Richmond American

Overall good experience but having a few issues post sale. Most things are being addressed promptly but one is currently outstanding and at a standstill. No AC vent in pantry, and because its where we store our food, it has become a real problem. Hopefully Richmond will agree to fix this, but we're at a standstill currently.

Buying a new home should be exciting. Buying mine from Richmond American became a second job. Problems arose during nearly every phase, and I repeatedly had to investigate issues, challenge conflicting information, escalate concerns, and threaten to walk away before mistakes were corrected. I received inconsistent information about pricing, upgrades, standard features, and construction requirements. After closing, I discovered that I had been charged for a standard feature as though it were an upgrade. Richmond American eventually agreed to ***** the charge, but only after I identified the error and waited more than a month for an answer. Although that issue is being resolved, it makes me question whether other charges were correct. The floor outlet is a perfect example. During the purchasing process, I was offered a floor outlet for an additional charge and declined it. One was installed anyway, directly in a walkway. I was repeatedly told it was required by code, but despite several requests, no one would provide the code. Only after I said I would not close without documentation did Richmond American agree to remove it. At the final walkthrough, I was finally told there was no code requirement and that the outlet was supposedly a standard feature—even though it had previously been offered as a paid upgrade. Pricing and incentives were another fight. Shortly after I purchased, Richmond American reduced the base price by $15,000 while continuing to offer incentives. Obtaining an adjustment required a prolonged dispute and happened only after I made it clear that I was prepared to cancel. Other options were sold to me and then later declared unavailable. The recurring problem was not simply that mistakes happened; correcting them almost always required a confrontation. The same pattern continued during construction. The wrong stone was installed on my home. Initially, I was told it was of comparable quality and would not be replaced. Once again, it was only after I said I would not close that Richmond American agreed to install the stone I had selected. At the final walkthrough, contractors were still working, installations were incomplete, and numerous repairs remained outstanding. I said I did not believe the home was ready, but Richmond American assured me that everything would be completed immediately. I did not need to move right away, but I agreed in good faith to close on the last day of the month to accommodate Richmond American's schedule. The superintendent promised the remaining work would be completed that day or within the following week. Those promises were not kept. Once Richmond American had my closing, the urgency disappeared. Work that should have been completed before closing took approximately two months of repeated follow-up and escalation. Most issues have now been addressed or scheduled, but only because I refused to let them be forgotten. Mistakes can occur when building a home. My dissatisfaction comes from the pattern of incorrect information, broken promises, resistance to correcting errors, and action being taken only when I threatened not to purchase or close. After closing, when I no longer had that leverage, I received the runaround. This was not an enjoyable homebuying experience. It was exhausting, time-consuming, and adversarial. While I am glad most issues have finally been addressed, the process should never have required this much work from the buyer. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Richmond American. ... More