyer telling them things like, this paragraph just states this or that, etc. They will do everything they can to rush and decieve any facts about their contract that they can. I hope these people get everything that they're intitled to under the law. By the way, if your NOT the builder or an associate, This will in some way happen to you and if it does, no one wants to hear it.
Buyer Beware
A lot has been said and done here. the bottom line is 'Buyer Beware'.
(1) Why didn't the homeowner have an attorney present regardless of what the circumstances? Always have an attorney review all the documents. Hindsight is 20/20, but any moron buying a house should know about this
(2) What about home inspection? Didnt you get one done prior to the final walk through?
You are now proably stuck with that house and spent a lot of time and money trying to fight the injustice you think has done on you, too bad.
Buyer Beware!! Good luck with your fight
EDitor's response to above REBUTTAL
Jagdeesh,
Let me ask you if you take your lawyer with you when you fill out your credit card applications? What about when you accept the terms of service from an Internet service? Can you see how ridiculous your position is?
Do you really want to do business with companies that you mistrust so much that you must be that suspicious? If you need a lawyer when dealing with this builder, then, they aren't worth dealing with at all. Your argument supports our position.
ED Magedson
EDitor@RipoffReport.com
badbusinessbureau.com
www.ripoffreport.com
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Check with your Lender
Sorry to hear about your experience in purchasing your home.
I can certainly understand why you didn't have a lawyer present during your signing. I did not have one for the purchase of my first home either. Who does?
I would have advocated the use of a licensed Home Inpsector (as I did), but you were buying a new home and probably thought what would they find? I would have thought the same. My home is almost 100 years old so an inspection was a good idea.
You *might* have some relief if you contact your mortgage lender. They will usually not become involved between homeowner and builder, but there are exceptions to every rule. Look into it.
In addition, in the myriad of paperwork you signed at closing you should have been given some type of home warranty. FHA and VA require this as a matter of course. They usually last 10 years or so and cover *most* problems.
If not, as indicated in previous comments, consult a Real Estate Attorney (before entering into any Arbitration, *regardless* of what your contract said) and see what course of action you might have there.
Again, I feel bad your home isn't what it should be. I hope this works out for you to some satisfactory end result.
1ST TIME HOMEOWNER ...never dreamed I'd see them on this website as a rip off home builder.
First, I'd like to say that my husband and I
bought our first home nearly four years ago, and
we didn't have an attorney present with us. We
were able to take our time to look over the
paperwork, no one was rushing us to do so.
From the comments regarding Pulte Homes, it seems as if they (or the contractors) had something to hide.
My comments to the supporters of Pulte, doesn't
the responsibility fall on their part regarding
the hiring of the workers who work on the homes.
Someone mentioned in one of the rebuttals above
that the people building the homes didn't do the
job correctly. So Pulte doesn't inspect the
home's QUALITY ensuring that the customer will get
the best possible home for their investment.
The eason people don't have attorneys available is
first of all, that's an added expence to the down
payment and possible closing costs, secondly,
you don't go into a deal thing that a company
like Pulte Homes would rip you off.
I heard ofPulte and seen their ads in many new home magazines, and I never dreamed I'd see them on this website as a rip off home builder.
It didn't used to be true that you needed a lawyer, a buyers agent, and an inspector and engineer to buy a new home and be reasonably assured you were getting what you paid the builder for.
The National Association of Home Builders, and the many local home building associations they back, are pushing for less regulation, (i.e. less accountability for themselves, less legal recourse for the buyer), in the name of 'affordable housing.' Then after a builder rips you off, they tell you, 'You SHOULDA had a lawyer and an inspector...' how affordable is that? Many of the defects are hidden, and inspectors are not liable for finding them anyway. How affordable is a defective house or the lawyers fees to try and get a builder to honor the contract? It's NOT affordable! The NAHB and building industry does not care whether people can afford a home, they just want to sell MORE homes.
It didn't used to be true that you needed a lawyer, a buyers agent, and an inspector and engineer to buy a new home and be reasonably assured you were getting what you paid the builder for. But it is certainly getting that way. It isn't because home buyers are stupid, it's because home builders are getting away with more, and more severe, defects and outright fraud. The industry is corrupt, plain and simple.
