Shea Homes Reviews

To whom it may concern, I am writing an open letter regarding our disappointing experience buying our brand new Shea home in the new community of Côta Vera. We were fortunate enough to be in phase one, and although we knew phase one would come with delays and some issues (we were also phase one in the Escaya community), we never expected to have this many issues. As far as delays, there were way more than expected. We closed on our home at the end of March, and when we signed the purchase agreement we were told the anticipated closing would be towards the end of December. That being said, when a house is sitting there “completed” and we were basically “waiting on the city,” one would expect to close and move into a move-in-ready home. Which is so far from what we moved into. Since officially moving into our house on April 6, our front door has been a revolving door of Shea employees/contractors here to fix or repair things that were either blatantly installed broken … or weren’t installed at all. Currently my days consist of waiting around for these employees to actually show up, some come unannounced, some show up late, some are so incredibly rude it makes me feel uneasy (as if we are purposely inconveniencing them), the list goes on. Meanwhile, my 2 year old son and I are trapped upstairs in the loft so that we aren’t in the way, unable to leave the house at all, and feel completely uncomfortable in our own home. I’ve had to rearrange our personal schedule to accommodate these individuals, despite all of the issues being Shea’s fault. There has been very little give when it comes to scheduling these appointments, and almost everyone comes at the tail end of their window of time. In regards to issues, these are some of the things we have experienced … our front door wouldn’t stay shut unless deadbolted (the door frame had to be modified), our Kwikset lock does not work, the recessed lighting in the downstairs bedroom was never installed and now we’re left with a home that has to constantly be patch up, the top of our hood was never put back into place after the inspection, the frame around our microwave was installed dented, damaged tiles were installed in our backsplash, our upgraded island and vanity in the master bathroom were heavily damaged and they tried to touch it up but it looks awful, the top of the cabinet as you walk in from the garage is not level (it sinks down), the top to the cabinet at the top of our stairs was installed damaged, our patio door off the master didn’t lock properly, the master closet didn’t have support brackets, the medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom was broken, the toilet in our powder room wasn’t properly installed which resulted in the bathroom flooding (so now the floors need to be pulled up and replaced), and our banister and railing was installed with damaged pieces of wood. This list goes on, as we find more and more issues DAILY. Though your customer service has been wonderful (seriously, Thomas as well as your sales team Spencer and Lorena, have been amazing), it’s still the fact that we closed on a home that was clearly not ready for us. We are so disappointed in the quality of work that went into this home. It is very obvious that corners were cut in order to produce our house as quickly as possible. And for what? That house sat there for 3 months waiting for the city to finish the roads, install meters, and do their inspections. And now that we have moved into our house, our days consist of regular communication with Thomas to arrange scheduling of all the random contractors that need to come into our home and fix these issues. We have been here for a little over a month and still aren’t able to feel fully comfortable in our own home. Every morning my son wakes up and asks, “people come mama?” And it’s immediately followed by, “no more people mama.” Which honestly breaks my heart. At what point will Shea stand up and make things right? Simply “fixing” the issue doesn’t make our experience right, or amend the situation. Thank you for taking the time to listen and address our concerns. Look forward to hearing from you & Thanks again for your time. ... More

The overall Shay home experience has been exceptionally from start to finish the process was seamless and after purchase the introduction to our home and some of his features was a wonderful experience

