Lennar Reviews in Chicago, IL

We did not receive any updates until dec 2023 after we signed the property in jul 2023. A proper communication with updates would have helped us understand whats going on.. Also, the biggest blow was when some of the properties in the same community with same sqft were sold for way less price in dec 2023, while our house was not even handed over.. we felt shattered and questioned our decision of booking the house in Jul 2023.. We have also reached out with couple of questions to the agent at the lennar and never received any response after signing the property. Not customer friendly.. We were told that the property would be ready by Feb 2024 and got delayed Mar 2024. During the final walk through not many details were provided by the building manager..When we had showed him couple of areas where rework needs to be done, they were not properly taken care of.. After the tenants moved in they noticed a number of issues- HVAC issue,, bathroom exhaust issue.. and others. It was embarrassing to hear complaints from the tenant as it is a new property. The issues were fixed right away, but it would have been nice if they never existed.. ... More

Was very disappointed in my newly constructed duplex. I have had my previous homes built and never had any of the issues I had with this purchase.The positive aspect is that customer service has been very responsive in resolving the issues

I love my new home. Lennar had great floor plans and a variety of finishing options both inside and outside the home. Unfortunately there were some issues. Home itself was great. If you end up being a winter build, be ready to go through a maddening spring. If you close on your home in the winter, you do not get a driveway, sidewalk, or sod. This makes sense given the winter conditions. Here comes the fun part, so that Lennar can make its fiscal numbers, once spring comes, they prioritize their monthly closings first and the winter closings go to the bottom of the priority list for sidewalks, driveways, and sod. The have poor communication about this and try to avoid being straight forward about their practices, they just keep saying “soon” when you ask for updates. The end up laying the sod late in the spring and it doesn’t survive, but they don’t care because they checked the box. ... More

This is our second home with Lennar, and unfortunately, the experience this time was disappointing, especially with their financial services and closing process. There was no formal welcome or acknowledgment during the closing — not even a basic walkthrough or someone to greet us. For a repeat customer, this felt impersonal and careless. What made it worse was the complete lack of any gesture of appreciation. No closing goodies or even a simple thank you — something we had received before. This change made it feel like Lennar is now more focused on profits than on customer relationships. The way the house keys were handed over was frankly unacceptable. They were left in a plain envelope, which felt cold and thoughtless for such a major milestone. No guidance, no explanation, nothing. It gave the impression that once the transaction was complete, we were no longer of any importance. Lennar used to feel more customer-centric, but this recent experience made it clear that things have become much more commercial and impersonal. I expected better, especially as a returning buyer. ... More