A buyer used to be able to check with the state agencies, BBB, ask around a little, etc, and find out the true picture. They didn't have to bring an arsenal of expensive experts to closing, and they weren't rushed thru it. At least not in my past home buying experiences.
What consumers should REALLY be doing is refusing to agree to buy from builders who use one-sided contracts and who have numerous complaints on the internet. You can't rely on the BBB or gov't agencies to divulge complaints anymore. And buyers are too scared to harm their property value to tell the truth about their homes if you drive around the neighborhoods and ask how they liked their builder. They're often planning to cover up the defects and resell without disclosing.
It's really too bad that the increasing population is driving the increased need for housing. Consumers could easily put a stop to this without having to fight an uphill battle with politicians bought off by the building industry and the millions of dollars the building industry has to spend on it.
Arbitration is hardly fair, neutral, or cheaper--what a joke!!! In some states binding arbitration clauses are mandatory because the builders associations dictate it will be that way, and make membership in their association mandatory for all builders in that state. Quite a bit of pull for an organization that quickly tells a home buyer with a defective home, 'we don't have any authority to deal with the builder.'
Check your facts Some states REQUIRE a lawyer at closing...
I don't know about your state - but Delaware requires that there be a lawyer present at any house closing - it's the law. Now - you can let that be the sellers/builders lawyer... if you Really trust them that much, or you can shell out the $500 and retain a real estate lawyer of your very own.
From my experience on closing my house - my lawyer saved me the amount of almost his entire fee when he checked and noticed that the builder had forgotten to give me a discount rate on a tax that I got as a first time home buyer. His paralegal contacted and set up home and termite inspectors, and the like. It saved me time - which is also a good thing. And if there was a problem with the paperwork - I had recourse back at my lawyer - he was a real estate specialist after all -
I remember signing paperwork stating that if there turned out to be a problem with the paper work - I would 'help fix it' - but he was liable for fines.
anyway - you should check out Pulte Homes in Delaware - if my memory serves - there was a big blow up about similar mistakes and problems in a development in New Castle County about a year and a half ago. And they were supposed to be high end homes.
Regarding Editor Comments to my posting
(Editor Response) Yeah, right! In many states the prospective home buyer is told by the builder/seller, real estate agent, and title agents that you don't need a lawyer, so they can get an opportunity to deliberately take the advantage.
(My Response) Again, you are trying to pass blame on to someone other than the buyer. Of course they are going to tell you that you don't need an attorney for document review. It is up to the BUYER to protect themselves. The SELLER certainly won't do it.
RE: Allen's response ..How much did you get paid to say such crap.(April-Waldorf, Maryland)
April:
You are correct no state will advise you to have an attorney present. It is up to you as the prospective buyer to protect yourself. It is the BUYER who allows 'them' to obtain the upper hand.When you are ready to spend the kind of money that is required for any home, why would you not think to protect your interests first?
Concerning your comments on being 'rushed' by the builder and/or mortgage company to sign documents. Again, if the 'BUYER' allows this to happen, they deserve what they get. I find it hard to believe that any person would sign any document that contains verbage which they don't understand!
Concerning your last comment, I am in no way associated with the builder or any of their entities. I am a consumer like you. I have (2) homes which I purchased using the expertise of a real estate attorney. I can tell you that the $750-$1000 that it cost me for each property was well worth it. I did not sign any documents which I did not understand & all documents were reviewed prior to my closing on the homes.
Doing business with people you don't trust.
The editor questions why do business with a firm if you think you need a lawyer?
Even honest men/women can have different interprtaions of what is fair. The buyer seems to have been unclear about his rights to recourse. A lawyer would have gone over the documents and explained the contents and explained what they mean to the buyer. I do not use a lawyer any more, but I have in the past for the first 2 or 3 homes I have bought. unless there is something specific that concerns me, I feel I have enough experience to wade through the fine print. It is worth the price for your self content.
This site has spared me many a headache. I have checkedf products and companys that may have cost me a lot of money and trouble. Certainly a lot of the complaints are personal, but if there is enough smoke ther is a fire.
Needless to say, I was interested in a Pulte home, but now will think twice.
First Day of ownership
My son and daugther-in-law looked at a Pulte house a year ago and after hearing of a bad report on on Pulte on Dateline (?) or one one of those shows they did not buy. Pulte called them several times and finally made them an offer (a year later) that they felt they couldn't refuse.
