Hi, my name is Janet and I would like to share a story with you about my daughter and her husband. She and her husband recently began the search for a home to purchase. They fell upon a market home, (a home built by a builder with the intention to sell), with which they fell in love. The home was 80 percent complete and written into the contract were allowances for the remaining items.
The choosing began….. First, there was the granite kitchen countertops. They wanted a backsplash but found out it was not included in the allowance and that it would cost $800.00. Cha ching……the first $800.00
Next came the plumbing fixtures with an allowance of $2,500.00. First time through, having no guidelines, they were over the allowance by $1,700.00. They re-choose, staying as cheap and basic as they could and finally ended with…..cha ching….$900.00 over allowance. I would also like to add that at the end of construction the kids noticed no towel bars, paper holders or shower curtain rods. When they asked where they were, the builder responded that none had been included.
Next was lighting. Being a bit wiser now, they only chose sale items or the least expensive fixtures they could find…….cha ching…..$1,100.00 over allowance. It gets better, they saw the 4 bedrooms were wired for ceiling lights, they asked if they could bring fan/lights for the 4 bedrooms. The builder said he could wire and reinforce the boxes for the fan/lights for $350.00 per bedroom!! She had her heart set on the bedrooms having fan/lights so they decided to do 2 rooms…..cha ching…..$700.00 more.
With the carpet, they insisted on staying within the allowance but the carpet quality is so poor that you can see the jute backing between the threads from a standing position.
Lastly, the kitchen appliances, with an allowance of $2,500.00. They needed to get a range, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator.By purchasing all these appliances at the same place, utilizing discounts and not name brands, they were able to keep their overage to $2,600.00.
These overages totaled $6100.00 and they were charged over $3,500.00 to add a 48” island in the kitchen.
I am a Construction Consultant for Fine Line Homes and felt helpless seeing what happened to my daughter. I am thankful for the way Fine Line Homes does business by having a complete Display Center of quality included selections. With us, these allowances do not exist. You know exactly the cost of the home and what you are getting for that cost. I remain a grateful & dedicated 21 year employee of Fine Line Homes and am proud to be a part of their team.