Pulte Homes Reviews in Chicago, IL

The quality of the builders, Eric and Gus, is fantastic. I could not say anything better about them and their responsiveness to issues. On the opposite spectrum, I would never recommend using Pulte Mortgage. The loan process was the worst I have ever dealt with and took the fun out of watching the house being built.

We are happy with the home overall but we were disappointed and frustrated with the buying process. Too many people associated with the purchase of the home. Mistake made on husband’s Social Security number. When we received phone calls and we had to return call it took sometime 6 hours. Also we would receive documents that needed us to fill out and sign at like 5:00pm with expecting a quick response.

Make sure you double check all your sales options from the very beginning. Mistakes can be made and you have to live with them. Our construction manager was awesome and easy to work with. We had a contractor come into the house shortly after it was built to do some work for us and he commented on numerous things that were done very well in the house, which made us feel really good about the purchase as he didn’t have to say that. When you go to Pick your colors and materials for the house it is a three hour session, get as much information upfront as possible from the sales people so you know what you’re looking at before you get there. You’ll spend too much time searching through things you could’ve looked at prior to getting there. Pulte could have a better set up if they put things on their website and allowed you to click through them. All in all we feel the house is an excellent home and our experience was a decent one. There were bumps and sales people could have been better, but our Construction manager was awesome and we love the house. In the end, I think that is all that matters. ... More

The sales team Vickey was great, she helped us from the first time we walked in and she answered all the questions and concerns we had, 5 starts for her. Construction manager Carson was great as well. He knew his stuff and very detailed explaining all the house features. 5 starts for him Lending department, pulte mortgage was the worse. They kept asking for documents that I already sent, weeks went by without any response, it was 7 days before my closing and they yet had us qualify for the loan. It put us on a bad spot specially since we were moving from another state. I cost us thousands of dollars due to their negligence. 0 starts for pulte mortgage. ... More

The construction manager was amazing. Can’t say that about the rest of my experience buying from Pulte.

The sales department was fabulous. Especially Jenny. The design team needs a complete overhaul. Not enough time to select what you want. They were not knowledgeable and they were extremely misleading. We did not get things they said we would like Slow close drawers in the cabinets. We paid for them but never got them. And the construction team said that wasn’t an option. It was too late to change anything. Sean’s on the woodwork in the cabinets are very visible, used bad paint all throughout the house. We have been in the house 5 weeks and our front door has had to be “repaired” twice already and will probably need to be done again, the ceiling in the bathroom cracked, and our son’s bedroom door almost fell off. There are a number of things we do love but overall, I’m not sure I would recommend Pulte to anyone without telling them to be seriously cautious. ... More

They closed the house on time and overall, it looks good and met my expectation. Quality could be better though.

There are cracks in my new house . This is at the ceiling which is clearly visible . this is not handle properly.

Bad experience with Sale Agent. Felt I was judged from the beginning. Sales agent did not mentioned all of the possible options. She decided that I could not afford the house. Sales agent was pushy in making me choose Pulte Mortgage. She did not explained all in details. For a first time buyer, there is so many choices and decisions to make. The Sale Agent should always give complete explanation, description or options of what is part of the house. Had a different experience with the Construction Manager. He was very helpful and understanding and listened to my concerned if I had any.

Buying a home is overwhelming what more if it’s a new construction. The realtor who assisted us was very helpful. She didn’t mentioned that the price of the lot went up from the first consultation to the time that we signed up which is a week apart. Just a week!!! I tried to appeal but to no avail. They just made more money out of me. The house is just okay. It seems that they rushed the construction. It took them less than 5 months to build on a winter time. Pulte needs to reconsider their general contractors. There’s a lot of hard dried paint on the carpet. The carpet edges were not smooth. The grout in the bathroom tiles are not smooth. The thing on the edge of the tiles are peeling off. The floor has a lot of crack. I have the pictures saved on my phone I’ve been finding things since day 1 and I am still finding things that needs to be repair until now. The construction manager Anthony and Justin are very helpful and kind. It is hard to recommend Pulte to homebuyers. ... More

All went as planned from Day1. Some minor issues with lot pricing in the starting stage .. otherwise it's very good experience.

When we purchased the home , wife and I were put a very slow , non- communicative, treadmill, moved in with no information or instructions or any normal helpful tips.

Less than 24 hour notice closing was canceled because of sod issue Have yet to be reimbursed for costs associated with cancellation

Not great for the price point! You would be paying 500k or even above but wont get the quality befitting the money.

