CAROTHERS HOMES

Outstanding company. From initial viewing, contract, negotiations, to closing, Carother's went out of their way to accommodate our concerns or inform us when options were not available. The superintendent and crew were especially accommodating to include correcting all deficiencies identified during the inspection and final walk-through. Friends of mine have told me horror stories they've encountered with their builder. That is not the case with Carother's. I am impressed!!!

I am requesting a claim to pursue damages in the amount of $750 against Glenda Del Rosario (Carothers sales agent) in court for your failing to keep our verbal agreement concerning Lot 72 in Deerwood Estates. I have wasted my time, energy and resources dealing with her incompetence and unethical practices. She entered a verbal agreement with me on June 2011, which she stated to me, in the presence of my Realtor (Chanel Meza) ?I?m putting the lot on hold until you get your plans done? At that time I asked you if there is a deposit or time limit required for the hold and she said ?No, don?t worry about that.? Throughout our dealings with one another I and Chanel both periodically checked in with her about the lot still being on hold for us and each time Glenda stated ?Yes?. At one point she even went so far as to mention ?if anyone else ever shows interest in the lot, I?ll let you know and we can talk deposit at that time? or words to that effect. I had no reason to mistrust you up until that point so I finally agreed to pay the $750 for the plans. I stated to you specifically that I would not pay anything until I knew for sure the lot was mine and you stated it was. Several days later, in the presence of Lee Michell, I asked you again if the lot was secure and you stated ?yes? at which point Lee and I began going over the plot to ensure the projected plan would fit at an angle on that particular lot. Towards the end of the meeting Glenda brought up the required payment and I stated ?before I hand this {the check} over, I need to know the land is locked in for my home, she stated ?stop worrying, I?m holding It for you?that lot is yours.? With that I handed the check over to Lee Mitchell to draw up the plans for that lot. On 31 Aug 2001 around 7:30pm, I met an Asian couple who happened to be at the lot taking measurements as I and my children were surveying the lot. The woman asked if I was thinking of building a home in Deerwood and I said ?yes? As a matter of face this is my lot you?re measuring. The woman said ?there must be some mistake, this lot is ours?we have it on signed contract? I described Glenda to her and asked her if was the woman she was dealing with and she stated ?yes, I?ve been working with her for a long time now and I?m sorry, but this lot is ours.? I immediately called my Realtor and informed her of the situation. My trust in Glenda at that point was lost and I got the impression she had been stringing me along all this time. I wanted to give her an opportunity to explain so the next day (1 Sep 11) Chanel, Glenda, Medina and I sat down to discuss what happened. Glenda stated that there was some mix up with that couple?s realtor and the lot was in fact still mine. She stated that the woman?s realtor had made a mistake and thought the lot was still on the market. She again assured me in the presence of my witnesses that the lot was still mine and not to worry. The very next day on 2 Sept 2011, I received a message from my Realtor to call her back as soon as possible and my heart sunk I knew it was bad news. I returned her call and she confirmed that the land was in fact already sold. Which meant Glenda had lied to our faces and that sale with the other couple was in the works for over a month at the very least? I am appalled at the lack of professionalism displayed by Glenda. She had been stringing me along all this time when she was secretly working with another couple on the same lot. Not once did she mention that another couple was interested in the lot, nor did she give me an opportunity to put down a deposit on the lot. She refused my offer each time stating ?not to worry.? I believe she was secretly playing both sides to sale the lot to the first family to complete their plans. I realize now, Glenda was never holding that lot for me to begin with; she entered a fraudulent verbal contract with me. I believe Carother Homes have a duty and ethical responsibility to inform potential clients that lots are sold on a first come, first serve basis instead of stringing unsuspecting clients along only to disappoint them in the end. I also feel that BJ Carothers should have done something to make this right for us or at the very least render an apology. I am shocked at their lack of sensitivity and flippant behavior that I should just "pick another lot". This sort of practice is unethical and extremely unprofessional. I have wasted much energy and time in the planning of this home. Looking back now, I suspect Glenda may have been purposely fouling my plans with the Architect because she knew the other family?s plans was near completion. I thought it very strange that the architect (Lee Mitchell) could never seem to get my plans correct with gross omissions (i.e. hallways, formal dining room, lack of windows, and garage throughway via utility room.) The plans were going back and forth many times due strange mistakes (i.e. putting the entrance to my bedroom out on the patio area) along with gross omissions such as the formal dining room. My list was very specific so I couldn?t understand why he was not creating the home I vividly described (verbally and on paper). I realize now my frustration may have been misplaced and should have been directed towards Glenda who was the liaison between me and Mr. Mitchell. BJ Carothers explained at the outset that it was policy for me to meet with Glenda during the planning phase of the home and stated that she would act as liaison between me and the architect. I thought it was a strange policy, but I was excited to have a home built. Later Glenda explained that she would relay any tweaks and changes to the plans to Lee Michell. Although, I felt uneasy with that arrangement, I went along with it and trusted that system would work smoothly. I recently found out through Mr. Mitchell?s son that Glenda had been making decisions for me behind my back such as telling them ?she won?t mind having to go through the laundry room to access the garage.? This is just one example of many discrepancies we?ve had with the plans not coming together correctly. I was very specific that I wanted the garage to be accessed via hallway. She also stated to me early on that we needed to focus on getting the proper set up correct before we could adjust individual room sizes. After much frustration with dealing with incorrect floor plans, I insisted on speaking with the Architect myself instead of expressing my ideas through Glenda. I was beginning to mistrust her and so was my Realtor. When I sat down with Mr. Mitchell?s son, he informed me that you could not just adjust individual room sized w/o changing the entire floor plan. The plan could not simply be ?scaled down? as a whole as Glenda had advised. Everything that Glenda had told me was being proved untrue by the architect and I was livid!!!! We?d wasted so much time going back and forth through her, but somehow my ideas were not being accurately translated to the architect at all. It was then that I realized that there was a serious disconnect between Glenda and the Architect which accounted for all the wasted time in getting the plans right. It is my sincere belief that Glenda behaved inappropriately by not calling me with questions about the plans, instead she chose of her own accord to ?speak? for me and made inaccurate decisions behind my back which caused unnecessary frustrations for both the Architects and me. She was playing both sides with regard to the lot and had no regard for the family she?s disappointed. I am suing to recover the $750 dollars I paid which was rendered under Glenda?s firm assurance that the lot was secured for my home. This was a verbal agreement between Glenda and I and I feel it?s only fair she recover my lost funds. This gross failure is not only a disappointment to me; it?s a severe loss to my children who were so looking forward to living on lot 72 in Deerwood Estates.