Pulte Homes Reviews

The builder identified several defects that needed to be corrected. About 6 weeks after the passing, those defects still need to be corrected. Detail siding work had several defects. I am still trying to get them corrected.

Good workmanship quality builders.

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 reason for the frustration and disappointment is because the final product was not worth the price charged. If the cost of the house was $100K less this experience would have been great, as we would have had lower expectations. For the price paid our expectations of quality of workmanship and quality of materials was much higher than what was delivered. The Pulte staff were pleasant, easy to work with and overall good with communication. However despite multiple attempts to bring back contractors over and over again to correct many workmanship issues in the build process it's still sloppy (careless, lazy, poor quality) work and we feel that they failed to deliver a quality home for the price paid. Lovely from a distance, sloppy from up close. ... More

John was great. Wished he had a little more information to share when I had questions. Wished the builder would anticipate what buyers would want and do it rather it was requested or not. For example, prepare for a sink in the laundry room although it may not be requested. You are putting in plumbing regardless. For the stove, put gas if it is available although you as the builder put in electric. Buyer may come later and want to do gas. Just saying. You put in wiring for ceiling fans it is the same same if you ask me. Just saying.

The site/construction manager is quick and responsive to any quality issues and address it in a satisfactory way. This is the only worthy note of the whole process. Other areas need improvement, especially the sales, the quality and the design of the house.

Good experience with Sales person who was actually working at HighPointe --- she introduced me to Ocean Cove. Not involved in building phase of home purchase.

Chad from sales and Jeff the construction manager are great. They quickly answered any questions and addressed any of our concerns. Most of the construction materials appear to be of quality and overall build of the house is good, but the attention to detail by the contractors is not there. Not all of our concerns were addressed before closing, but Jeff stayed in contact with us to make sure we were taken care of. Warranty process is simple and the response is quick. The loan process was by far the worst I have experienced. The Pulte website to upload documents was very problematic and I had to send documents via email in order to meet our closing date. Charlotte, the loan processor, did not seem very organized. The required documents list kept changing and I was asked to write a letter as to why I want to purchase the newly constructed home which was very strange. On the day of our scheduled closing day, Charlotte was out and a different loan processor reached out to notify us there was an issue verifying an employer. This was after having received loan approval days prior. This had us scrambling trying to resolve, but our closing date was rescheduled due to the issue. This ruined our plans for moving and wasted vacation days taken to close on the originally scheduled date. There was no apology or compensation for the inconvenience caused by Pulte mortgage's lack of attention to detail ... More

As a first time home owner, the experience was new and exciting! Our sales person was thorough in letting us know our options when considering purchasing a town home and the different build outs available. The tour of the model units was thorough and gave me and my fiancé a good view of the space that worked for us. Ultimately, we chose the Greenwich layout, which provided the most space out of all the build outs. We decided to proceed with putting in an offer and the process started. When it came to funding process and getting approved for a mortgage, through Pulte, things did not go as smooth. Upon speaking with the coordinator, we were given clear instructions on what was required of us on our end to follow through. We complied with all the requested documents, statements, and unrelated accounts. The frustration set in when the EXACT numbers would not match up to the single dollar and a lot of the income was questioned, even after a thorough explanation on the source. The biggest hiccup was the change of an account, due to an unfortunate car break in where the account number to the bank was compromised. Upon that incident, the said account was closed and monies transferred to new account within same bank and same owner. With that explanation and proof of transfer, account closing, and account opening, the representative seemed to be confused, even with thorough explanation, and seemed frustrating to continue to explain ourselves. Unrelated accounts were continued to be brought up and we were at a point where we did not want to move forward with the purchase anymore, so much so that we did not care to lose the earnest monies of $73k. By far the most frustrating moments, even with proof of all monies. This begged us to question whether our information was secure or even going to the right place. We are glad that the phone communication was being recorded, so that upon the review, you can judge how clear we were in explaining everything that was asked of us, and still, have the representative not understand. We’re just glad that the whole process is over and that we are moved in to our first home. ... More

We love our home but the trades all did a haphazard job in the house and lacked really finishing the job. Some walls not painted in closets, wrong color grout/caulk, crooked lights, drywall issues, etc. Be ready to GC your follow up work and expect lots of no shows

Long delay in home completion; we did many BNB's. 3 + Months. Sales and marketing staff, mostly Daniella, are great. Orientation was good. Few defects found in the home. Project requests a problem; designated contact person appeared to be motivated for personal reasons. Repair request was addressed quickly.