They bought the model house that had been used as a sales office for a year. They closed their loan on tuesday and on wednesday I was helping to unpack and started using the dishwasher when the downstairs commode started gurgling. Then green, really green water started backing up in the commode. We called the plumber and they came out about an hour later. After about 3 hours and 5 workers later they said they had fixed the problem. When asked about why this happened they said some guy had thought a valve was needed leading outside that was causing the problem so they removed it. When I questioned them more they admitted there had been the same problem while being used as a model and sales office but the water had not been green at that time.
Also, I was concerned that even though the interest rate had dropped they were not allowed to lower to the current rate for the same selling price. This was all handled by Pulte. Needless to say I have many concerns for my son and his wife in this home. Especially with a baby on the way.
They also were put off closing their loan til it was convenient for Pulte. I suggested they ask for compensation but I don't know if they did or not.They have only been in their house for about 2 weeks and I fear this is only the beginning.
The builder's mistakes are the BUILDER'S fault
Allen from PA said: 'Again, you are trying to pass blame on to someone other than the buyer.' which is a pretty lame defense...OF COURSE it isn't the buyer's fault if the builder made errors or violated the contract.
The buyer did not build it wrong, PULTE did, and PULTE should make things right. Blaming the Victim is a game builders play. What if you had surgery and your doctor told you it was YOUR fault he left his forceps in your bladder?
Who is the 'professional' selling a product and service here? The builder! If the builder screws up, the builder is at fault, and their ways of ripping people off evolve faster than the lawyers are able to keep up with. Just try being an owner of a defective home and you'll find out really fast that in most states it's hard to even find a lawyer who's up to speed on builder scams.
If they know anything about this, it's probably because they're working for the builders and helping them formulate new sneaky ways to hide shortcuts and write biased contracts. Lawyers are NOT the answer... holding builders accountable IS the answer.
In response to the victim...
I am a Real Estate Agent in Va. I have also seen Pulte attempt to wrong to my personal clients which is the reason this catches my attention.
Although, I do not believe the problem is with Pulte exclusively. 'Most' builder contracts are 'equally' as one sided. If the buyer does something wrong it ends up costing them. If the builder does something wrong they have the right to walk away from the deal in most cases.
Anyway, how we solved our problem is we..(the buyer and myself) went on a letter writing / emailing campain to anyone and any organization that would listen..mentioning Pulte employees by name. It was alot of copying and pasting but we did get satisfaction from Pulte in the end because of all the bad press we were starting to generate. Keep your head up! You can do it!!!!!
Submitted: 1/15/2003 9:00:13 PM
Modified: 1/21/2003 8:00:46 PM
Tom
Charleston, South CarolinaU.S.A.
SC Brokers Response
I have been a real estate broker in SC for 18 years and in that time I have never been to a closing where there was not a real estate attorney representing the buyer. Furthermore enough of the whining about bad workmanship or missrepresentation you are all adults so stop crying about your homes. I would like to know how many of you had your home inspected by a licensed professional prior to closing and if you did't why not? Your home is the largest investment you will make, why wouldn't you have it inspected? Everybody who has had home problems seems to be computer literate so why didn't you spend some of your time researching prior to purchasing your home????
It's only 'whining' when you're a paid shill OR...
I'ts only 'whining' when you're a paid shill, or maybe a person that bought the builder's line of crap, hook line and sinker. You know the line of crap I'm talking about...that 'everyone's suing their builder over cosmetic imperfections and it's driving up the cost of housing...' PUH-LEASE.
A defective house is not affordable in the least, and these people are complaining about major problems not paint drips. Besides, builders like Pulte, etc, all claim such glowing satisfaction rates, in the high 90 percent...who the heck is suing them, then, that they have to pay lobbyists to remove our consumer protection at the state and U.S. capitol? People that think this is 'whining' REALLY need to have this happen to them. Pull your head out and look at what's going on here...a severely defective house is something people should be SCREAMING about, and anyone that says they shouldn't must be a paid shill or a complete idiot.
owners on the job??
i don't understand why people would buy a home from a 'large' builder. the owners of the company are never on the jobsite. they get paid the same each week, wether the house is built right or wrong. the 'foreman' on the job probably only makes about 25k a year and has never built a house in his life.
