Inspections Gallore! (we passed!)
Not real sure what this one means, but it shows we passed
The road next to my house. The whole part in front of me will get paved. =) Thank you Ryan Homes!
House Pics
The view I apparently will have for probably at least a year
You can see where eventually (maybe) the road next to my house will continue down past it and behind.
Here's the rub:
We talked to our PM after hearing some things 2nd hand. This will probably be our view for a while because:
This land is considered "Not Developed". Ryan has no plans to develop it. Wells Fargo (our current developer) doesn't either. =) WF is trying to find another developer to come take over. According to our PM, people have been out looking, but that doesn't mean a thing. They have to secure the funds, and then all the paperwork before they could develop it. So... I'm guessing this our view for a good 6 months at least. Maybe longer. But you never know. A home builder in another community was telling my sister about another part of their development that looks like this does. They said it takes about 6 months to develop. So we figure we have a while. There are still lots of lots for Ryan to worry about in our neighborhood for now. And we are going to enjoy the view for as long as we have it. =)
Also, followers who will be living her, Neither Ryan, nor WF, have plans to finish the pool now. *gasp* Again, WF is looking for a new developer to come do that. ='( That was the last thing I heard. Back in Feb. we were told the funds were there and put aside for it and it "should open" Summer of 2012. That no longer seems to be the case. Just an FYI.
I still have NO idea what the time table is my PM sent me. I emailed him again to see if I understood it correctly. *shrugs* I figure by the time we get back from Atlantis (the 24th) the drywall will be all done but the painting, the inside trim will be done (boxing), electricity on, our garage door will be in, siding and stonework done, and the house locked up! I am guessing July will be counters, flooring, painting, and touch-ups. We shall see!
(PMs email is in last post)
I should come back from vacation to a beautiful house!
Everything looks so great Noey, the house looks huge! I bet it must be so much more fun going in now knowing all is secured with the financials. So happy for you! And you are going to have an awesome time on your vacation!!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to see everything coming together for you. The house is looking awesome. Regarding that inspection picture...it looks like something with the plumbing did not pass until the 3rd attempt. I would ask your PM what the problem was and make sure you keep the picture in your binder in case of a future problem.
ReplyDelete@ Becky: To us it IS huge! lol But so many of you have larger ones. This is just short of 2700. Biggest home we've ever had. And it's perfect for us! =) I'm very excited! And can't wait. It'll be hard to be away from the kids and the house, but I know it will make returning even more exciting. =)
ReplyDelete@ BD: I keep pictures of EVERYTHING!! =) I do plan to ask him also. And thanks! We're pretty happy!
I'll bet it was so nice to see your house and KNOW that it was really going to be yours. It must be so nice to finally have the loan approval behind you. I agree with BD - that sad face the inspector drew would concern me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the pool, be prepared for a long wait. There is a very large neighborhood near me that Ryan has recently stopped building within due to lawsuits involving homeowner fees and unfinished amenities. Residents have been paying mandatory golf/pool fees for 5 years+ of well over $1000 a year for golf/pool/clubhouse that didn't exist. Lawsuits have been filed several times and the developer lost.
The developer is responsible for the promised amenities - not Ryan. Typically, Ryan buys lots from the developer and builds houses, that's it. Roads, sewer, streetlights, pools and playgrounds are the responsibility of the developer, at least until the development is turned over to the homeowner's association or municipality or both. Developers NOTORIOUSLY try to get new residents to defray the cost of amenities.
Anyway, this kind of behavior caused a lot of new homeowners serious hardship and bad feelings around here. Know your rights right away, and question the developer and Ryan about large homeowner's fees if the amenities don't yet exist. In this economy, be prepared for those amenities to not be finished for a long time.
But YOUR house? YOUR house will be awesome.
We were told we did NOT have to pay homeowner's fees until the pool (when ever it may get here)opens. Then it'll be pro-rated. So I'm all good with that. Right now...NO HO Fees! YAY! And I do go to pool less than 10 minutes from the neighborhood, so I'm all good. =)
ReplyDeleteA little sad we were told originally that the funds were there and that the pool was scheduled to open next summer, and now plans have changed. But like I said, I know we're taken care of, so I'm ok with it. =)
Sorry to hear about the troubles up there. YIKES!
