A Few Tips

So now that I’ve gone through the Ryan Homes experience I think I have some tips for future home buyers and people who are currently building.   I’ve read a lot of blogs and have seen people have amazing experiences and others who’ve dealt with crazy things.  Overall, I’ve enjoyed our experience.  If I were to rate my house I would give it a 7 out of 10…..not too bad.

So here are my tips!

Document your experience

Whether you blog, post pictures on social media, or keep a journal….document this experience.   I do enjoy going back looking at the pictures of our progress.   I’ve used those pictures when certain selections were not correct and having those pictures helped tremendously.

Ask Questions! Speak up! Trust your gut!

During this entire process we asked a ton of questions.  If we didn’t understand something or didn’t like something we made sure to question it.   If you see things that you don’t think are correct, say something!  Don’t assume they will fix it.  If you don’t speak up you might be disappointed later when it’s not right. 

Go in your house!

So as you know, we were banned from going into our house and we were really good about getting permission if we wanted to go in.  If I could do it all over again, I would’ve went into the house ever day during the building process.  I think that not being able to go in the house definitely made me feel like they were trying to hide things (like the hole in our kitchen ceiling).  Why wouldn't you want me to go in my house?  I do feel that if we went inside and looked every day that we would have caught more of the lack of detail that we are currently seeing.  

 

Know all of your options and what you want

When we were looking around at various models we knew what we wanted.  My husband and I looked for a house for at least 18 months before finally signing a contract.  We knew we wanted an open concept, more space, a decent sized yard, and other various details.  When we met with our SR we knew exactly what model we wanted but it wasn’t offered in our community, so we asked and it was approved.   With knowing your options, I suggest you visit various model homes in your area.  This will help you see layouts, granite colors, cabinet options, and all the little things that you think are included but aren’t.   When you visit these places, take pictures and write down the things you love.   Take them back to your SR so you don’t forget!

 

Pay attention to detail

My husband said it best…..our home is good but it is not great.   Our house has the potential to be great and could’ve been great when we closed if they paid attention to detail.  Each contractor comes in and does their job.  Everyone’s job depends on the person who came in and did work before them.  If the first person didn’t do their job correctly, the next contractor is not going to fix that and do their job.  We have trim work in our house that was not cut or measured correctly.  At first glance it looks fine, but when you really look at it, you see that they did a bad job.   We have a running list of items we want fixed before our 1 year warranty is up and we do not feel bad about it.

Inspectors and inspections

A lot of people don’t realize that our homes go through a lot of inspections during the building process.  A lot of people also don’t know that the inspections going on in your house are public record and you can look to see if they pass or not.  While ultimately, all houses must pass all the county inspections before you close, it’s still good to know what’s going on with your house.   Our house failed several inspections before closing.  While I know everything was repaired, it’s still crazy.  We hired our own personal inspector because of all the Ryan Home horror stories and not to mention we were living in a Ryan Home townhouse that had some issues. While our inspector didn’t find anything major, he did find things that needed to be fixed.   I’ve read about other people who have had water issues, termites, and various problems with their home and how they didn’t hire an inspector.  Spend the money and get your own inspector.  This person works for you and not Ryan Homes!