these 'large' builders put all the subcontractors bids in a pile and pick the lowest price. folks, the lowest price is usually the dumbest moron who just went into business for himself last week and will be out of business in 1 year.
cheapest price DOES NOT mean quality. does Yugo ring a bell??!!
when you are going to commit to the largest purchase of your lifetime, use a custom builder. sure it make cost you a little now, but look at the big picture. the owner usually is available to the customer at all working hours. they have actually built houses before and understand the 'process'. they will answer questions and explain the process. word of mouth is everything. ask for references.
talk to home owners. choose a builder that has been in business five years or more that only builds ten to thirty homes a year. they care about you, it's their livlyhood.
i am not a builder and i don't own a construction company.no, i am not a subcontractor either.
Friend of a Pulte Homeowner in Michigan ..how such bad workmanship getting by the local inspectors
I have heard rumors of the Pulte orginization losing their builders license in Michigan back in the 1980's. Coincidently, they moved to the Southeast. Funny to see this story here. The homes in the Detroit Suberbs built by Pulte in the 1970's have one of the worst reputations around the City of Detroit and have a lower resale value as well.
My friend owns an older Pulte home and I recently changed out the Air Conditioner because it was way undersized and the furnace is undersized as well. This was and is a major complaint for most of these older homes. The home seems to be built like a cracker box in construction, bad widows etc..
Pulte is back in Michigan building homes but has a better reputation and is building higher end homes as the one illustrated in the beggining of this story.
My big question is how such bad workmanship is getting by the local inspectors, such bad workmanship like that that is shown would not fly up here, but that is why our homes cost twice as homes down south. Some things do get by, but you get what you pay for. Most of our inspectors were in the field at one time and do a great job of policing crappy workmanship and reputation is very important.
I have built a few homes and my suggestion is to talk with people who have recently bought in the subdivision and see if they are happy or not.
Good Luck.
Submitted: 3/18/2003 8:43:58 AM
Modified: 3/18/2003 12:45:52 PMDomino
West Bloomfield, MichiganU.S.A.
No inspector, no attorney? Then you are partially to blame
I own a Pulte home in Michigan built 20 years ago. We bought it from the original owners which couldn't be happier with it. They just had a new home built and choose Pulte to build for them a 2nd time. This is my 3rd house, and it's the best build quality of all. 20 years later, everything is solid in the house -- even has the original windows which are holding up nicely.
We hired an inspector, as EVERYBODY should ALWAYS do before buying a home, and the inspector was very impressed with the build quality -- and we hired a 'tough' inspector because we wanted to know prior to closing exactly what we were getting into. He found a few minor things but nothing atypical. This is a common and recommended thing to do before buying a house. In fact, most purchase agreements have it typed into the default agreement that the sale is contingent upon passing an inspection. Same thing with a realtor/attorney. If you choose to not hire one to look after your best interests then THAT IS YOUR FAULT. These people have jobs for a reason, and part of that is to help
In response to Pat's comment 'Pulte homes have lower resale' this is total nonsense -- at least up here in Michigan it is. I suggest you pick up a few real estate magazines and see for yourself or go talk to some real estate agents before making such an inaccurate comment. The Pulte subdivision I live in the house values go up by $20,000-$30,000 a year.
Now I'm not saying that Pulte hasn't had it's problems. Surely they've done some people wrong out there and I believe they should take care of these people. It all comes down to the contractors that were hired to build the homes. Every market area is going to be a different type of quality because of the contractors they hire in each area. Some places have excellent workmanship by the contractors, and some are poor. But the point of all of this is you should have hired a good inspector and an attorney/agent before this mess started. That could have saved you all these problems right off the bat.
This has been quite the rebuttal forum and I couldn't help but join-in. Arguably, the most important and expensive investment in life is a home.
I understand the over-whelming excitement, but commonsense and LOTS of homework are necessary. 'Ed-the-editor's' rebuttal was nonsense! We're not talking about a credit card app. or an Internet purchase. Tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake here. If an attorny isn't at the signing, or doesn't review the contract before signing, then commonsense or LOTS of homework would dictate NOT to sign. Who gives a rugrats butt if the seller is uncomfortable with that? A reputable seller, builder, or lender would insist that the buyer understand the terms, to protect both parties. I do understand your plight and sympatize with your situation. Go with your gut, not your heart. The best of luck with Pulte. I hope you both find an equitable resolution.