I will start off by saying that this was, and is, the best option for our new home based on the location and certain criteria we wanted. Our salesperson, Connie, was great and genuinely always responsive and we appreciate everything that she did along to make things happen. However, Lennar's website advertised a variety of customization options, but none of those were available (fireplace, sprinkler system, basement bathroom rough in etc.). The only customization options you will have on your home are the finishes, provided you agree to buy the plot early enough. We decided to move forward anyway as we had done enough looking to know this was where we wanted to be. We wanted to change some things so we requested the following items: don’t install cabinets or appliances, asked for sod in back instead of seed (or leave the seed off and we would sod) (happy to pay an upcharge), don’t install carpet in the dining room and just do LVP throughout (happy to pay an upcharge), and requested a full width three car driveway. We were just trying to not spend extra money undoing work. We were told that none of this was possible to pass occupancy, or it was just not something they offered. We didn't like the response but accepted it. Everything seemed to be on track for us to close on our home on Lennar's selected date. Ten days before closing we found out, from our lender and not Lennar, that the following items would not be completed before closing: driveway, backfill, landscaping, and sidewalks. We closed in May and work was scheduled to be completed mid-July. This also meant that our lender was requesting and additional $10k from us until the work was completed. We spoke with Connie, and she did everything she could to get it moved up, which they did, but they were still later than promised. Lennar was able to get temporary occupancy with the village until all work was done, something we would have happily discussed with them. Meanwhile, we were watching unoccupied homes around us be completed as our toddler and dog had a clay/mud pit of a yard strewn with nails and a variety of other construction garbage and litter. Gaining occupancy was now important for unoccupied homes and we, along with most of our neighbors, had to just sit and wait with no communication. We still have neighbors who are waiting to get their landscaping done. Workmanship and quality on the home are fine. There seems to be little quality control when these things are going up. They are just trying to crank them out as fast as possible. So far, we have found cracking grout, poor caulking and painting on the outside finishes, large gaps in the garage, scratches in my countertop, debris under carpet, nail/screw pops, paint drips, visible saw cuts in LVP, debris under carpet, cracked bathroom door, and various other things that should really be caught. The paint is basically just the thinnest coat of white ceiling paint all around the house and it is poorly painted. We do have our 60 days walk through coming up and we do believe these items will be resolved. Rob, our warranty manager, has been very responsive and took care of several of our items already. We did agree that some of it could wait until the 60 days so that he didn’t have to send people back and forth, and because most of these things are not vital. Not only have we had a good experience with Rob, but our neighbors have reiterated his willingness to help. The garage is also a problem for two reasons. The first is that it is simply too small. Most families in this area have at least one SUV or larger vehicle. Our Ford Explorer barely fits in the garage, let alone something larger. The steps from the house to the garage are in the middle of the two-car portion of the garage further limiting your space. As minor as our issues are, we have neighbors who are worse off with incomplete housework, foundation issues, and other issues. The last major issues are the backfill and landscaping. The backfill is supposed to be just black dirt, but it is riddled with fist sized stone (some even larger) and other chunky debris at the surface. The grading is also poor. The ground is very lumpy and uneven. I have already identified areas where there is/will be standing water. Unfortunately, we put a patio in before one year and that apparently voids any issues with grading even though the patio was put in before there was any dirt. While I am not thrilled about it, we did know that going in and chose to do it. We do have some positives. Again, Connie was a very good salesperson and very responsive. She always called/texted me back and tried to get me answers and resolutions on everything. If you have a good salesperson, they can help you along the way. They will also work with you on price. Many of the initial items that we wanted, but could not get, we received a little bit off on the price to help offset some of the work that we wanted to do. The four levels of inspection (initial walk through, final walk through, 60-day walkthrough, and 11 month) is very helpful and not typical, as far as I know. This gives the buyer a chance to notice things in the immediate and over time. We will be hiring a 3rd party inspector for the 11-month to make sure we do not miss anything. All in all, it is a fine house with so-so workmanship, materials, and finishes. We never imagined that we would ever be able to spend this much money on a home, let alone build one from scratch. We had very high expectations for this and really it turned out to be just another cookie cutter operation where the only concern is how to maximize the profit and give very little care to the customer. It is sad to see the lack of care, attention to detail, and poor/non-existent communication. Perhaps our standards and expectations are too high, but when something costs this much money it should be just about everything you want and near perfect. ... More

Not the best experience. The buying process, going through the closing was terrible. Lori and Andrea NEVER answer phones, they’re rude when you ask them questions. I’m glad that the process is over, however I don’t think I’ll ever refer anyone to build a home with Lennar.

Home quality is not much expected and I though overpaid for this quality

Worst loan company I’ve ever dealt with

Although we closed on the expected closing date, the mortgage process could have been a lot smoother, poor communication. As a first time buyer I would say we love the house, only mishap was that we were expecting a step tray ceiling in the master bedroom and our home was built without, so again poor communication. Once moved in getting things repaired RIGHT has been nothing short of frustrating. The only thing I can add is that quality for the most part is above average however the drywall and painting is below average and getting these issues corrected is a pain. Needless to say I learned a lot in this process, mistakes I will watch out for on my next purchase. ... More

