REGENCY HOMES INC

Pros: Quality materials and craftsmanship; highly-responsive, trustworthy, professional, experienced staff; skilled subcontractors; home can be completely custom-designed Cons: None Regency Homes, Inc. was on our short-list after visiting and interviewing six different Minnesota custom home builders during the 2015 Spring Parade of Homes. We liked the quality of the Regency model home that we visited, and enjoyed how the owner, Lori, during our initial meeting/interview, was very welcoming, knowledgeable, and eager to find out exactly what we were looking for in our new home. She asked the right questions, gave us honest information and timelines about the build, and made us feel very comfortable about the process. Everything regarding her business practice was extremely transparent. One of my biggest fears about building a new home was inadvertently hiring a shady, fly-by-night operation that would cut corners and keep the day-to-day operations and/or problems hidden from us. With Regency Homes, Inc., this was definitely not the case. They took pride in their work, relationships with subcontractors and vendors, and with their past and current customers. From start to finish, there was nothing that my husband or I were uncomfortable about, because we were encouraged to be a part of the process. If we had questions, they were immediately answered by Lori, the project manager (Jen), the admin (Meghan), the construction manager (Keith), or job supervisor (Scott). We truly felt like we were a team, all working toward the same outcome: complete satisfaction with the quality of our new home. We never felt like the Regency team was trying to up-sell us or convince us to stretch beyond our budget. Even though we did go slightly above budget by our own request of adding an extra deep garage, etc. (welcome to building a new home - it?s going to happen!), we saved money right from the start because we substituted some of the high-end standard finishes that were typical in Regency builds with less expensive materials (no granite on the island, LVP floors instead of hardwood, etc.). Lori worked with us to help us maintain our budget so we could afford a new build. We knew we could upgrade these things someday, but the most important things about our home were quality of the materials, the craftsmanship, and the fabulous location in a brand new development. We signed a contract with Regency Homes, Inc. in March of 2015, and closed on our home on September 28, 2015. The entire experience for my husband and me - as very skeptical, very savvy consumers - was beyond positive. There were no complications, no major issues, and the outcome was magnificent! Regency?s marketing materials highlight the fact that the process of building a home should be enjoyable and not stressful. They kept that promise. The overwhelming emotion that I felt during the entire process was excitement. I never felt confused, pressured, fearful, regretful, or stressed. The decision to build a brand new home is life-changing, and can fill a person with doubt and fear. No matter what, you must do your homework. Don?t assume that all builders are equal. There are some shady operators out there, and we heard PLENTY of horror stories from dissatisfied homeowners before we even officially began the process. If you are considering building a new home, do your due diligence and interview your top contenders, but make sure to include Regency Homes, Inc. on your short list. They are honest, hard-working people who build beautiful, high-quality homes. As I sit in my beautiful home office, looking out the window at the brand-new Regency Homes, Inc. model directly across the street, I feel an extraordinary sense of pride to already be living in a Regency custom home. I will continue to recommend Regency Homes, Inc. to anyone who may be looking to build. I welcome any questions and comments. Side note: As with all new construction homes, there will be items that need to be fixed once you move into your house. We have had several minor items pop up that were immediately addressed by Regency. For example, the electrician forgot to add an extra outlet in the basement that we paid for, the front door latch was sticking, etc. - all very minor and all fixed in a day or two of our contacting Regency Homes, Inc. to come out and fix them.

