House-building worries

amyc216

So, we are supposed to close on our house next week.  I feel that the builders have wasted so much time- they didn't do anything in March.  They've given us different excuses about permits and not being as familiar with building in our county and what they require. We met a few weeks ago and they asked for another week. Now, we are due to close next week and there is still so much to be done. The stone needs to go on the front and landscaping, but inside it's basically everything. The drywall is up, the cabinets are in, the bathtubs are in, but there's soooo much left. I've asked several times if we're on time and they keep saying yes, not to worry, they'll get it done. The thing that I am sick about is DH is about to lose his job. He's getting laid off and his last day is the 28th. We have to close before then or I'm sure we'll lose our loan. Also, we locked in our interest rate and if we don't close before July, they will start charging us like $300 a week in fees! The whole thing makes me sick to think about. Should I just trust the builders and not worry? I can't help it. Do you think this house will be done next week?

pennysuedog

I'm sorry, I hope things work out, it sounds like a lot of cosmetic stuff is left.  It may go faster than you think, but I have the same feeling, that you will not be closing next week. I bet it can be done before the 28th.  The landscaping driveway etc. can't they do that after you close?  I know when my parents built they came back and did the driveway, poured the concrete floor in the garage and graded the yard for sod after we moved in.  

cantalopes24

I wouldn't stress. I used to work for a builder and you'd be amazed at how quickly that stuff gets done. As long as the house meets certain criteria they can close. A lot of it depends on the subs schedule too. Permitting issues are common. For my parents I had them put a sign over missing brick on the front stoop to get it to pass. We also would do things like put microwaves in and hook up one bathroom then go back and finish after closing.

amyc216

Thanks all!  Yeah, Papps I am hoping for an Extreme Home Makeover speedy situation!  The good news is the builder's agent sent me an email this morning to schedule our closing.  Of course we don't want to tell anyone about MH's job and I just hope he gets transferred before all this happens anyway.  Agh!

leahandbuck

We are closing on Friday and I am amazed at how quickly they can get stuff done.  Our builder did the opposite though, they did the outside first and then worked on the inside.  They had the outside stone done in 1 day and the landscaping done in 1 day. 

Deez10

amyc216:

So, we are supposed to close on our house next week.  I feel that the builders have wasted so much time- they didn't do anything in March.  They've given us different excuses about permits and not being as familiar with building in our county and what they require. We met a few weeks ago and they asked for another week. Now, we are due to close next week and there is still so much to be done. The stone needs to go on the front and landscaping, but inside it's basically everything. The drywall is up, the cabinets are in, the bathtubs are in, but there's soooo much left. I've asked several times if we're on time and they keep saying yes, not to worry, they'll get it done. The thing that I am sick about is DH is about to lose his job. He's getting laid off and his last day is the 28th. We have to close before then or I'm sure we'll lose our loan. Also, we locked in our interest rate and if we don't close before July, they will start charging us like $300 a week in fees! The whole thing makes me sick to think about. Should I just trust the builders and not worry? I can't help it. Do you think this house will be done next week?

I thought the same thing when we were building our house but sure enough, it was like they said - they had to get approval during certain stages of the process and sometimes that approval took awhile.  But I totally know what you mean to check on your house and see nothing has been done in weeks.

Our closing date actually got pushed back but only by a week - we still closed the month we planned on closing.  They got everything done the last week without any problems (and they had quite a bit to finish, I was super nervous they wouldn't get it done in time).  Doesn't hurt to ask - even if you consider yourself a pest by asking too often.  This is a big purchase and a lot of factors are affected by it - so I think it's understandable that you want some reassurance from the builder.

Honestly, I'd be surprised if you don't close this month but that's just my personal opinion having built 2 homes and dealt with last minute stuff being left undone right before closing.

Sorry you're going through all this stressful stuff, I hope your DH is able to find something new very soon - hang in there!  GL and keep us posted!

amyc216

Thanks for the reassurance! I'll definitely keep y'all posted!