Pulte Homes No better or Worse
I am an independant contractor. I have done trim carpentry contract work for Pulte Homes in the midwest for 10 years. I've seen very happy and very miserable Pulte customers.
Pulte Home Builders are no better or worse than the majority of builers. They are a very large company and sell many homes so they probally incur a good portion of criticism. I would like to list some observations of my experiences at Pulte Homes.
Pulte uses average grade construction materials of adequate quality.
Pulte does not provide a option for stained wood trim in any house that I've worked on. The trim material is a fingerjoined primed poplar. It's ok but it can only be painted.
The electrical and plumbing fixtures, cabinets, flooring materials, doors, windows and door hardware, are not top of the line nor are they junk. The closest I can come to describing them is 'contractor quality' You make the judjement on that.
They build homes on a very tight construction schedule with few delay's.
The construction sites are well organized and relatively clean.
They use the same sub-contractors for years.
They have curb apeal, good for resale.
They don't pay as well as other builders but do pay consistently.
They have a responsive service department.
Pulte is a large company that builds a decent home. They want to maximize profits and cut costs. What does that mean to you? Well it means ask the saleman questions. What type and grade of materials will be used? Everything from the paint used on the walls to the thickness of the exterior vinyl siding to the grade of hardwood used on the floor. You have a right to know what your buying!
Submitted: 5/27/2003 2:03:18 PM
Modified: 5/27/2003 9:38:48 PM
Dar
St. Joseph, MichiganUnited States Minor Outlying Islands
Former Employee Accounts Payable Manager
I worked for Pulte in Tampa, Florida many years ago and left on good terms (pregnancy leave and to become a fulltime mom). I am ashamed that I ever worked there.
Sadly it was the policy to build homes as cheaply and quickly as possible - damn the longterm consequences. In fact, no one in our branch ever used Pulte to build their homes - we knew the bait and switch to inferior products and what was put in the models was of much higher quality than what would ever go into the tract homes.
With the 'so-called' warranty, many new home owners thought they did not need an inspector. Even those who were going VA/FHA had inspectors who could easily be duped into believing the building specs were as promised. The only way a new home owner would know would to be present 24/7 while the home was being built - and even then unless they saw the bills of lading for the building products - they would never know what went into the house wasn't as it had been advertised or specified.
Our 'unwritten' policy was to give the runaround to vendors and take every opportunity to avoid paying late charges or providing refunds of deposits.
I personally will not ever buy a Pulte home or allow a friend to purchase a Pulte home. Disgruntled employees have reason to fear ever speaking out against Pulte. Thank heaven I'm no longer in the industry or will ever need them for a reference.
Good luck to all of you fighting with Pulte.
Not a victum, or an employee of Pulte, but I CAN RELATE!!!! AND HERES MY TWO CENTS WORTH
I CAN and DO sympathize with each and every one of you.
I have been the victim of a very very similar situation with my 'new' home. I have been here for 2 years and 2 months. I have been fighting my builder since the second month I moved here.
Water leaks inside door, electrical problems, mold due to moisture intrusion, cracks in the slab, going through the entire home from front, through to the back as you can SEE the crack underneath the vinyl-since its soooo cheap and thin. Water standing in yard, the entire home is sitting in water, I am afraid.
NO one wants to help, no one cares, the New Home warranty is usually just as good at giving the runaround as the builder, so THATS a dead end.
I have contacted the BBB, to no avail. The builder didnt even respond, so they said...'oh well' didnt even post my complaint, or show that there was one......
I thought that since this was a new home, i wouldnt have to have an inspector, but also, I thought that because I purchased a home that was built for the US Dept of Agriculture/Rural Development, and they do inspections. Dumb mistake....they only come in and do a slight visual.
The county inspectors here, dont even show up most of the time.. and when asked to see my certificate of occupancy where everything checked to code....THEY COULDNT FIND IT...how convenient.
whats worse, there are at least 20 homes in the sub with the same problems, in the exact same places, back door leaks, etc....When I went to model to complain, THEY even had the same problem, which magically disappeared with a little paint.
WHATS WORSE???? I work at a Real Estate Company, and I should have known better!!!