We have been in our home now for a little over two years and hope that writing about our experiences with Regency homes will help make the average home buyer more informed about perhaps one of the biggest, if not the biggest, financial decisions to be made. In the beginning of our building process, Regency was very helpful with floor plan suggestions and attentive to our needs and questions. If they were not available to take our call, it was more often than not, returned within that same day. We even had a situation where our loan officer dropped the ball, which caused closing to be delayed for a number of days. Regency did allow us to place our belongings in the garage prior to closing, which helped us quite a bit. It really wasn?t until after we closed, we started feeling very frustrated and disappointed with the quality and craftsmanship of our home, which continues today. Regency was very prompt about, not only correcting the minor issues with our home, but also the major issues that were not an extreme financial burden to them. We have had numerous window sashes that were the wrong size, screens that did not fit, and caulking forgotten in multiple interior and exterior areas. The caulking that was missed around our tub on the second floor caused water to drain onto the ceiling of our main level and drain through the light fixture in our dinette area. We have and continue to live with extremely squeaky and rattling floors on our second level. We overheard the window manufacture explaining to the installer that the windows were not installed according to manufacture?s specification. This was after the house was completely built. There was a situation where the fireplace and hearth installation was not coordinated correctly. It could also have been something in the actual design, for all I know? I really don?t know where the problem lied, but I am stuck with a fireplace that sits about 2? below a stone hearth. I was told it was installed correctly and there is nothing that could be done. Well, every time I want to take the front panel off of the fireplace, it gets scratched by that 2? of stone. Hopefully, I don?t need service anytime soon, for who know if one can get into it to service it without moving the hearth. Also, I guess when I need to replace the fireplace, getting it out is really going to be a challenge because the hearth is in the way. I should have done my homework and not have let Regency push me into believing everything was installed correctly because it is clearly not. To this day we are still dealing with the rattling floors in the master bedroom and our stairs. We have been told the only person that can fix this is their framer that framed our home. He had already been over multiple times to correct various issues, which never got corrected, but managed to place a hole in our bonus room carpet and a hole in the window framing (to Regency?s benefit they did send someone out to fix the hole in the window casing). When the hole in the carpet was brought up, it was ignored and then a change of topic. We gave up on Regency and their sub attempting to correct these and any other framing issues. The corrections were just causing more problems in our home. The laundry room floor is not suitable for front load washers and dryers. This information was per an appliance expert Regency sent out. They vibrate out of place about 4-5 inches after every wash. Regency tells me there is nothing that can be done. There is always something that can be done, Regency chooses not to. Our bathroom has a light switch and an outlet on the same wall about 6? apart. They are not at the same height, which one is about ¾? higher than the other. One can see every nail hole in our trim throughout our home. There is either an indentation where almost every nail hole is located. If there is not an indentation, it can be seen where there was limited or no sanding done to the hole filler; thus, being left with a smear of filler. The new blemish that has just popped up as of about 1 month ago, are 2 cracks in our ceiling. About 2 months ago a drain in our master bathroom was starting to drain slowly, so it was decided to remove the trap and investigate. Once the trap was off, the entire sink could be moved around the counter top. The only thing holding the sink in was the plumbing and I suppose maybe the caulking around the sink. The one thing that I really stressed to Regency, upon one of our initial meeting was that I did not want bouncy floors and I was assured I would not have that problem. I even told Regency that I was looking at another builder, who places their trusses closer than what code required to ensure their customer?s do not have this issue Well, Regency did nothing to eliminate bouncy floors, but I was assured my floors would not be bouncy. The trusses are 24? apart on center with ¾ OSB board. No other support or even more trusses used to put closer together to eliminate the bounce. I should have had something in writing, but I was too trusting when I was told I would not have bounce. I even saw this during the building process, but trusted what I was told. To add more injury to insult, some of the support required for the trusses have been later notched out by other subs to make room for duct work, plumbing, etc. It is great to hear the wine glasses in the cupboard across the kitchen, when walking with guests over. It is rather embarrassing. We have been dealing with a beetle infestation in our hardwood flooring that Regency has been aware of since 2 months after we moved in. We were originally told the subcontracting company they hired was going to replace all of the flooring because that was truly the only way to eliminate them. The subcontracting company now refuses to take any responsibility. Instead, there have been some boards replaced, but the problem with that is that they do not fit like the original and the stain/varnish has a different shine/tone. I was then told by Regency they would at the least resand the floors to take care of any other holes the beetles created and to give the floor the proper look, but they have now retracted that correction. Instead, they have offered to replace more boards, but after many times of explaining the issue with that route pertaining to the inconsistency of the look of the boards, they still refuse or want to discuss a compromise. I don?t know why they said they would sand to correct the appearance issues and now are retracting what they stated. Another issue concerning the beetles is they can stay dormant for up to five years and if I want to sell next year or the year after, I have to disclose I have an infestation. Guess what that does to the value and marketability of my home? I have seeked legal advice and had a structural engineering expert over. Unfortunately, the time and financial burden is really not worth it. I am told I have a great case, but the likely hood of retaining legal fees is slime or more likely none. I would really be losing money in the end and I do not have an endless pile of cash to take this on. Regency?s web site states, ?We will build your home with the finest quality materials and craftsmanship, with careful attention to every detail.? If they would have paid careful attention to every detail, I would be writing a better review and our outside vent for our range exhaust would not be 2 feet above a window that opens. Every time we use our range in the summer we need to close a kitchen window. Otherwise the exhaust simply blows right back in the house. After being in our home now for over 2 years and learning about the lack of quality craftsmanship put into the building of our home, I would never again use Regency, nor recommend them to anyone I care about.