Let me start by saying Rich and Aaron are very great and helpful with issues. I appreciate all their help. They are the only good experience I have had with lennar. I am not to happy at this point with everything else. There is a lot of sloppy work done. Carpet and drywall feels very cheap. Floor boards are creeping everywhere. I feel this house was rushed being built. I was rushed to pick my colors and was refused a small changes. When my brick went up I informed salesman I felt that wasn’t the right brick color I choose before moving in. I was told it still needed to be washed and would lighten up and brushed aside. I will I’ll and could it fight at the time. After unnoticed it was still not lighting up I started doing some research. After doing some research month later and fighting I have now found out they put defective brick on my home and still in the process of trying to get this fix. No one listen to my concerns at the beginning. We Really wanted brick paid a lot of money for that brick. Now we have to worry if they replace it will they do it correctly and not do more damage to our home? This is very stressful and frustrating. I am extremely disappointed!!!!!! we are out 5200.00 and have defective brick and still trying to get Then to admit it and get this fixed. Lennar should be giving us a FULL refund and correcting the issue!!!!!!I had a issue with our floor it has been replaced twice and still not correct. I am finding so much I have to keep calling about. The brick and floor is a mess. I still don’t have a full resolution with the brick issue. No one should have to go through this. Beyond stressful . We looked at new home builders for years and went with lennar. Upset We did. At this point I would not send a friend or family member to purchase at lennar. Putting defective brick on a home is not a minor issue and now I have to keep fighting to get this corrected. I am disgusted with this situation I felt lennar home felt more quality then RYAN and some other builders and now I am not so sure. Also the price we paid for this home ... More

Lennar as an organization appears to be unorganized. There are too many problems experienced to put here in a paragraph.

The home purchase was the builder closeout of remaining homes for sale, so everything was already picked out and the remaining homes were more like spec home with minimal options added. The process with the builders mortgage dept. was not a smooth process by far. After initial contact with loan officer all seemed to start well, but short lived. There were numerous times from just 2days in to the process & regularly thru-out the process many delays waiting for a call back, unknown where we were in the process, misinformation being sent and then only after attempting to fulfill and prepare documentation for submission being notified to ignore as task to do were incorrectly sent for my submission. This theme of not keeping us up to date & informed lacked good communications with us the buyer. At one point nothing heard for a week and then getting bombarded thru the lender portal used ( IMO the portal lender used is not well planned nor informative ) with documents needed under stress and time restraints the buyer was often left unsure what was accepted or not. The only reason the builders mortgage dept used .. was necessary to get their special finance rate. I could have used my own lender but at higher rate & no match. The bulk of the entire qualifying period & how call backs and communicating if you got a call back returned quickly with the builders mortgage dept was at best bumpy. The overall impression given from the mortgage lender dept, underwriting, processing, loan officer is a dept. not well teamed / geared up working together, & too much redundant request of documentation or more documentation not necessary and /or already submitted. Getting approval for the same VA loan with a different lender would have knowingly been a smoother process Not the best customer relations experience with the builder mortgage dept. ... More

Bad experience. Wish I never bought a property. Unprofessional

Overall very disappointed in how the lennar staff handled issues that I encountered and I will likely not buy lennar again.

The lack of response with issues not corrected of warranty items and from closing after 4 months .

It’s very poor quality of the products , doors , windows , flooring , roof ceiling and appliances are very bad , on first week itself leak from ceiling , doors are already showing cracks , cabinets doors are in bad condition , appliances are not great , AC throw is low , stair cases are not properly assembled it’s giving lots of sound , in carpets nails are showing it up , garage door opener is old model not eve. Sync with any WiFi openers

From what I was told they higher production workers. Thus meaning quality is not the product they deliver. I’ve had other contractors come in and laugh at the final product. I had plumbing not completed. Which resulted in water all in my basement when running my washer for the first time. A lot of small things they chose to walk away from that should have been fixed. I do not understand why Lennar wouldn’t do a walk through of the house, prior to our personal walk through. Every issue I pointed out I received an excuse for the issue. I don’t bother contacting Lennar out of complete frustration. I’d rather just hire someone else to fixes al the issues. ... More

We are still under a year but we need a lot of repairs such as the floor counters are coming off the wall. The trim is not staying attached to the wall

I opened a case may 2019 for my door frame that is detaching from my front door and water in my basement with no response as of July 2019 and I find out the "case" was closed! My ac unit was not working either, they did come fix that but to spend the money I did on my home I deserve more respect and response. I feel like no matter who I call I am not getting a response.