Quality is great, and I wouldn’t change a thing

I don't even know where to begin. What was suppose to be my dream home has now turned into the most horrible home building experience, I've ever had. I'm a seasoned homeowner, this is not my first rodeo. I've built three other homes that I did not have this many issues with. I had never heard of Shea Homes, but they were the only ones left that were building in the area I wanted to build with the price point that I was comfortable with (mid/high). They pride themselves as a mid-level luxury builder, but they are far from that! The sales experience was great I thought until later when I found out that the items that were not done, originated at the sales office. The construction experience was ridiculous. At the construction meeting my build was handed over to another construction manager who came from a reputable builder, however the manager was not prepared as he did not even familiarize himself with the blueprints of the home! We spent most of the meeting figuring out where to place the in-ground outlet in the family room. We also discovered at that time the study was not recorded with doors, just an opening by the sales office. Spoke to the sales office, which offered to add framing for a door at no cost due to the error, but I needed to install the door at my expense later, which I was fine with. At the pre-drywall meeting, he didn't have the inspection report from my inspector to go over, so my time and my realtor's time was wasted. He said that most everything that was on the report was already on their list as well and would be fixed. We pointed out that the study did not look like it was framed for the door, he said that they were still working on it. Overall the construction manager was not communicative of the process and would get agitated when asked questions. As with many other builders the construction was delayed due to Covid and that was understandable. However, as my build was nearing completion I asked before putting my existing house up for sale if the estimated date of completion is still end of December and was assured yes. I was able to sell my house at full asking price in one day with multiple offers. We had it planned out perfectly with the close being end of December. Three weeks before the close, we were told by the builder that the house was not going to be completed until second week of January. We had to renegotiate our existing house sale to include a lease back for the additional time and lost 7K in the deal. Then the week of our close the construction manager asked if there was any way to push it another week, I said absolutely not! He said the aesthetics (paint, caulking, cleaning, etc.) were still not complete and the home would not be 100% move in ready, but would take care of everything in the weeks to come. I said that I was fine with that and closed on the home. At the walk through they were still working on the home, so I did not sign any documentation as it was only a ten minute walk through. Move day, they were still painting rooms as we moved in. They gave us a few weeks to settle in and that's when all the trouble began. Found out things such as gas dryer connection, carriage lights in front of home, etc., things that you would expect from a mid level luxury builder to have included in the home was not included but were an option. The options should have been brought up in the sales meeting and were not. As I we settled into the home we noticed that the seams in between the drywall in the whole family room were showing. After having a few independent contractors/engineers look at it, it was found that Shea contractors did not let the mud/filler in between the drywall boards dry before texturing and painting. At this point I did not want to have anything to do with the construction manager Jason. The matter was escalated to Josh, who quickly tried to diffuse the situation and was helpful in getting the drywall, dryer connection and driveway taken care of before he handed me off to the warranty department. Although Alexis in warranty has been helpful in trying to get things taken care of, she is now unavailable. Nobody is available. I have left messages for Alexis and Josh and have not heard back. It is now four months and my house still has the orange tape they marked on everything that needed fixing. I have family coming at the end of May and need all this fixed NOW! I have communicated this with Josh two weeks ago and have not heard back. Speaking with my neighbors, I'm learning they are having the same issues. We all have decided that if this lack of communication continues and issues are not taken care of soon, we will have no choice but to take action. So Shea, where is "The Shea Difference" that you are so proud of?? "The thoughtfulness that sets you apart"?? Your website says you offer "An experience as enjoyable as the place you'll call home", I think not! Those of you that are contemplating buying a home with Shea, think hard. Keep in mind all things you would normally see in a home may be considered options with Shea. They nickle and dime you on everything! I spent almost 70K just in options/upgrades and my home does not show it due to their craftsmanship. Four months later I'm sitting in a home with drywall issues, unsealed trims, unpainted trims, cracked countertop, cracked toilet, rusted bath tub, holes in concrete patio, cracks in concrete in garage, no gutters in back of home, no carriage lights, the list goes on. This is the real Shea Home experience! ... More

Expect delays but once you accept this will happen the team overall does a good job keeping you informed of status and delivery date. Good news is your home might appreciate before you even move in.

Office staff is nice and friendly.

Buyer beware. These homes are being thrown up and the quality they advertise is not what you receive. A lot of promises no follow through. Very dissatisfied with the whole experience. It is however a beautiful area. We are not the only buyers with issues almost everyone we speak with has had issues.

