On the date of December 5 my (then) fiance' and I signed a contract for a townhome in Ashburn Village. Ryan Homes had already established one community there and were going to expand to another but the land had not been developed yet. We thought we were getting a great deal, at low 179K starting price it seemed like the thing to do (those same townhomes which are less than 2000 square feet are running well over 200K now).
We signed a couple of addendums, one of which allowed Ryan Homes an additional six months to build the home. The original delivery date was set for September (before the six month extension) and with the wedding being in April we signed an additional lease with the apartment complex.
In the contract it states that Ryan Homes has up to twelve months to build a home. With the additional six months that put the deadline for home to June!!! During the first six months we paid our monthly payment towards the down payment and closing costs of the home. We upgraded most all the options and felt we were on our way to having a new home.
As time passed we saw NO progress on the land development and of course Ryan homes kept telling us "Development will begin in 4-6 weeks", we were told that a number of times. Around May/June we started showing serious concern. Ryan was quick to extend our down payments on a couple of occasions with the final deadline being Sept for them to have 7K of our money. September came and went - my (then) spouse and I had both lost our jobs and gotten new ones as well as separated.
December came and went with STILL NO progress on the land. Found out from a reliable source in the county govt that the plans had been sent back "rejected" a number of times to the developers. Ryan homes was not privy to this information??? I found that hard to believe so I began calling and going up the chain.
Paul Mock did NOT want to give a refund but due to the fact that funding could NOT be obtained due to my former spouse losing her job she did not want the home and neither did I (for obvious reasons). Ryan Homes was sitting on 5K and didnt want to refund, stating that "I" was in default. Well, it just so happened that my parents have been in the home building/selling business for over 2 decades so I faxed the contract to my mother. She informed me what the laws were governing home building/selling in Alabama and surprisingly enough, they are not too different from those here in Virginia. During this time my soon-to-be ex spouse had already signed a waiver releasing her from the contract and any chance of getting money back.
But after doing some research I found that Ryan homes requires TWO signatures for a cancellation. I did NOT accept their certified letter and continued to badger them. Even contacted "Fox 5 Investigates" to tell them my story.
After constant calling on my part, leaving messages for Mr. Mock's secretary and then contacting the CEO, Paul Mock finally called me back to "discuss" the situation. He honestly tried his best to convince me that "I" was in default but I wouldnt take no for an answer. Even found out that Susan, one of the managers under him TOLD him that it was only right to give the money back. GOD - what a sleazy salesman this guy is!!! After bickering on the phone with me he agreed to give back 4K out of 5K. My how big of him! He stated that the other 1K was to cover his expenses. I told him that I KNEW he was going to turn around and sell that very same lot for at least 30K more.
Now bear in mind that this is May and not one house has been built. Only two weeks ago did I see any building materials sitting out on the site but not sure if they were for Ryan Homes or not!!! So here I am still out the last 1K that Paul Mock's OWN people tell him he should refund to me. I beseech ANYONE who is going to buy a new home go somewhere else. After reading some of the other horror stories on this site I have determined that Ryan Homes is in the practice of taking money, plain and simple, without delivering
So if you want to gamble you are better off at the slot machines in Atlantic City than you are in writing your check to this company for a home!!!
Jim
Ashburn, Virginia
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