Too many workmanship issues and delays to feel the value that a production home purchase should give

Really need to work on what trades you hire for your builds…we’ve had big delays from them or no response at all.. Andy has been great and the only thing trying to hold it together. He’s really the only reason for this high of a rating. Started paying for a home that still has issues.

Onsite CM should be able to handle issues in lieu of needing to go to the computer and ask warranty

My backyard looks messed up.

We were promised that things would be completed after closing but very little progress has been made.

We knew going into this process that there would probably be hiccups and delays, it's a nationwide big builder so things always vary by location, but decently satisfied with the Minnesota team. There was a major issue with mold in the framing stage, but it was remediated (would have preferred a more thorough remediation, but they did communicate ok during the process). They did cover the interest rate lock extension due to this delay pushing us past the original timeline. Our house is nice and new, but definitely not the highest quality (cracks, poor seals, drawers a little crooked). Warranty team is responsive to post-closing issues so far. Overall, solid 3/5 stars - you get a decent house, but it's better to manage your expectations going in, it's not going to be perfect. Also stay on top of issues during the build process - go in regularly and bring up issues to make sure they get corrected. ... More

Pay attention to all the details on your final walkthrough.

We purchased a home in the Norwood Chase neighborhood. It was already designed and all finishes/options were selected before we agreed to purchase. Communication during the build process was below average. Often times being told that we would get a follow up that never happened. At the end of the day. The fit and finish of the home is below industry standards. Trimwork throughout the house has drips and orange peel in the paint, and many of the holes that are left in the trim work that should’ve been wood, putty, and sanded, we’re not. The paint job throughout the house is below standard. As is the drywall finish. The fit and finish is the result of subcontractors that do not care about the quality of the work they are providing. Pulte homes is making an effort to remediate these issues, a great nuisance to our family since we have moved in the home. I strongly encourage Pulte homes to implement a quality assurance program before closing. That is separate from the construction supervisor of the home. This process is outlined in the collateral material provided when buying the home, but in fact, it did not happen in our experience. The construction supervisor is the only one who reviews the quality of the construction, other than the county building inspector. Their focus is to get the house closed to move on. If you buy a Pulte home, invest in a case of blue tape and patience. You will need it. ... More

The cleanliness upon closing was terrible. Workmanship on certain things is low in quality. For example, paint, trim boards look like they have been chewed on, paint dripped on grout, stains on tile that I can’t get off, entry door in garage has many dings in the metal, cement from filling beam pockets fell all over floor. Took hours to chisel it off floor. I’m sorry but that’s not quality workmanship for what we paid for the house.

This is the second new home I’ve built, the first being with Toll Brothers. Unfortunately my experience with Pulte has been the polar opposite of Toll, and not in a good way. Countless delays, sloppiness in workmanship, post closing issues including paint, electrical and landscaping to name a few. Overall I love the house and community, however, the level of detail throughout the home has left A LOT to be desired considering the price we paid. My expectation was higher.

Workmanship: It's okay but aesthetic precision could use some work (Personally being a big fan of proper symmetry and angling, I see some areas aren't exactly perpendicular/parallel. Again, those are only visible upon minutely observing but for the price we pay, I would think those should be a part of the inspection from the builder's side) Wall corners are delicate: There were some aesthetic/cosmetic issues when we moved in (scuffed corners, paint touch ups missing). Some times, a soft dash with the wall/door corner makes a slightly noticeable dent in it. I would think those materials should be a little more durable. Also, We know that the house settles in as you use it and stay in it, but some of the cabinet corner gaps and wood surfaces seem to be expanding (these are minor observations but I hope they don't get too bad). We are still within the 1 year workmanship warranty period so I hope those issues get fixed. ... More

we were attracted to home was advertised as 15000 bonus and thought we will get at 363 list price and final price should be 348 aprox. When we went to sign the contract we were even offer 2k more bonus and 5k Agents discount. Our price should have been aproc 340. But some how Andrew started all prices and options from scratch and we ended up paying 353 K aprox. I thought we were tricked into starting from scratch and paid atleast 12k more for the house.

The workmanship on the condo that I purchased really are disappointing. Especially details in painting, the line between two tones, some basic standard and guideline of clear and clean cutline between areas, with tape for instance, were not followed. Every time I look at the those mess area and lines, I couldn't help believing that if an ammeter like me could do a better job.

Superintendent was great. The subs ran the schedule. I was a general contractor for 48 years. The subs did what I wanted and when I wanted it done, not the other way around. It should not have taken 7 months to frame a 1756 sq. ft. house on a slab. House should have been done 3 months sooner.