I was concerned about the note and sad face too. But I am glad to know I'm not the only one. I will be emailing him the pic soon and asking about it.
I agree with Ranter...here in Delaware they passed a law last year making it illegal to collect fees for amenities that have not been completed. The State Attorney General sued some of the builders for collecting these fees...Ryan Homes was one of them...RH reimbursed the home owners for the fees that had been previously collected. The development we were originally looking at was paying $1200 per year which got you 4 rounds of golf, access to a club house that was not built yet(it is almost finished, but not yet), access to a pool and tennis that is not built yet, and access to a community center that was finished, opened, and immediately closed. Glad we are not dealing with that any more.
ReplyDeleteHowever, our new development is also having issues. Originally every homeowner automatically got a membership to the golf course...they builder of the golf course went bankrupt and bailed out of the project. A couple of years ago the homeowners document was ammended to separate it from the Golf Course because it is an amenity that does not exist...btw, the pool was completed and the foundation for the club house was completed and numerous holes on the golf course were also finished. The bank just had an auction of the golf course property, a local developer bid on it, but it is not clear yet if the bank accepted the bid. Anyway, the HOA dues shot up from around $250 to $500 this year...supposedly the increase is to cover snow removal, which is supposed to be the responsibility of the developer until 75% of the homes are sold which that number is not yet reached which makes it illegal. A bunch of the existing homeowners are refusing to pay and the State Attorney General is investigating, but that takes time...hopefully that gets worked out before settlement or our $500 will automatically be included in our settlement fees.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I want to make sure that everyone reads in detail the HOA documents and understands the details of things like existing dead restrictions and know what your developer is supposed to handle and what expenses are legal to pass thru to the homeowners. They are usually long boring documents, but the details will prevent surprises later. You should also find out what is the developer's responsibility, what fees they are allowed to charge the homeowner, and when does the HOA get turned over to the homeowners. Just because the developer charges you a fee doesn't mean it is legal to do.
Beautiful Home Noey and a lot more will be completed when you get back from your vacation. I was in awe on how much was done with our house when I got back from mine. Have fun on your trip and I am gonna be jealous of your TAN!
ReplyDelete:)
Noey-
ReplyDeleteSince I will be buying there as well...when did this change about the pool...are they still eventually putting one in and next summer if not, can we sign up where you guys swim. My daughter would be vey diappointed with no pool all next summer--this summer we are covered as move in is not until mid Sept. Also with the schools there do you know if there is a bus route or a school care program--have not had time to look into this yet as it has been crazy here---telling you when I move in we will have to have a weekend of talks about how similar our circumstances were-Thanks from the neighbor down the steet
Anon: Come find me! I'm on the corner! lol
ReplyDeleteThe pool we go too is less than 10 min from the house. It's in another neighborhood. They DO open up membership to only a certain number of outside members for a fer (Usually btwn $350 and $400). I tend to get an email about it in March. I can give you an application and papers to sign then too if you'd like. It's a first come first serve basis. No biggie.
I'm not sure when it changed,honestly. I know Ryan never had any intentions of finishing it, but we were kinda led to believe that the developer (Wells Fargo: WF) did. We were told they already had the funds put aside for it. Someone we know was out looking to purchase in the neighborhood, and they were told neither Ryan, nor WF, and any intention of doing it now. But that WF is looking to sell to another developer and it would be up to them.
*sigh*
*For a fee, not a fer
ReplyDeleteHere's a tip for everyone...read in detail the HOA documents(all documents for that matter) in detail. IF something is to be provided by the developer, DO NOT assume that it will happen. The developer is not legally bound to provide any of those extra things...pools, community centers, etc...AND your builder is at the mercy of the developer. You can't blame Ryan Homes for pitching the community pool...that is definitely a selling feature, but they can only tell you what they know at that time. I had seen on another blog that a community was going to include some shops and restaurants, but that actually never happened either. NEVER assume additional ammenities will be available until they are built and the homeowners are actually managing the HOA...ie not still in the hands of the developer.
ReplyDeleteWe plan on reading it all...once it comes out. Right now there is NO HOA in our neighborhood because they are just starting the building and there are not enough homes yet. It is in the contracts we sign that there will be one eventually and the highest amount the fees could go. But for now, no HOA.
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