From the comment section

Here's an interestinf comment I thought I'd post. Does anyone know of a builder who will put a completion date in the sales contract? What are the penalties should the date not be met?

Mike,


Did you get a written contract from the builder? It should include the commencement date, the completion date, their agreement to provide regular updates during construction and to advise you of any expected delays and the reason for the delays.

March 28, 2010 3:06 PM


Mike said...

No builder I talked to would put any sort of completion date in writing until 45 days before closing. They would say that builds were typically 6 months, depending, of course, on weather or other delays.

My only communication with my sales contact during the build was the occassional phone call letting me know I owed them money. They would then dance around any sort of commitment to come up with a firmer deadline for completion (the usual line being "We won't have any idea until the drywall is done").

I should point out this is a legitimate master builder, not some fly-by-night operation, and there were no unforeseeable delays that I could see - not a flooded basement during excavation, a month of snowstorms, etc. I know they pulled the framing crew off my house the correct the mistakes on another house, and that framing sat without passing inspection for 6 weeks because no one had plans on site. To me, those aren't typcial unforeseen delays - it's poor project management.

Do you know of a builder who will put a completion date in the contract?