Seems like everything these days is just slapped together.

I paid $200k (which in my area is a decent amount) for a 3 bedroom "luxury" (as the sign says) condo.... the wind whistles in through the windows, through the outlet holes, 3 doors don't close properly, the windows are "single hung" instead of the nice "double hung" (huhu..i said hung)...Flat paint....bla bla bla....

(i bought this place in a hurry and it was located where I needed it to be, so I overlooked a few blunders, but i am starting to see more with time)...

I am guessing people cut corners everywhere they can to make a few extra $..?

They are coming over to try to take care of a few of these things. Originally you could see daylight under my front door. :doh:

 

Another thing I don't like is EVERY new development in So Cal that I looked at is using PEX pipes. Much cheaper to install and, while it has a history in Europe, is not as proven as copper. One plumber I asked said he knows of several instances of rats chewing through the PEX and flooding the house!

I think the work crews are under tremendous schedule pressures. If I ever buy new I'll hire a pro inspector to do the buy-off walkthrough with me. Too many horror stories.

 

I'm guessing they hired low budget workers to do the job.

 

this place has plastic..... every corner that could be cut for cost was done for sure...and these are advertised as luxury...ahah.. compared to a cardboard box maybe.

 

A developer in West New York, New Jersey built a slew of townhomes on the river overlooking Manhattan. The corner units were not supported properly and all of them had to be purchased back because they were sinking toward the river. They were then resold to new owners...

Quality is definitely on the downward slope right now, you have so cautious when buying new.

Scot, just be happy you can buy anything with the "luxury" name in that price range.

 

you notice that too.. hugh..?

I was just walking thru a brand new 5000+ sq ft. home for sale a week ago.. gorgeous in many ways.. lake in back yard.. great views.. awesome rooms.. $500k house.. but I could hear the wind whistling thru the badly fitted doors and windows.. loud whistle.. couldn't believe it.. I'm sure there are other flaws to be found also..

oh well.. se' la vie

 

One of the Timezone mods knows a lot about contractors, and he was saying that many of the McMansions are in terrible shape after five years or so. The materials are so crappy they start to disintegrate the day they're put up.

My house was build in 1959/1960 and it was built properly. One of the original buyers down the street was a Structural Engineer, and he said he watched what they were doing before buying his house. He said the NJ standards were lowered dramatically in the early '70s.

Some of the stuff I looked at when house hunting looked like a bunch of ADHD kids with nailguns were let loose on the framing work.

 

My doors squeak. They squeak loud. I have a front two door entry but one is always locked in station. The other is for entry/exit.

There is a pretty big space in between the two as well. Its rather anoyying especially when its really late and windy. I just stuff my extra mail into the cracks and the whistle/squeak goes away.

 

I'm in a month old home right now. It was not expensive and was built in about 60 days. The quality is not perfect but I am surprised at how decent everything. Really no glaring oversights.

 

What are some quick things to check for when browsing a new home in order to determine it's quality?