“THINKING OF HAVING PULTE BUILD YOU A HOME? THINK AGAIN!
WE ARE POSTING THIS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE TERRIBLE QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDED TO US BY PULTE HOMES, THE NATION’S THIRD LARGEST HOME BUILDER DURING THE ONGOING, 2-YEAR NIGHTMARE IT HAS BEEN SINCE WE SIGNED A SALES CONTRACT FOR A NEW HOME BUILD IN LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLORIDA. “PULTE” IS PRACTICALLY A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN THIS COUNTRY, YET WE FEAR THE VAST MAJORITY OF PROSPECTIVE HOMEBUYERS HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAR THE COMPANY, WHICH ONCE HAD AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR BUILDING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HOMES, HAS FALLEN.
WE ARE POSTING IN ORDER TO TELL OUR STORY SO THAT PROSPECTIVE BUYERS UNDERSTAND THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY TOO MAY EXPERIENCE THIS LEVEL OF DISAPPOINTMENT IF THEY CHOOSE THIS BUILDER. WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO FEEL THIS WAY. THIS SITE AND OTHER SITES ON THE INTERNET ARE FULL OF SIMILAR POSTINGS FROM INNUMERABLE OTHER BUYERS AROUND THE COUNTRY. MANY OF THEM CONTAIN THEMES THAT WE, TOO, HAVE EXPERIENCED.… “RUSHED TO CLOSING BEFORE THE HOME WAS ACTUALLY DONE,” “THEIR QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP WAS TERRIBLE,” “THEIR WORKERS ARE RUSHED BY THE BOSSES AND MANY OF THEM SEEM UNQUALIFIED,” “ONCE THEY HAD OUR MONEY, THEY STOPPED CARING,” “WARRANTY WILL HANDLE IT,” AND “WE WISH WE’D NEVER DONE BUSINESS WITH THEM.”
WHEN WE SPECIFIED ALL THE UPGRADES WE WANTED FOR THIS HOME... HURRICANE GLASS WINDOWS AND DOOR WALLS, TOP-OF-THE-LINE CABINETRY, WIDE-PLANK FLOORING, UPGRADED INTERIOR DOORS, HIGH-END APPLIANCES, A POOL/SPA WITH A FEATURE WALL, TEMPERED GLASS SHOWER STALLS, UPGRADED COUNTERTOPS AND TILE FLOORING, ETC. WE HAD NO IDEA HOW OFTEN WE WOULD BE DEALING WITH DAMAGED MATERIAL, SHODDY WORKMANSHIP AND CANCELLED OR REPEATED REPAIR VISITS. EVEN MORE DISGUSTING, WE NEVER THOUGHT THAT THE WARRANTY REPS AND THEIR LEADERS WOULD BE SO NUMB TO OUR CONCERNS. APPARENTLY THEY'VE ALL JUST SEEN IT TOO MANY TIMES BEFORE!
AFTER OVER TWO YEARS OF THIS DEBACLE, IT IS NOT JUST THE UNFINISHED TASKS WE ARE STILL WAITING ON, THE POOR QUALITY AND POOR WORKMANSHIP OR THE NUMEROUS CANCELLED APPOINTMENTS AND FAULTY MATERIAL DELIVERIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE… IT IS THE TERRIBLE HUMAN TOLL THAT THIS HAS TAKEN WITH THE ACCUMULATION OF ALL THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STRESS THAT COMES WITH THOSE THINGS. PULTE HAS ESSENTIALLY STOLEN TWO YEARS OF OUR LIVES AND STILL THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE!
WE HAVE TRIED TO DO EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER TO END THIS 2-YEAR NIGHTMARE. WE’VE SENT HUNDREDS OF EMAILS, INCLUDING DOZENS OF PHOTOGRAPHS. WE’VE “CLIMBED THE CORPORATE LADDER” TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PULTE’S SW FL LEADERSHIP TEAM. WE’VE SENT OVER 60 PAGES OF DOCUMENTATION TO PULTE’S CEO. WE’VE EVEN FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU… WHO, AMAZINGLY, GAVE PULTE AN A+ RATING DESPITE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THEY ARE NOT AN ACCREDITED BUSINESS. PULTE HAS A 1.13 AVERAGE RATING OUT OF A POSSIBLE 5 ON THE BBB WEBSITE, (JUST A TICK BETTER THAN THEIR 1.12 RATING ON THIS SITE!) BUT THE BBB STATES THEY DO NOT TAKE CUSTOMER REVIEWS IN TO ACCOUNT WHEN ESTABLISHING A COMPANY’S RATING, AND, INEXPLICABLY, LAST WEEK THE BBB CHANGED PULTE'S RATING FROM A+ TO NR... "NOT RATED"... WHAT? WHY?
