“Please heed my best advice about Pulte -- NEVER close on your new Pulte home until the house is absolutely perfect. Don't let them say, "It will be taken care of in the warranty period", because that could take years of frustration, or never get done. Some people in our neighborhood have been waiting nearly 2 years for fixes (items missing that they paid for, or installed improperly or damaged). The warranty people will hold out until you get so frustrated you go and do the fixes yourself. In the warranty period, you have to beg and beg to get anything done, and then when fixes are scheduled, the workers never show, or they show up with the wrong materials, or they "fix" the problem worse than it was before.
My second advice is to be there at the construction site daily, and DO NOT believe your construction supervisor when you point out an issue and he says he will take care of it. You have to keep on them, and continually verify that it is done, or they will just try to cover up the issue -- literally! While it is hard to say to them, "Do not go on to the next phase until this is fixed," because you want your house to be done on time, but that is what you have to do. TAKE HUNDREDS OF PICTURES of every pipe, wire, wall, floor and ceiling from every angle, and at each stage of the process, so you have proof in case something breaks later.
Thirdly, do not assume that Pulte is looking out for your best interests by protecting any of the materials during construction. I could go on and on about this, but they will leave doors, molding, wall board and other materials out in the rain or in the humidity, with no protection. It will get damaged, warped, and moldy (here in the South), but they will install it anyway. You have to protect those materials yourself. Have rolls of plastic to cover up things, and take dated pictures of anything left out in the elements, even in the garage, to show proof that the item's storage was mishandled. Since workers pull off the protection, it often has to be put back on daily.
Finally, get a professional inspector. Don't let Pulte say "It isn't necessary." It absolutely is necessary! Pulte listens to inspectors (your own and from the county, who just checks safety basics). NEVER believe that Pulte's "inspectors" are looking out for your interests. They aren't.
Make sure your own inspector is there to check each major stage of construction. This is critical, since the inspector knows what problems to look for, and can document the problem. Our inspector found things like missing outlets, improperly wired switches, an unfinished open vent in the attic (which would have caused us to forever cool the attic space), missing insulation, poorly aligned lights and ceiling vents, warped walls, broken tiles, etc.
So, take care. I have built four homes, and it seems like the subcontractors are getting worse as time goes on, so keep an eye on things, because Pulte won't. It will be extremely frustrating, because most of the Pulte subcontractors don't speak English (or act like they don't), so you cannot communicate with them. They come in for a couple days to do everything on their list at once, and by the time your Pulte supervisor shows up to look at the problem you have found, that crew will be off to another community, so everything will come to a standstill (sometimes for weeks) until someone on that crew can come back to fix the problem. Surely, the Pulte people themselves will do nothing to fix it. So very frustrating!
One of my final pet peeves with Pulte is that they do not keep a clean construction site. They say they do, but don't believe it. Visit some homes under construction. You will see that it is a junkyard throughout the process, and I believe that leads to mistakes and construction being done poorly. But that's just me.”
“Customer service is the worse I have ever experienced. They do not stand behind their contract and promises. They ignore your concerns as they want you to stop pursuing them to fix what they should be fixing in the first year. Never buy from Pulte! Even calling their corporate office does not help. The first words out of their mouths when you call to have something fixed is No, we don’t fix that. And this is only when you have been in the house for 2 weeks. Horrible, horrible customer service! Do not buy from Pulte!”
“Very bad builder and wants to sell their property by making you buy in by asking too much earnest money. They are really bad builder who promises incentives to get earnest money and then does not give you incentives saying you don’t qualify for loan. They are always looking tricks to sell property and once you show interest they hike the price. It had been a nightmare working with them as they are really rude and ask earnest money as if they own it even though they drop the prices fifty grand for new buyers. None of his buyers are happy, all are sad because he just looks for tricks for new buyers and leaves the people who already paid earnest money neglected and threatened that they will loose equity ultimately if they back out. Very bad selling tactics and don’t buy from Pulte, he can’t keep anyone happy”
“This company is not buyer friendly. The first time we tried to use the clothes dryer, this is what we heard. This was a new construction and they told us that we had a 1 year warranty. I guess not because they told us to call Whirlpool. Management doesn’t respond.”
“The quality of home is average not in line with the cost. 10 months after closing I have my front porch entrance not painted yet. I have been bounced around different people in customer service and nobody was able to provide a solution.
