Drees Homes

I can't say how many people told us that they had heard horror stories about building a house - we experienced none of that. I can't say enough about how great our whole experience has been with Drees homes.

First, I want to give high praise to Debra *****, the Southwick Sales Manager, and my builder, Joe *****. They were amazing to work with. Joe was ever-present to respond quickly to questions and concerns and took care of things promptly...often on his own. Debra was a friend to us all. At the risk of sounding negative, I want to give a very honest assessment of my experiences with Drees. My first troublesome experience was at the design center phase. One day is, without a doubt, not enough time to make every decision when building a home that is going to cost upwards of $700K. I felt pushed, rushed, and not given enough time to consider my choices and I regret some of my choices now. I have now built two homes with Drees. This time, by myself. The design center experience was fraught with stress and rushed. Overall, I would rate it average to below average. Something as simple as providing samples to buyers of choices to take home would have made it much more stress free. Giving those who need more time to make good choices is crucial to a positive experience. Additionally, after talking to a number of neighbors, many feel like options offered and provided were inconsistent. In the rear view mirror, this looks like an upper level management issue to me (a kind of tone-deafness) , and one that your home buyers suffer the consequences for. The experience should not have inconsistencies at any level. It should be very clear, at every level, what options are there for your home buyers. For instance; second story options, plan options, and so on. It would appear that some folks were given more options than others...or at least that is what it seems like to many when you talk to them. Purchasing the lot upon which I built , to be perfectly candid, felt like a poker game. I chose the lot I wanted; (the large cul-de-sac lot), and then the "lottery" phase began. It felt, not unlike, a used car salesman technique. Buyers should not have to experience something like this. It should have been a first come, first serve situation. Had I lost my opportunity, that would have been mine to lose. Instead, it felt like a bidding war. Just state your price and sell it to the first person. It felt contrived and an inappropriate strategy for ginning up interest. In the end, there was no lottery.... The experience with First Equity was average. I had hoped for better. That's all I'm willing to say about that. I would not use them again. I remain very concerned as to whether there will be appropriate follow-through on the remaining walking trails that those of us in the cul-de-sac were promised. This concern has been heightened by the sudden departure of Drees from the premises, while the remaining houses are built. This was never presented to us as a "maybe it will happen" scenario, and yet I am very concerned that it will become a battle with the HOA and other homeowners, if we suddenly become financially responsible for getting this done without Drees footing the bill. Finally, since Drees has departed, the road has been hazardous to navigate, filthy to contend with, and has been badly damaged. I'd like to know what plans are in place to repair the road when the home-building is completed. In Lakemont, where I used to live on Woodsedge Drive, our small Ridgebourne HOA became responsible for the repair of poorly installed sidewalks (with no rebar) , which cost us over $50k to tear out and repair on our own, 10 years after Drees installed it and departed. Drees wouldn't own it, and neither would the city of Erlanger. I don't want to regret my decision to build and move here. An investment like this should not be one fraught with worry and concerns. Perhaps, better communication would make me feel less like every choice Drees makes is about their bottom line, and more like they have a genuine interest in their newest Southwick residents. ... More