Jim Walter Homes
Bad business practices led to headaches and restless nights for this new homeowne

When I entered into agreement with Jim Walter Homes in May I was excited at the prospect of being a first time homeowner. The brochure showed pictures of happy customers shaking hands with their Jim Walter rep and boasted of how they help you every step of the way. What a lie!

It seemed that the initial pre-approval process was too good to be true. It was so easy I couldn't believe it. Once the real work started everything changed. The nice picket sign advertising "No money down if you own your land" is a LIE!

I was led to believe that Jim Walter had subcontractors for every phase of the job. This was not true. I ended up having to find my own grader and, due to inexperience on my part, had to use three different companies to get the job done right. I had to find my own septic tank company as well as well drilling company. I was shocked to find out that I had to pay for a $600 septic tank permit before these things could be done. I called my Jim Walter rep and she said "I was sure I told you that". Well, she didn't. This cost us another month of waiting for the county inspector to come out and approve us for a septic/well permit. Only then did we find out that the initial land survey that Jim Walter had paid for was not detailed enough. I had to pay another $500 for a second land survey. The closing paperwork was completed at a local attorney's office in October. The paperwork was faxed from the main Jim Walter office in Florida and no one from their company was available through the closing process. I was told by the attorney on the day of closing that I had to pay for builder's risk insurance - another unexpected $500 that I was not prepared to pay and another thing that my Jim Walter rep failed to tell me. The septic tank was finally placed before Christmas 2007. Jiim Walter sent a crew out in January to place the footers for the foundation. Even though we had two land surveys on file and the exact location of the new house had been discussed at length, the footers were poured for the house facing in the opposite direction than we wanted. To save another delay my husband and I agreed we could live with that problem. At this point the crane company came out to look at the land and told me that we would have to pay to have a load of gravel delivered or the crane would not be able to do the job. This was another $384 out of pocket. After two more delays the house was finally placed on February 1. For the next month we didn't hear a word. After repeated phone calls work on the inside of the house finally began. The work crew was consistently on site no more than one day per week and the progress was almost non-existent.in March it seemed that work was finally getting done. I called several times to find out when the well should be drilled only to be told that I should have already had this done. I made all arrangements for this and had the well drilled by a company that I chose. I had to contact Jim Walter on three separate occasions to have them arrange for the final inspections by the county to get my CO. The electrical was failed twice and, at the final inspection the county official told me that he would pass the house and give me my CO, but I had better watch this place as he felt that I would have problems with it in the future. He specifically said that the cracks in the foundation would be something to watch out for. When I notified Jim Walter of this they told me they would send someone out to fill the cracks with putty. This still hasn't been done.in April I was contacted to sign the tender agreement and pick up the keys to my new house. I was told that I could do this in the office and did not have to do a walk through the house. Since that time things have been no better. Since I did not do a walk-through I have been finding problems slowly - no window screens, a busted microwave and broken overhead light in the kitchen, uneven door frames, bowed wood on the porch, and the list goes on and on. It has taken days, weeks and sometimes months to get some of these things fixed. It wasn't until the weekend that I moved in (June 8) that I realized we had no water inside the house. Upon investigation no one from Jim Walter had ever returned to run the wiring from the well to the fuse box or run the pipes into the house. I was told that this was not their responsibility but they would take care of it the following Monday. When the phone company came to install the phone line I had to pay extra money because Jim Walter failed to run the necessary lines for hook-up. As I said this list goes on and on. I have been through at least two office managers and three construction managers. I don't know if they have all just quit or if they were fired for mis-management. I have been living in my new home for only two weeks and I continue to find problems on a daily basis. Due to the arbitration clause in the contract I don't believe that lawsuit is an option for me. I have tried three times to contact someone from customer service in Tampa, Florida. I have left messages and no one has returned my calls to this date. I work in a business where customer service is key and I cannot believe that a company of this size is allowed to treat it's customers this way.

My first house payment was due on May 1st - yes, before I was even living there! My payment amount was $500 more per month than I had anticipated. When I called the main office in Florida I was told this was to cover the cost of my homeowner's insurance and property taxes. So I said "Oh, then you all have already made arrangements for my homeowner's insurance?" Oh no. This is just to build up my escroe account and the payment amount will go down next year. I'm not sure about other people but my homeowner's insurance is only $840 per year and my property taxes are no more than $900 per year. To this date no one from Jim Walter can explain to me why I am paying an extra $500 per month. The quicker I can refinance the better.

I thought Jim Walter Homes would be perfect for me. My uncle had his first home built by this company 25 years ago and had a good experience. I don't know what happened over that time period but the changes were definitely for the worse. BUYER BEWARE!!!

Angie
Candler, North Carolina
U.S.A.

Company: Jim Walter Homes
Country: USA
State: North Carolina
City: Candler
Address: 1045 Smoky Park Highway
Phone: 8286675484

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