Why I Would Not Buy a First Texas Home
I’m not going to say that First Texas Homes sucks because I am not wanting this to be a bashing. In fact I had liked what I saw from First Texas Homes. I liked the neighbors that I found them in and liked a lot of their floor plans. When I visited the model homes I also liked the style and quality that they displayed. In fact my girlfriend and I had picked out a lot and home to buy with them. Unfortunately the customer service that we experienced with them left a really bad taste in my mouth.
About a month ago my girlfriend and I wanted to see what kind of house would be in our price range. We were interested to see what neighborhoods were out there and the quality that we could afford. We aren’t poor but we aren’t rich either, so we were looking to get the most for our buck. I also had some other issues that needed to be worked out to make sure that financing wouldn’t be an issue. So at first it really was just about see what our options would be.
After looking around awhile we visited First Texas Homes at The Preserve at Pecan Creek in Denton. The sales manager there was Rusty Davis. She seemed ok at first. She was a little inattentive, but I have come to expect that at model homes. There usually is just one, maybe two sales people there to help anyone that comes in. As with any model home, Rusty asked us to fill out the visitor card. I never take these things too seriously. Most of the time I end up writing fake information because I don’t want junk mail.
This time though we put our real information and didn’t put down a realtor. I had figured since we were just running around seeing what was out there, that there was no need to put down my realtor. I figured I would engage him when we were actually ready to buy and that it would be no big deal.
Well after looking through the floor plans we found one that was perfect for us. We talked with Rusty to see if there was one built or in the process so that we could see how it looked in real life. We were in luck. There was one that was ready for closing. So we went out there and looked through the house and liked it. Rusty then showed us one of the few remaining lots available in their current phase. She said other people were interested in the lot and that if we couldn’t buy now that there would be more lots opening up in their next phase. That phase wouldn’t be open for another couple of months. She went ahead and did a lot fit for us to see if the floor plan we liked would fit.
So after all that my girlfriend and I decided that maybe we should speed our timeline up a little and see if we could get that lot and house. We spoke with Rusty to see about adding our realtor. Again I thought this would be no big deal. Apparently I was wrong. Rusty had said that since we didn’t put down our realtor on the card that they would not pay him. So I spoke to my realtor and asked if he could speak with Rusty and see what he could do so that we could use him going forward.
In the meantime I spoke with my lender and wanted to make sure we would be approved for the amount that it would take for the lot and house. After talking with her she said that she could get me pre-approved so it wouldn’t be a problem. So the only thing that needed to be worked out was adding my realtor.
As I was waiting for my realtor to tell me what he had found out from Rusty, Rusty actually called me about my realtor. She told me that she would need to send a request to corporate to get my realtor added and we would have to wait on an answer. I then asked if the lot we wanted was still available.  She said yes. I then told her I would like to come out and put my earnest money down to reserve the lot. She told me she couldn’t write a contract till they figured out if they were going to add my realtor.
My realtor then contacted me and told me that he had spoken to Rusty and that she would have to get approval from the corporate office of First Texas Homes to add him. So I figured he must have talked to her right before she called me. He then mentioned that Rusty said she would hold the lot for us. This was great news. It seemed like everything was going to get worked out.
Well unfortunately things did not. After a couple of days my realtor finally got word that they would add him to our card so that we could use him. There was some bad news though. Rusty didn’t hold the lot like she said and that it was no longer available. This was very upsetting. I had the earnest money in hand to give to her. I didn’t understand how she could give it to someone else.
Her justification was that a couple other people came by after she had spoken with me and were ready to sign a contract. This did not make sense to me. I was ready to sign a contract. They are the ones that had to get permission to add my realtor. I understand it was my fault for not adding my realtor in the beginning, but knowing I was ready to give the earnest money how could she not reserve the lot? It wasn’t as if I was stalling. I told her specifically I was ready to give her the earnest money.
Well nothing I can really do about the lot now, but I did want to just get the word out of what type of people you may have to deal with if you go with First Texas Homes. To see if this is the type of person that First Texas Homes likes to employ, I found an email address for one of the executives. I will write a follow-up post that will include the correspondence with him. *Spoiler Alert* he was more focused on justifying Rusty’s actions than showing concern for a customer getting screwed over.
I’m sure there are many satisfied customers that have built a home with First Texas Homes, especially if they were an easy sale. I really doubt this is an isolated incident though, in particular with Rusty, but you never know. That is why I just wanted to post about why I would not be buying from First Texas Homes. I just wanted to let people know my experience.
Texas Real Estate Commission regulations require that a real estate agent be the “procuring cause of the sale “in order to earn a commission. The mere fact that your agent attempted to get paid on a transaction when he was not present during your visit to the builder, or during your decision phase, means that he is in direct violation of this regulation.