Overall my home buying experience was great. I love the home and community. Jacqui and Mei in the sales office were amazing, helpful and very responsive. They continued to update me as the home was being built on progress and would send photos of the house. If I asked them a question, they would always get me the answer in a timely matter. All of the on-site construction staff and management were great as well. I had a few meetings/walkthroughs with them and they explained everything to me in detail. I decided to hire my own private home inspector and I was so happy to hear that my inspection went well and only 1 minor item needed to be fixed. I did have one large hiccup that caused a huge issue and headache. We met with our designer Chrissy and the initial meeting went well. Went went over all our design selections and then were sent our contract to sign. A few months passed and we went to the house to view the progress. We immediately noticed that the grout in one downstairs bathroom shower and was incorrect. We had requested the same grout and tile pattern as our model home bathroom. This grout that was installed was the wrong color. After going back and forth with two different managers, not getting email responses for 3 weeks after I followed up and management refusing an in person meeting to discuss this issue, they offered to stain the grout the correct color. This whole design experience really turned me off with Shea Homes and my overall experience. I was just shocked to be refused an in person management meeting to discuss. In the end the grout was stained white and hopefully that will last well. ... More

Shea Homes-Trilogy builds a quality home. My floorpan is functional and efficient. Their standard quality control process is thorough with laser focused attention to detail. Their warranty process is very homeowner friendly.

The sales force was very good and responsive. After we moved in and through the 4 week walk through the response has been very poor. One person has the responsibility and he is overwhelmed. The communication from Shea Homes office where you submit an issues request is non-existent.

I purchased during covid, material shortages, labor shortages and a building boom in Arizona. That said, Shea had a hard time getting materials and quality labor. I think Shea could have done a better job supervising their subs that were not providing quality work.

Have only been in the house for 3 months and still have some quality issues to address. Most are addressed timely, but need to be patient with the labor challenges since Covid.

Our Project Manager, Donnie, was excellent.

The entire process from the sales office to construction completion and punch list was excellent.

Sales (April) were very helpful; would like to have had more flexibility in design phase. We had had experience in designing a custom home so this was a disappointing experience

Shea Homes - Trilogy was responsive and extremely organized. This allowed then to handle in the most effective way supply chain challenges and other potential disruptions to the building process. We were kept informed all along the way. No surprises.

The picking out of the options was difficult and not very flexible. Home structure is sound and Shea delivered our project pretty much on time even with the shortages the building industry is having at this time.

Just don’t have any timeline expectations for anything from the build, landscaping, appliances, and you won’t be disappointed.

The Shea experience was fabulous, second to none

It is obvious Shea has been around, as a developer, for many years. Not only is the community plan laid out nicely, but the floor plans of each individual model make sense and function very well.

They are first class developers.

Overall a great experience, great quality and great service.

All in all, it was a good experience, despite the pandemic and supply chain issues creating delays in the move-in date. One word of advice to new homeowners, be very critical and thorough during your final walk-through. It seems the workmanship was a bit 'sloppy' perhaps due to the extended delays and deadlines not being met on time. There were things that could have been done more carefully, had the workers taken the time to do them correctly the first time. As an example, the caulking wasn't completely done around my tub and faucet, which meant a plumber had to be brought in after I moved into the house. The water wasn't turned on to the fridge and when I pointed it out during the walk-through, the sales person wrote it down but didn't follow through on the complaint. Thus, it took 2 weeks before I could get someone in to fix the issue (and it happened to be the builder superintendent I ended up calling, because Shea Customer Service never responded to my calls and emails). ... More

This is our second Shea Home build so our expectations were extremely high based on our first experience. Boy were we in for a major let down. All Shea employees that we deal with are exceptional and appear to be caring. However, the quality of workmanship pales in comparison. The number of items needing repair is ridiculous. Although our service rep is always on top of our every concern and there are many, getting the trades in and actually doing repairs has been a major challenge at times. And when they do come they will not go above or beyond what is on work order if they do anything. This has lead to recalls and more delays/frustrations. At this point we are extremely concerned about the quality of workmanship in the not so obvious areas such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc. We can only hope for the best and wait for 5 and 11 month walk-throughs to catch any hidden surprises. ... More

Beautiful home design and the price was good to include upgrade prices.. I had to remind construction manager about upgrades.. Who is checking the checker? The painters should be banned from painting.. Floors not floated or not properly floated… Still waiting 3 months for outdoor kitchen refrigerator handle.. Waiting on outdoor kitchen brick repairs.. Took a year 13 months to build home since deposit and watched neighborhoods and others builders closing homes within 6 to 8 months.. Can’t blame COVID-19 on this.. The warranty lady for Shea is correcting what should have been done earlier.. The sales lady was amazing and a buffer but heard she got fired.. ... More