So much disappointed with overall experience.

Throughout the buying experience , we had A lot of unnecessary paperwork work and emails; only to discover that some of those are to protect their own interests! Many cookie cutter materials and workmanship. Still haven’t fixed anything they promised to fix despite having barrage of tickets opened ! Very disappointing that even when we want to upgrade some of the appliances and materials , they will not allow anything and we now in the process of tearing down an entire bathroom because there is not a single thing there that is of good quality !!!! For example, the floor is creaking, faucets , mirrors, vanity, shower fixtures etc are very very very cheap ones ! They claim to have modern house but not true . They have new building but nothing modern about design , appliances and materials used ... More

So many building issues are consistently flawed in all the models. In a 6 unit model, all have the same dry wall taping issues, same electrical issues and more. So many corners cut and final product does not reflect what is seen in the models

Lennar built its homes sloppily. Poor appliances. Cheap carpet padding. Cheap bath fixtures. The woman who walked us through houses (Priscilla) wanted absolutely nothing to do with me after the sale. No guidance. Nothing. I ended up getting new appliances after 3 months and the company who installed my new ones said they’d never seen such sloppy work with the garbage and cans and nails left behind the old appliances. Dishwasher installed crookedly. Patio door lock broken. I got push back on some of my complaints which I don’t expect when I buy a house Smoke alarm so close to kitchen I had to wave towels to cook so alarm wouldn’t go off. Until I got the new appliances. Hmmmm. The customer is always right certainly does not apply here. ... More

Initially presentations were good. Communication throughout the process has been lacking, specifically we were not told about delays. We were told projected meetings and weeks passed without contact. We were told we would be told if there were delays that would affect the delivery date. We were not told. This affected several things for us. That seems false. False expectations were set as if to commit us without follow through from Lennar. Dissatisfied. Would never recommend Lennar to anyone. Very unfortunate and negative impact.

Lennar knows it’s brand and knows it will get customers. Therefore, the have no care or put little value in the customers during the buying stage. With the Exception of Steve, the construction site manager and Lisa, the warranty manager. First, with Lennar, they screwed us over in the home pricing. They waited until the price went up to notify us that an option we had requested could be put in. We had come in a days prior to the price jump and we’re ready to pay the deposit had we had the confirmation. Then later on, as I’m trying to get my private home inspector ready to come out, Lennar required a contract to be signed by the inspector. A contract so strongly worded, that my inspector and 4 others said no. I’ve closed on plenty of homes and never had to sign this contract. Again, Lennar did not care and made my inspector sign the contract. When we went shopping around, Lennar was the only one with a one year warranty, all the other competitors had minimum 3 years full home warranty which allows the home to properly settle in. Lennar Mortgage is another team we had issues with coming 45 days prior to closing. Joe was really responsive and great to work with; however the team was trying to swindle us into a much higher interest rate, supposedly the market rate. When my wife and I did our own shopping we found interest rates almost matching the credit we were given for closing costs, and .375 pts lower. Lennar mortgage matched it, but costed us $1,000 points, or a loss in $1,000 credits. Lastly, working with Steve through the home buying process and after while also working with Steve has been Lennar’s saving grace. Those 2 have really put the brand on their back and are available whenever we need them to answer questions or help set up any tickets. I have had a few friends asking about buying out here with Lennar. I told them go to elsewhere, to which they did and have had a much more positive experience thus far. ... More