HUNTER HOMES

Not enough space to download all pictures, inspections and dialogue that started six month after I purchased home. This continued into November 2012; I moved out of the home in January 2013 due to health issues with mold, and not to mention the stress, which resulted from structural damage and cracks in the foundation. I am attaching a part of the summary of the last inspection that I received on the home that basically summarizes what a nightmare this experience was. Summaary of Inspector's Report: Conclusion: There are numerous codes and industry violations. Due to previous issues with moisture intrusion and the poor construction practices I do not believe the problem has been resolved. There are too many areas of possible moisture intrusion to determine if repairs have resolved the problem. We have issues concerning the lack of proper flashing at brick veneer, improper roof assembly, drainage issues, foundation height above grade and cracks at concrete slabs. These are all issues concerning moisture intrusion. The front walkway may need some excavation to determine if there is adequate support for veneer and support posts. All of the issues need to be resolved to provide an adequate structure. The best materials, equipment and preparations cannot compensate for poor contruction practices. The repairs will be expensive and time consuming. As I stated previously there is not enough space to put all of the pictures and dialogue, letters to Chase Mortgage, HUD, Rural Development, city and county governments, mold reports, and other inspection reports that I accumulated over (3) three years of this nightmare.

Hunter Homes builds a quality product for the money. From a structural standpoint, a Hunter Home is as good as any home in the area. In fact, they use an engineered truss roof, which is actually stronger than a stick built home. Hunter is good at what they do and similar to Breland Homes in that they build "cookie cutter" homes at affordable prices for 1st time home buyers. The homes are not that architecturally pleasing, don't have expensive materials as standards but they are a good home for the money. They are not the best at "pleasing the customer" unless you are looking for a good price to please you. I was looking for something basic we could upgrade ourselves and we got it. We have a beautiful home that is as nice/nicer on the inside than most homes in the area because we made what we wanted out of it ourselves. If you're looking for great customer service and for them to cater to your every need, don't look here. If you are looking for a great home for the price, Hunter is as good as any.

As a first-time home buyer, I was impressed with Hunter Homes (HH) in the beginning. It didn't last long. Hunter Homes is obviously in the business to build as many houses as quickly as they can. Prior to closing, you're treated like a valued customer and you're given promises that will never be honored. Immediately after closing, you become a nuisance to them if they have to come to your home to fix any punch-list items -- of which there will be many. Here are a few examples of my experience: My stove was wired incorrectly, and it was a miracle that I wasn't electrocuted or the house didn't catch on fire. The walls in my home are so bowed that I couldn't install wire shelving in my garage, and when I had my kitchen remodeled, the contractor showed me where he had to fill in about 1 1/2 inches behind the newly installed cabinets because the kitchen wall was so uneven. The HH contractors left off the front outside water spigot on the house, and they also left out a light in the master bathroom. They also covered up the main water line, which I didn't find out until I had water issues and couldn't find where to turn the water off. Although I asked multiple times to see a copy of the blueprints (I wanted to check to make sure they weren't leaving anything else out!), I was told I couldn't have a copy because they were "copyrighted." The sod that was installed was filled with weeds, which Mr. Hunter promised me would be replaced. Was it? No. Instead, he reneged after I closed, and all they gave me was one year of weed control, which didn't even come close to fixing the problem. The patio that I paid extra for developed a crack across the middle, and it had sunk down in the ground in the left-hand corner, causing water to pool there when it rained. The reason for both of these issues? While they were installing my weed-filled sod, they parked the sod presser (a vehicle that has a big barrel-looking roller on the front and is a very heavy piece of machinery) on my patio. They did not repair or replace my patio, even though I showed them a photo of the sod presser parked on the concrete. Although I fully understand that all foundations develop cracks, the foundation has so many cracks in it that it has cracked most of the ceramic tile in the house. Why? They were too cheap to put down a cushion (some kind of orange waffle-looking material) between the foundation and the tiles. (I found out about this when I had my remodeling project done.) The bottom line is that although Hunter Homes has very competitive pricing, I have since found out that the quality of their houses is so poorly regarded in the Huntsville area that when I refinanced my house last year, I was told that the fact that I had a Hunter Home made my house appraise LESS than similar homes from other builders. Not such a good value after all. I am aware that they are in business to make money, and that things can go wrong, but my biggest complaint is the way I was treated after I closed. It was a nightmare trying to get them to send anyone out to make repairs, and the fact that I was repeatedly lied to completely soured my opinion of the company. As a result, I take every opportunity to tell people about my experiences with Hunter Homes. There are lots more things to share that I had problems with, but hopefully you get the idea and will avoid purchasing a house built by Hunter Homes. Also, regardless of who builds your home, a bit of advice is to NOT CLOSE on the house until most, if not all, of your punch-list items are completed.