My out?? At least so far....since my loan was funded through a government dept., I complained to HUD. Washington office,.....THAT got results, as they are the guaranteers of the loan repayment for me, and when they got in trouble, they started going to bat for me! They informed the builder, 30 days, or they would not build another home for the government again.
I got the back door fixed. WEll, no, actually, I got the 30 lbs of caulk as done in one of the postings.. I can relate to THAT. I say, they must have a lot of stock in that company, thats all they ever did to fix anything.
For now, its not leaking,
I am going to hire an inspector. I am going to see what is what. How bad is it? I will present that report to the govt. dept. and see.
Its not about being stupid, or careless, or good, or bad. Its about people not standing behind or being proud of the quality of their work.
Bottom line.....doesnt matter how big your company is, or how well known, the work is only as good as the goof balls you have working for you!! You get a bunch of folks that cant even speak good english, well, what do you expect.
Home Inspector is not the answer to the problem
I just wanted to make a quick comment about so called licenced home inspectors. I am a real estate investor and own many single family homes. I have never found a home inspector that was worth the money that I paid for his services. Without fail, each and every time that I used the services of a home inspector problems later came up that the inspector should have found. Many of these problems were things that I would have found myself without any formal training at all. Simple things, like the toilet not being attached to the floor, or windows that don't lock. I could go on and on but this is not about my problems. The way I fixed the problem, I became smart on the subject. I went to my local home builders supply store and bought a book on inspecting homes, you can also get books at any library on the subject. Know I do all my own inspections. It is a great way to know your property inside and out. I know this is a little off of the subject matter, but what I am saying is that home inspectors are not the answer. Many states have no requirements at all governing who can call themself a home inspector. Buyer Beware.
Upon stumbling across this rip off complaint I have to admit I was in shock.
My husband and I purchased a Pulte home in 2002. We have been extremely satisfied with our home as is everyone in our community. Pulte has always worked very quickly on any complaint we have had. Pulte had us do walk-throughs three times while the house was being built, from the foundation being poured to the final house being built Pulte welcomed and encouraged buyer participation and inspection and our home supervisor was always willing to meet us to explain any questions we had.
After moving in to our home it was discovered (by Pulte on a 3 month walk through) that the windows that the contractor had put in were the wrong size (barely) and as soon as stormy season hit would start leaking (we moved in during the dry part of summer). They had the window contractor replace 20 of the 25 windows in our home. When we broke a water line in our front yard (our fault) Pulte gladly repaired it for us only charging us for the part.
We have never had a complaint from any of our neighbors about their homes and in fact we often talk about the other builders in the area and what poor construction they do.
As with all companies and businesses, there are going to be bad things that happen. No one can build a quality product every time without a mistake somewhere along the way especially with as many homes as they build and as many different contractors involved in each building.
I do have one question for the original poster of this thread. Did you not have to go through a customer orientation and final walk through on your home before closing? You never noticed at that time that the walls moved? Or that the linoleum didnt meet up or any of the other things?
Also during our closing we had a title company employee, an employee from our mortgage company and my husband and I present. We were never rushed and we made sure to read through all papers. We saw the arbitration agreement and since 'WE' had done a thorough inspection of our home before coming to closing AND had made sure that ALL repairs were done before signing we were not concerned with it. In fact, Pulte required that the home be signed off on before they would allow us to close.
I would say that the buyer in this instance does need to shoulder some of the blame for things.
Regarding leaks around doors and windows...
Regarding leaks around doors and windows...
Caulk cannot do everything; make sure flashing was used where appropriate.
I agree re: flashing on windows!
Many builders don't use any type of window flashing, an important step to keep windows from leaking. Even if they caulk or use some other shortcut method, it will not hold! It might hold just long enough for your warranty and statute of limitations to run out though. It is true that SOME people do have a good experience with builders who have other customers who are unsatisfied. If every single customer was unhappy they would not stay in business. But for some strange reason, many will figure that one happy person negates one unhappy person...this is not reality. In reality, the defective homes need to be fixed no matter if it's one person complaining, or 5% or 50% of the customers. Nothing negates defects or a warranty that's not being honored, period.
