We too purchased a partial built home from Jim Walters. (I am lucky it was only a partial build and I did the bulk of the work my self.) I purchased the shell with plumbing, heating and electrical installed. (1998/1999)
After a year of deciding place, time, and construction type we placed our order. It was not a spur of the moment purchase, as we searched many options and concluded the Walters Home would fill our needs.
Then the papers were signed, and then the delays began. Not bad but they did not meet original time sets. I purchased the required street cut permits, removed the exsisting trees, fence and required space for construction equipment/delvery needs.
However, Walters continued to cut through the neighbors yard as a short cut, destroying gates, fence and vegatation. I concluded early on that I was dealing with MORONS.
At least 2 men showed up to set the frame, but it took longer than estimated. No problem. I can work with that. As they did a very good job. Slow but good.
Contractor put in electrical, contract states that I will be able to use the outlets, as everything would be operational. However, Ron, the local Walters manager, had only conduit ran and no hookups, outlets, switches or other basic hardware installed. He told me he did his part, regardless of contract as 'HE' is the manager. I was told I would have to pull a new permit and get a qualified electrican to finish.
Contractor installs gas lines, and the pressure test shows it leaks. I contact the contractor and I am told to call them before the inspector gets there so they can pressure the line up to pass inspection. I researched the line and found the improper pipe connections, and repaired it my self. I am working with MORONS I keep reminding my self. Still have a conflict with electrical. Will tackle that later.
3 weeks to complete the roof, delays, delays... Delay. Yet it is done and done well, I can work with that.
Ron calls and tells me the construction is complete and all permits, inspections completed, it is ok to start insulation install, dry wall install. (I should have know he was lying again). Lying MORONS, the worst kind.
I install the insulation, set up the dry wall, install electrical outlets, switches etc. Call the county for final.
County comes in and has no records of construction. No permits, no inspections on anything.
Contact Ron, Walters manager here and it's not his problem.
I am looking for my gun, the BIG ONE. Forget the the gun, I will keep it personal and use my hands.
Telephone rings, it is Netherland Homes. They have bought out Walters Homes here and would like to know how things are going.
I tell them. Next morning, the Owner of Netherland Homes is on my door step. We speak for a while and he sets out to fire, remove, and as one Walters employee told me, to send Ron to Hell.
Netherland Homes, corrected and made right the home. Hired engineers to come and verify all construction, and fulfill permits for the County, State, City. God Bless Netherland Homes, these people saved me form a prison sentence.
This is not the problem I am complaining about though. I just wanted you to know that Walters Homes may not be the best choice for any one looking for a home. If you are handy with tools and do not mind a lot of corrective work to do.
You do not mind doing most of the construction yourself, then Walters, might be a consideration. If you need a home, try Netherland Homes instead.
Here is my beef with Walters Rip Off. Everyone going through Walters should be very careful.
Walters set me up with Midstate Homes Inc. (This is a Walters company too as far as I can tell.) A real estate contract for 30 years. I ask if I could prepay principle and I was told, YES, just submit one check for regular payments and one for extra principle. I figure that I can prepay and cut 15 years off the contract. Silly me.
Everything went ok for the first several years. I submitted the checks one for extra principle, one for mortgage, as stated. Then one day, I noticed that something was wrong. I was alway 2 or more payments ahead on my mortgage. Now I was always late?
I researched my canceled checks and found out that for many months. Mid State recieved one check after the 6th of the month and the others after the 9th day or later. Both checks were sent in the same envelope, so delivery time should not be a problem of 6 to over 9 days apart.
I also tracked and noticed that no matter how early I sent the payment in, as much as 3 weeks early, Mid State never recieved the payment unitll the day after it was due.in the past from mailing time to delivery time ranged at 3 to 5 days. Now it takes weeks. To top it off, the mortgage check is one day late, the extra principle is 3 to 6 days later.
It turns out that if your mortgage payment is late, then any extra principle is applied to interest.in other words Walters just put the extra into their pocket.
Having experience with these lying morons, I started to look into refinancing. I took under a year to find the best place.
I found that Quicken Loans is the best place to go to as they have hundreds of plans to choose from. Not like your bank or local mortgage place who has their plan at one or two to choose from. All this time, no matter what, my payments are always late.
After working with Roberto Bihar at Quicken Loans, we came up with a mortgage that was set for 15 years, less interest charges than Walters, and the pay back was only $16.00 dollars more a month. (A 10 year pay off plan if I sent in extra principle.) This knocked off a little over $100,000.00 dollars off the 30 years pay off to Walters.
I told Roberto to go ahead.
I noticed that after Quicken Loans contacted Mid State for pay off information. My next mortgage payment was not only on time, but they recieved it over a week before the 6th of the month and both checks arrived at the same time. Truley amazing is it not?
I thought it was Ron ripping me off at Walters, but reading all of the ripoffs here I see it is Walters policy.
If they can not get you for the construction, they will get you with questionable finance tricks.
If you are going through Mid State (jim walters) inc. For your contract. Check it over well. If you need to refinance, look around for the best deal for you. I recomend Quicken Loans as Roberto bent over backwards and went the extra mile.
All in all, it was a learning experience. I do not know what would have happened if I had depended on Walters for the total construction. At least people were fired, and wrongs were corrected, credit going to Netherland homes.
I can only wish the best for other Walters victims. I can see no end of the rip off untill Walters is deleted from doing business.
He tried to rip me off, then tried again, but now I am free of the Walters plague.
I hope that many will follow and those who may be considering a Walters home, to please reconsider.
Thanks for your time
Jim
Albuquerque, New Mexico
U.S.A.
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