It is my understanding that most builders require a buyer agent to be present with the prospect during the prospects first visit to a model home. According to your account the events, this did not happen.
In the end, you are punishing yourself by not buying the home that you love, and are bashing the sales agent and the builde for doing nothing wrong.
Marc,
Thanks for the clarification on why it is a big deal with the agent, but you missed my point completely of what I was upset about. I’ll clear it up for you though. I’m not upset that they had to get approval for adding my realtor. That I’m completely fine with. The upsetting part is the fact the sales agent said she was going to hold the lot and then didn’t. And on top of that, when I told the sales agent I would give her the earnest money to hold the lot she did not take my money at that time. I completely take the blame for adding my realtor at a later stage. So no I am not punishing myself. I’m not sure about you, but I do not like to give my money to people who lie to me. Why would I want the person that lied to me to get commission from my sale?
So I’m also confused at your statement about bashing the sales agent and the builder. If you read my post I clearly state I’m not bashing the builder. I am calling out the sales agent as someone who lied to me. So do you think it is ok she told me she would hold the lot and then didn’t? So to you lying to a potential customer is ok? You would be ok doing business with someone who lies to you? You also think it is ok that when the lot was available she would not take my money? If that is how you feel, then that’s fine. You are free to do business and give money to the type of people you like. For me though I like to be treated with respect especially with the amount of money that is involved.
Also as for the statement about it being the home that I love, a big part of what we loved was the lot. Without the lot, it isn’t the same.
Fedil,
After reading your reply, I decided to re-read your original post. I am now even more resolute in my opinion that you are out of line. I understand that you are frustrated about losing out on your preferred lot, but that does not justify slandering another person or company.
It just so happens that life is a first-come-first-served event. You were unable to execute a contract because of extenuating circumstances on your end, and therefore, the lot was sold to another party. You should have simply put your big-boy pants on and chosen a different lot.
Freedom of speech will protect your bogus rant, but I expect the builder has registered their logo. Maybe they will seek remedy for your for illegal use of their identity and copyright violation for stealing their logo.
LOL…well you are entitled to your opinion. I don’t see how it is slander when I just presented the facts. I agree with you that life is first come first serve. I had my money ready first and was told that I had to wait but they would hold the lot.
For you I guess it is ok for someone to lie. I’m not sure how you keep missing that part. Again I would not have been upset had she just told me that they could not hold the lot while my circumstances were being worked out. Please explain how I am out of line about someone lying to me.
Hello Fedil,
did you end up buying a home from First Texas Homes. You never mentioned it any ware. I am planing to buy one from them came across your review and what to know if it is really dealing with them. or their construction is really cheap.
Hey…no we did not end up buying through them. Dealing with them just did not sit well with me. Maybe some other neighborhoods would have better representation, but the one we were looking at was horrible.
An attorney representing First Texas Homes recently emailed me a letter threatening to sue me for defamation because I told some of their potential homebuyers about our home building experience with First Texas Homes and about issues with the roof they installed on the home we contracted them to build for us. Apparently, First Texas Homes has decided it is more cost effective to sue me rather than replace a roof.
First Texas Homes installed the roof when the materials were wet. We know this for two reasons: 1) because the roof warped badly, and 2) because the neighbor witnessed the roof installation and confirmed that it was installed while wet. First Texas “fixed” it by replacing a few panels of the front, where the roof was aesthetically the worst. I insisted that the entire roof be replaced because 1) aesthetically it looked bad, 2) the roof manufacturer warranty documents clearly state that the roof cannot be installed in wet conditions, and 3) it would cause issues of insurability with our insurance company.
First Texas refused to replace the roof. We asked for a roof allowance to allow us to replace the roof after closing. They refused. They told us that if we did not close on the house then we would be in breech of contract and would not get any of our money back. So, I proceeded to involve an inspector, roofers, Tamko (the roof manufacturer), and our insurance company. After I sent letters to First Texas from two insurance companies stating that they would not insure the house due to the defective roof, First Texas terminated our contract and refunded our money.
Weeks later, I spotted people in front of the house and asked them if they were buying the home, which they confirmed. I told them about our experience and provided them with some of the documentation that I had collected throughout the experience. They immediately terminated their contract with First Texas.
Now, First Texas is threatening to sue me if I talk to any other potential buyers. I responded to their threat by saying, in a nutshell, bring it on.
What I find the most astonishing about this is that First Texas would rather lose a customer, and allow that customer to walk away with a bad experience/story, than to replace a roof. Even more astonishing is that they would rather spend their resources suing me than replace a roof.
I am happy to provide all the documents I have gathered through this experience to anyone who would like more information.