My yard grading was just finished after 9 months from closing… ridiculous..”
“Don’t care after you have closed on a million $$ home. Letting us live with out a working garage for a week. Many neighbors in my development suing Pulte for terrible workmanship and service! Just don’t!”
“I have more than 6 months waiting Pulte fix my tiles to be repair, this is a new house, in the first 5 months 18 tiles were broken. A large crack crosses the living room to the corridor of the bedroms. 6 months waiting , my first 1 year garanty almost finish. They no make me happy, the house is expensive but the garanty no the best.”
“If I could give less than one star trust me I would. I love my neighborhood but would I ever buy a pulte home again…NO! Let’s just start off with the craftsmanship is not that great. We have had problems with getting things fixed since before we moved in. A lot of the trades people just don’t show up to fix stuff. Lane was our main guy and I have to say at first he was great and on top of things. But people don’t show up and you have to play with emails back and fourth and eventually he just stopped responding to me. Called the customer care line and that apparently gets you no where too. I asked numerous times to talk to lanes boss and they flat out told me no. So my year walk through comes around and Ana contacts and I’m like finally maybe I can get these things fixed. Well boy was I wrong, they didn’t even want to touch my grout issues because “it had been to long”. The only reason why it had been too long was because lane dropped the ball and stopped responding to me and I couldn’t get anywhere on the customer care line. So I’m like here we go again more run around from pulte. Ana even said to me at one point “I was the only customer with issues” with a snooty voice. Like really I’ve seen our Facebook group and I know that I’m not the only one and how rude and unprofessional for her to say that to me. So I decide I’m filing an roc complaint because I’m not playing anymore. I’ve had to chase these people for a year and a half to not fix stuff and I’m just sick of it. The reason why I wanted to leave this review was because today was my roc inspection and 2 pulte representatives came too and just gave me the worst feelings. Ana was one and some other head guy, I’m not even sure what his name was. I didn’t get a hey so sorry this is happening, let’s try to make this right so we can all be happy, nothing. They wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. The roc guy was nice and said goodbye when he left but these two were obviously too good to even say anything to me, because I’m a customer with issues. Like I’m spending hundreds of thousands of dollars here and this is how you treat customers. Oh heck no. Never again. I don’t care if the home of my dreams in the future is a pulte home I would never ever buy from them again and I highly recommend the same to anyone looking.”
“If Pulte can’t control or buy the reviews, you will see consistent poor reviews that reflect my experience with them. If nothing goes wrong, everything is wonderful but the real test is how a company handles problems. It appears there is a slush fund for each house and once that’s up, they will do nothing more, even if it is their responsibility. They lied to me and tricked me into quietly waiting for them to make the repairs. When the warranty ran out, they weren’t aware of the repair as there was no ‘record’. When your lists and communication are with the warranty rep and they lose the paperwork , little can be done especially when the warranty rep ‘forgets’ or left the company. They market themselves through BAGI but they don’t follow the standards and BAGI won’t enforce them. They told me to work with one of their vendors on a thermal problem and when the vendor eventually determined it’s Pulte, it’s out of warranty and Pulte has no record of the problem. Pulte sells defective upgrades and will not stand behind it. The repairs may look terrible because they have no obligation to return it to the way it looked when you paid dearly for the upgrade. Pulte Refused to add a roof vent and insulation because the thermal test done by their vendor shows a 10 degree difference. This could explain why our “energy efficient” home has a 400 electric bill with a thermostat set at 74. Oddly, my friend has a bigger home, older home, larger family, keeps her thermostat at 69 and 70, leaves all her lights on all day ….and never has had a 400 bill. Because I had their vendor ‘correcting ‘ the temp problems for two years as instructed….pulte has no obligation to fix because the warranty is out. Pulte is responsible for the problem but won’t fix it. There are many other similar problems like this. I’ve even heard they told a customer she had too many problems with her house and it would cost them too much money to fix! Not surprised. I’m having the same experience. This is so sleazy and yet Pulte continues to cheat their customers out of their warranties. Buyer beware.”
“I have had so many issues I could write a book. They lied to me during the sale of the property about many things just to sell the house. They put in a 15amp breaker in the garage to run my Power tools , water heater water softener and golf cart. Only a IDIOT Would think it would work. My breaker is kicking almost daily and they will not do anything about it ! A/C worked on 12 times in five months! Pulte has VERY POOR QUALITY !!!!”