We Had The Same Problem With Our Townhouse
My boyfriend purchased a three story townhome three years ago from Pulte. Over the past six months we've discovered problems we would have never predicted. We had a problem where something in the ceiling started leaking, we had no idea what it was, and it stopped after an hour so we forgot about it. About two months later the ceiling started leaking in a different area profusely. We thought it was the shower stall in the mastar bathroom so we started using the jacuzzi/shower in it's place until we could get the problem fixed. This created a whole new leak. My boyfriend contacted Pulte to try and resolve the situation. They sent out one of their foreman to look and it was determined that our dryer vent was leaking, not the shower, but that the jacuzzi/shower also had a leak. The foreman that was sent left the house promising to have the plumber come out and fix the problem, etc., etc. No more than an hour later the foreman called the house and said he had talked to his supervisor and that this was out of warrenty and he would not fix anything. Knowing that this had to be fixed my boyfriend went ahead and hired a plumber to come out and fix the jacuzzi/shower but he was unable to fix the dryer vent. Apparantly the tubes for the plumbing connecting to the jacuzzi weren't even connected and the water was draining into the ceiling! Thinking that the dryer vent needed to be cleaned we hired someone to come out and clean it. The thing wasn't even dirty but it was filled with water. You wouldn't even believe the water that came pouring out of the ceiling. We allowed it to drain and kept calling Pulte to try and resolve the issue. Meanwhile, we were forced to go to the laundry mat every weekend to get our laundry done. Again, at our expense. Pulte still refused to cover any repairs because the items were out of warrenty. Did I mention that the original foreman that came out cut about three holes in the ceiling of our first floor? Finally one of the supervisors come out and he agreed to fix the drywall because his guy cut the holes. We contacted the county and had an inspector come out and investigate. According to the inspector the dryer vent was in violation of code. We informed the supervisor at Pulte of this, and after a three months work of phone calls, reminders, aggrevation, and frustration Pulte has finally agreed to fix it. The dryer vent was reinstalled to code standards, the drywall will be fixed, and they are going to paint the ceiling. We won't be reimbursed for the plumbing or other expenses we incurred but at least they are doing something. Of course we were told over the phone that they would take care of us, as if they are doing us a favor, but if any of our neighbors have this problem they'll have to pay for it. Even though every dryer vent is in violation of code. We are happy we're getting ours taken care of, so the only thing I can recommend is to keep pounding the pavement. I know it's a lot of work and very aggrevating, but if you bug them enough and threaten bad publicity and lawsuits, they may come around and settle with you to avoid all that.
Satisfied Pulte Home Owner
I did not read all of the rebuttals here, but I feel I need to comment and let people know that I am a SATISFIED Pulte Homeowner. If you look at all the PULTE complaints here, you will see what states there is a problem in. I live in Florida, where many builders are ripping people off. I have toured many many new homes this year just to get ideas for my own home. I have lived in a Pulte home for 6 years and the only problem I have had is two nails popping on the cieling in a small downstairs bathroom under the stairway. THAT IS IT !!
I have called Pulte in the past to find out the manufacturer of my sliding glass door because I wanted to make a repair myself that was un related to the building process. They were courteous and efficient and provided me the name and phone number of the distributor that supplied the door. I have seen a horrendous amount of shoddy work in the newer homes I have toured built by many other builders. When my home was being built I had the benefit of living nearby and I was here EVERY SINGLE Day and walked the property and took pictures. If there was something I did not like or that was not what I requested... I let them know about it. At first they did my master bath flooring wrong. I complained and it was fixed. The point is... the shoddy work is by the contractor hired by Pulte. It appears that the contractors are not watched as closely in some areas of the country and Pulte is to blame for that.
I for one am a Satisfied PULTE Customer. My home is currently up for sale... wanna make an offer !!
i bought a house too, not pulte though
As a first time home buyer in 2002, I bought a newly built home.
people will say many things about what you should do or should have done, after the fact. I' m very guilty of this too.
to purchase something so grand as a home is very exciting which causes us to lose our minds something. we make pure emotional decisions while trying to think logically at the same time.
I cannot say who the builder is because I am under settlement terms,
But let me say this. after documentation from the second month, reading my warranty 26 times, my documents I signed 27 times. everything put in front of me i read.
companies know when ever there is a battle to fight, most people do not want the head ache of fighting, they make promises, trying to use up your time to get you out of warranty.
they expect you to become intimidated, and still make pr