One coat of paint on all of the walls is hardly even the minimum and several spots were completely missed, leaving bare drywall. One supply duct per room and the zoned system not being fully realized is unfortunate to see as I am a DDC specialist. There was no pull string for the ISP to pull their wire to the Low Voltage panel in the basement through the chase pipe even though the plan states that there would be. The speaker wires were done incorrectly along with other cost cutting measures by Procom. Rushing to close even though the outdoor work wasn't done yet was a red flag indicating that Pulte cared more about finances than the homeowner's ease of moving in (the FAQ provided stated that in most cases the driveway should be done upon closing). The gas and 120V outlet in the garage were installed IN THE CEILING 10 feet away from where we discussed installing them IN THE WALL with Anthony, the original construction manager. This is most likely due to our construction manager changing between three different people within the course of 6 months. ... More

Every single person is a model of friendliness and warmth. That said, several errors on their end led to missing or inaccurate customization builds. Very disappointing to walk into your new home and find that something isn’t what you selected. Also, I was given a lengthy sheet of structural options just 24 hours before final selections were due because the sales agent just forgot to share it with me over the two months I had already been working with her. Seems like these simple issues could be solved with tighter processes for people in these sales roles.

Pulte built a structurally sound home. Buying process was painful. Design Center was a great experience. Quality of workmanship was mixed (example; floor and tile work were great, Paint and finish carpentry not so great). Overall, a builder's grade quality home. Optional design choices offered are very overpriced. Staff is responsive to issue resolution.

We expected the Fire Place to be in the wall NOT IN THE CORNER. No one told me that it would be in the corner and no one told me that I would lose one window and it would shorten the space in the gathering room. Second FAULTY LAYOUT with one light outside the garage door hiding behind the Pole. No one offered to have wash sink in the Laundry Room which is very important to have it. Most of work seems to be to finish the construction this way or that way and take my money and run away. Very bad experience.

Buying a home with Pulte was a bit of a challenge. I think the product is nice and a good value, but they definitely oversell what they provide. For instance, we got the smart home package which on their website claims to include a video doorbell. We only found out this apparently no longer includes that feature weeks before our closing? Even though the website still states the smart home package includes a video doorbell...? Also, our builder Garrison was pretty arrogant and insecure during many occasions. For instance, he assured us the baseboards that were installed 1 week before closing were correct only to find out after our closing all baseboards had to be re-installed because he was actually wrong...? Also, we had a family friend come with us for a pre-drywall walkthrough since my wife and I are not aware of what to look for in these situations only to be told that we COULD NOT bring anyway with us at our final walkthrough. This seems odd since we are paying a lot of money for a house but we can't bring in any counsel to help us keep Garrison and his team accountable and to give us peace of mind? We also know of other homes in our development where there is constantly trash littered within the home, some shotty worksmanship, and even things such as hot plates with ground beef scattered all about the home. Pulte really tries to sell their quality and first class product and service which just did not measure up to reality. However, all in all, the house does look great and after a couple of weeks in, my wife and I are happy so far. So little situations or annoyances aside, we do believe that Garrison and his team did build a nice house that we are looking forward to making our home for years to come. ... More

If I could change something it would be the elevation and house selection which was rushed and not explained at all. Explanation about structural add ons to the house was poor and lot appearance features like height and elevation not explained. I had no idea the about the details like shingles, garage door appearance etc. Craftsmanship and, closing has overall been good.

Our second Pulte home so we’ve been through this before. The sales and closing occurred nearly 12 months apart so plenty of time for us to become foggy on our choices and decisions. Everything turned out to fairly well. Reviews during construction seemed rushed and did not permit us to realize the corners that Pulte now cuts to keep costs down. The garage is only rough finished with fire tape. There are no lights of any kind in any closets. Some closets are so squeezed as to be useless. The finishes are rough and amateurish in key areas such as the front porch and enameling of baseplates. The list could be longer but, all things considered, we are fairly proud leased with our new home. ... More

We moved in 2 months ago and still do not have a sidewalk, back stoop, driveway, final grading or sod. Pulte was in a hurray to get us closed in March but not to complete their outside work except where required to get an occupancy permit for later closings. The Pulte personnel we deal with are helpful but I think their hands are tied by the ridged policies of Pulte. As to quality of workmanship, I don't think they do a better job than any other builder. A buyer has to pay a lot for extras just to get good, but not great, quality finishes. $1,313 for a basic laundry tub. $1,330 for a couple cabinets in the laundry room. $183 for a single ceiling light and another $120 for the switch to turn it on! Bathroom faucets spill water on the back of the sink. The upgraded paint they use rubs off easily. Drywall imperfections are obvious. Garage is dry walled and taped but not mudded or painted. Front stoop roughly finished and loaded with stains. Trim around front door roughly finished. Perhaps this is to be expected for any new construction, but it doesn't make a buyer of a half million dollar house feel special. We have a generally well built home but I would not say it is exceptionally good quality. If possible for a buyer, he or she would be better off using an outside contractor for painting and closet cabinetry. Finally, Pulte continues its nickel and diming at closing by requiring the buyer to reimburse it for transfer taxes that are by law customarily a seller's obligation. ... More

The two weeks leading up to closing and now the weeks following closing have not been good. Communication has lacked, follow through has been non existent. Punch list items from final walk through are still not done and we’ve been in the new how over a month now.

Lack of trades work being checked for quality. It seems the area lacks the labor force to meet deadlines. I would reconsider if I could. Get sod in back because the other option is all weeds. The area was strewn with garbage and nails and old wood throughout process. They try but to much going on.

Will need to be very critical of build quality issues