“I have built 3 homes before this one and this is the worst experience EVER! I have spent the last 4 months being a “Project Manager” and hundreds of hours overseeing everything SO FAR that has been done wrong, or has broken down! This is worse than buying a “ fixer upper”… and so much costlier in terms of time and money! I am retired and never dreamed I would be going thru this experience… it has become a CAREER staying on top of these people about serious issues!!! I would NEVER advise to buy from Pulte after the horrific experience I continue to have… Just in trying to get right what was never done right in the first place! It is a waste of time and money… Save yourself from the aggravation, please!!!”
“We moved into our new home in June 2021. We have had nothing but problems with this company. It has been a nightmare experience. Many things only completed partially (good enough to pass inspection) but not very good quality. I feel like our house was thrown together without much skill or care. Our carpets were put down on top of mounds of putty from the wall. Our upstairs floor is weak and sinks in many places because it rained on the plywood (not covered) before they laid it down. The driveway is full of cracks - 18 - big and small. Entryway concrete had mounds of some hard substance that was never cleaned off. The interior paint looks like a base coat - not smooth and it picks up dirt from anything. Tile grout is cracked in 13 different places mostly upstairs. The roof leaked during the first big rain that came (on Christmas eve with friends and family here during dinner). Exterior doors not properly sealed. You can easily see the outside light from inside the house. Carpets were not properly tacked down at the edges downstairs...upstairs was ok. Big sliding glass door was warped and hit the door frame pretty hard everytime you close it. When they came to fix it they heated it up and bent it out in a few places and it looks pretty bad now. So bad in fact they said they are going to have to replace it but not until I said I was going after thier ROC license. Before I said that they thought it looked ok. The driveway still has many scuff marks from the big trash bins they slid around on the driveway while building the house. I have still not received a call from thier customer service department to follow up on all the work that needed to be redone ( there were 16 different contractors the 1st time). And now the 1 year warranty work just got done (...almost..2 contractors never showed up). I've had circuit breakers popping multiple times over the last year and the electrician I hired to fix it (out of my own pocket) said the box is too small for the size of the house. There's only room to add 2 more circuits and it sits directly in the evening sun so it gets too hot. I can go on and on but the other 11 things are just more of the same. I bought a brand new house 20 years ago from KB homes and hardly had any problems. I thought Pulte was a better builder when we bought the new house but it looks like I was wrong. To anyone looking to buy...poor quality and worse customer service....run away as fast as you can! Thank you for reading this (book), sorry it's so long. :)”
“We moved into a newly constructed Pulte home in June 2020 with HVAC installed by RGP.
The HVAC was not functioning properly - loud noises and very little air.
The Pulte rep and RGP were contacted and RGP sent a tech. Over the next 2 years, and despite many service calls by RGP, the home continues to have some rooms getting very little heat/air, while others seemed to be getting none. During the winter, a bedroom on the front of the home is very cold.
Again, despite many visits to the home by RGP, the issues were not resolved with RGP reporting to the builder, Pulte that the system was installed and operating up to standards.
Due to the ongoing issues, we had an outside HVAC company come to inspect. The tech stated the noises was the system overamping and to be certain what the issue was, scheduled one of their engineers to check it out. The engineer found 1) A piston installed was not the correct size 2) The evaporator coil was not working properly 3) All of the dampers were closed off with the exception of the main bedroom site and t4) That the home was under-ducted.
He stated that the system is being overworked to compensate for the under-ducting and that unless corrected, we would not get much use out of the system, that the motor, fan and other components could start to fail.
The report from the outside HVAC company was sent to RGP, the HVAC installer and the builder, Pulte.
They did after several requests send someone to check and replace the piston and evaporator coil, but refused to address the under-ducting stating it was within standards.
Over the next year and ½, calls were placed to RGP due to heating and air problems and RGP sent several employees from techs to Mgrs to Supvrs to check the system and did everything from placing dampers and closing off ALL rooms except the main bedroom, turning up fan speed and who knows what else with no obvious change. Because RGP stated the system and ducting were up to standards, nothing was done to correct any of the issues. Not by RGP and Pulte uses RGP’s statement that the system and ducting are up to standard as the excuse did not intervene.