TO DATE WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE APOLOGY WE REQUESTED FROM PULTE’S CEO. WE PRESUME WE NEVER WILL BECAUSE A) HE PROBABLY NEVER EVEN SAW OUR 60-PAGE COMMUNICATION TO HIM AND, B) EVEN IF HE DID, HE CLEARLY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE. ALL HE CARES ABOUT IS THAT WE PAID FULL PRICE FOR AN INCOMPLETE HOME, LESS THAN A WEEK BEFORE THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022 REPORTING PERIOD. SO, CHALK UP ANOTHER Q1 CLOSING AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT VICTIM!
WE ARE POSTING THIS TODAY BECAUSE WE STILL DON’T HAVE A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION TO ALL OF OUR ISSUES. OVER 18 MONTHS SINCE BEING RUSHED TO A PREMATURE CLOSING WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A COMPLETE SET OF QUALITY, UNDAMAGED WINDOWS, DOORWAYS AND CABINETRY. NOT TO MENTION A LONG LIST OF SO-CALLED "MINOR" ISSUES WE'VE SIMPLY STOPPED ASKING ABOUT BECAUSE WE FEAR THAT PULTE WILL NEVER GET THEM RIGHT ANYWAY.
WE JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW OUR STORY AND TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS BEFORE THEY DO BUSINESS WITH PULTE OR RELY ON A COMPANY'S RATING FROM THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.”
“Does anyone accept a new house garage like that: the broken concrete floor in garage. The wo pieces concrete has broken entirely. The crack lines are not hairline cracks”
“My wife and I bought a home from Pulte Homes in May of 2023. From the start to the Finish they were unprofessional and all about the money. During our walkthrough the home was in a flat white ceiling walls baseboards so it was hard to find any imperfections. Once we moved in and painted the walls and a satin. The imperfections stood out like a sore thumb. 2x4 showing up through drywall in the walls and the ceilings. And during her walk through one of their general managers Jen tried to get us to sign off on half-ass quality and imperfections. Telling my wife and I we had to rate her and her staff at 9:00 or 10:00 in the review like she's a Mafia Boss. I would never buy a Pulte home again.”
“Purchase a new Home in Malind Bluff, Bluffton SC. Should have known I would have problem when the keys provided at closing failed to open any doors. My real mistake was to trust but not verify. I thought Pulte was a reliable firm that would stand by their verbal and written commitments regard the property, and not resort to a Buyer Beware mentality.
Deceptive Sales Practices:
1. During the sale in July 2022 Pulte’s Sales Agent said the backyard extended to Pritcher Point Road, a dirt road that borders the property.
2. At the final inspection in December 2022 Pulte’s construction manager commented on the nice size backyard and confirmed to us it extended to Pritcher Point Road.
3. After moving in we notified Pulte’s HOA about a large dead Pine tree that bordered Pritcher Point Road, They wrote to us (email – Feb. 15, 2023) that the tree was on our property and therefore our problem.
When we requested permission to put up a fence; suddenly Pulte is pointing to a Plot (poorly drawn diagram) saying we were lied to by their agents and the property line is actually 13 feet from Pritcher Point Road. Pulte’s ascertain is forget what you were told you should have been able to interpret the drawing Pulte provided.
Selective enforcement
The most annoying part is the HOA has granted variances to other homeowners to construct their fences either bordering Pritcher Point Road (see picture) or very close to the road. For whatever reason the HOA is telling us previous correspondence that the property extended to the road is incorrect and that they have now designated it ‘Common Area’. They also said that we are now under surveillance by the HOA.
This was to be our retirement home. Pulte sent notices that they were inspecting homes on Monday, so I mowed my lawn Sunday. After mowing I jokingly told me wife, we would get a violation anyway. Sure enough we received a violation notice Monday that it was not property mowed or edged. Now when I see the Community Manager driving around taking pictures, I tell my wife we are going to receive another violation.
My wife and I have seriously discussed moving due to what we feel are the lies and harassment by Pulte. The problem is that home values in this community have actually declined. A home across the street from us originally sold in Oct 2022 for $582,000, now it’s listed at $550,000.”
“Pulte is not a reputable builder. They don't tell the truth and cut corners whenever possible. I purchased new construction in Trillium Farm, Winfield, IL. Very few things have gone smoothly. I would think twice before dealing with Pulte. Find another builder that isn't deceitful.”
“1 word, RUN!!!! I am dealing with several issues after 18 months and nothing has been done by the contractors because they are not making any money from the repairs. Yes, I agree. The materials are cheap and I get nervous when it gets windy out thinking my roof will blow off.”
“Pulte is the worst builder on the planet. The build defective homes with defective vapor and water barriers and they refuse to fix even if the home is within its warranty business. Pulte currently has approximately 5,200 construction complaints on Veterans homes nationwide and they refuse to address. Their customer service managers are combative and unethical.”
“Their warranty is worthless! I had water spouts improperly installed. They were leaking. I removed them to investigate. I noticed the tread were stripped. I replaced it and sent an email for repair. They came out and said that because I removed and put it back on that I voided the warranty.
In addition, the dishwasher opening was too narrow. We couldn't close the door properly and it was not secure. It took the nearly a month to repair.