As of the week of June 6th, the home is now just at 2 years old and THE AIR CONDITIONING ISN’T WORKING AT ALL. THE COMPRESSOR FAILED. DURING THE HOTEST WEEK OF 2022, WE ARE IN A 2 YEAR OLD HOME AND WE HAVE NO AIR CONDITIONING.
Pulte, the builder states over and over again that RGP has informed them that the system and ducting are working up to standards, but it is not normal for a new home to have heating and AC issues and to have an evaporator coil and now a compressor fail in less than 2 years. We are now at 2 years and the service warranty with the installer RGP has expired. We have been waiting for the compressor to arrive at RGP since 6/6 it is now 6/14 with temps mid to high 90’s as we suffer while waiting for this repair.
Think long and hard before having a home built by Pulte because in addition to the HVAC, there are many poorly installed issues such as tile, the paint job looks as if children did it. And definitely if you find that RGP is doing the HVAC RUN. Both will string you along, they will send someone to the home over and over and NOT fix the real issue, but string you along until your warranty runs out, system fails or both.”
“We decided to buy in February 2021. There was a lottery to award lots to a few potential buyers; we were given a lot assignment and paid our down payment. It was an eleven-month build (not seven months per contract). We have been in three months. When we moved in, the paint job was terrible (globs of paint on doors, missed areas not painted, nail pops, etc.). We have had people come in to fix cabinets, doors, wall paint, blinds, lawn sprinklers, noticeable patch in ceiling, and more. We even had to have the gas company come and repipe our gas meter. Why were these things not caught during inspections? We still have dead grass and two dead trees in the yard. (We recently received a note from the HOA that we need to replace the dead tree!) We have a few items in the house to still be fixed (gas fireplace, cracked bathroom tile). We contact our warranty customer care rep weekly to no avail. We understand that this house was built during covid, but a little professionalism goes a long way. Hiring trades people who take pride in their work would be an improvement. The driveways are poured, then the next day they are driving machinery over them; most of the driveways are a mess! We are discouraged as we keep getting told that the grass and two trees will be replaced, but no one follows through to get the work completed. We love the neighborhood, but most of our neighbors have similar complaints.”
“Pulte does not stand by their work or contract. They put in a defective hood that was deemed a fire hazard and never fixed it. They jeopardized my family’s lives. Their customer service is absolutely horrible but what do expect when you have the most incompetent people working there.”
“pulte do not keep their words. They threathen you.
I bought a home from pulte in eastfield community in bartlet.
Anyone reading this. DO NOT BUY HOMES WITH PULTE.
I requested 9ft entrance door in my house. Me as a buyer pointed out 7ft door that they were installing 3 times while house was getting built and all what I was told your door is on back order don't worry.
3 days before closing while celebration walkway I again pointed out mistake.
Now a day before closing sales manager senior manager started threatening me either close or start paying 300 per penalty and we will sell your house in 1 week and retain your 40k because I signed contract.
My contract and change order do not even mention door height and pulte is not ready to accept their mistake. NO THEY WILL NEVER.
Very bitter experience with Pulte.
DO NOT BUY HOUSE FROM PULTE.
IF U BUY GET READY TO BE THREATENED AND LOOSE YOUR MONEY.
Unfortunately I don't have option to give negative rating.”
“Everything is bad post purchase. Impossible to get things fixed. Poor drainage, mismatched paint, doors falling off, toilets backing up and the list goes on. Not the only owner in Del Webb at Trinity Falls with issues but no response or told they will be here and never show up.”
“We paid $540,000 for a Pulte home that turned out to be no better than a mobile home in quality. The trouble with Pulte Homes is that they hire the very worst in subcontractors. Our home has paint and glue stains throughout the flooring that we are still trying to remove after a year, simply because the painters were too lazy to put drop-clothes down. Closet doors don't close properly, even after being repaired twice. One wall was so poorly done that they had to completely rebuild it. They rushed our final walk through, having us inspect a house that wasn't ready to show. It still had construction dirt everywhere and paint missing in many areas. We were told we had to sign-off on it that day and they'd come back to fix problems. They never did come back to clean the house. It took me a week of cleaning to make it habitable. I would not recommend Pulte Homes for any home purchase. We were buying a vacation home in an area valuable to us, or we would have refused the house at walk through.”