Also the kitchen cabinets were warped and that took nearly a month to replace. Do yourself a favor. FIND ANOTHER BUILDER!”
“Poor finish quality. Three pages of issues. Poor followup. Lousy customer service. They talk a lot about their warranty. Good luck getting Pulte to honor it. Nothing but headaches. BUYER BEWARE!!!”
“I wish I could give zero stars. Pulte has no organization and treats their customers with little respect. I thought when I bought my Pulte home I was getting a quality builder. I was completely wrong.”
“Haven’t been in the house for year and floors had gaps and sliding apart. They come out to fix the floors the first time , they used two different types so I had two different shades of flooring.then they came out a second time after arguing with us bout it being over the one year warranty and now the floor is the same shade but I can move the flooring with my foot.”
“Pipe burst bc cold weather after not shutting off OUTSIDE spickett after 5 month and homeowner has to pay for repairs. Didn’t know where outside turn off was so ruined apartment. Have H06 in place before moving in and don’t believe anything they say even though had meeting week before on how much insurance to get.”
“Pulte and Centex are bad bad people. They use cheap materials and they don’t back their work. These two are always in court. Ie. Roofs should last 20 years. Their roofs last 12 and with replacement of plywood. Their stucco is a legal nightmare. I just replaced my roof after 12 years w 49% replacement of the plywood. What a ripe off and LOUSEY work.”
“Workmanship is awful. List pages long when we moved in of issues that needed to be addressed. Oven draw doesn’t close, missing/ripped screens. Basement never cleaned. Completely filthy - needed deep cleaning. Customer service does not even respond. They take your money and run away”
“We’ve lived in Heron Preserve in Port St Lucie, FL for about 9 months now. In that short time we’ve had to replace the dishwasher, refrigerator, few shelves and will need replace more appliances soon. This builder uses cheap materials and bottom of the barrel appliances. For what we paid for this house we expected much better stuff. The air conditioner has failed several times too. I will never recommend this builder nor will I ever buy a Pulte home again. STAY AWAY!”
“Our experience with Pulte has been Terrible!
We were Indirectly FORCED to sign a Contract on Lot that was not IDEAL to us, as they couldn’t make any other LOT Open/Available.
Anyway, fast forward, we recently signed the contract and our home is now beginning to construct. Now Pulte has a promotion for new customers which includes a 50% discount on lot premiums, which means you can GET bigger Lot, with cheaper Price, better location/privacy. So they literally DEVALUED our Property which is 6months away from CLOSING DATE (JUNE 2023).
We contacted the regional VP who declined our request to give us the same promotion (50% OFF the Lot), or any other discount, as we already SIGNED the contract. Imagine losing 5% of your HOME VALUE before it’s even closed (6months OUT).
I was told we are having "Buyer Remorse". Yes, off course after losing $20k and built has barely started.
I know other BUILDERS that has provided incentives for previous customers due to promotions like this, however Pulte is NOT one of these builders.
FYI this community DOESN’T have FENCE/BARRIER separating the LOT from the CORN Fields which was a Safety risk as some WILD Animal (Hiding in the CORN FIELD) could Barage into your LOT. Imagine your kids playing in the backyard.
If we could go back in time, we would have never signed a contract with Pulte, however for you I have the FREE ADVISE below:
• FIRST thing DO NOT BUY FROM PULTE
• SECOND, if you do. Please JOIN the FACEBOOK Pulte Group which is not OWNED by Pulte. It has over 5K Users that are Building with Pulte, people from this community and others across U.S to learn about what you're getting yourself into.
• Before WALKING in for estimate/pricing make sure to bring a Realtor, it DOESN’T cost you anything extra as the Seller pays for the cost. They DON’T WANT you to know that and they will NOT allow to ADD the Realtor after your FIRST appointment. At least you will have someone (FREE) to guide you with options & Lot, going through contract, and someone who has experience with Pulte tricks.
• They will INDIRECTLY pressure you to SIGN ASAP by saying “This is LIMITED time DEAL” or “LOTS are getting SOLD” or “PRICES are going UP”, so you don’t get enough time to THINK and look around. They will raise the home MSRP price monthly however, the promotions i mentioned above will still be a 10X better deal.
• Always Remember you’re dealing with the “SALES PERSON” who wants your Signature to get COMMISSION.
• Read the CONTRACT, it’s just ONE SIDED (Pulte). Not a SINGLE Line to accommodate the BUYER, just so you know.
• DO NOT SIGN THE CONTRACT until you’re 100% sure that you agree to the terms & conditions.
• Watch them **DEVALUE** your HOME (after you sign), by running Much Better DEALS like FREE LOT, 50% on Lot or Options etc.
• Ask about the BAD QUALITY/Experience reviews. Pulte will tell you it’s OLD Contractors or Fake, those are real PEOPLE who bought homes with Pulte. They are living in this community. DO YOUR RESEARCH.”
“Absolutely horrible, arrogant, incompetent company. Entire development ticked off. They do not meet even minimum standards of customer service. I predict someday this company will be investigated for how bad they are. Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
