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McBride and Sons Homes - Vantage Homes Bait, Switch, and Relentlessly Screw Chesterfield, Missouri
In my opinion, the builder is the business of bait and switch. The company advertised prestige homes in the beginning at prices well over $500K and then unilaterally changed the association's indentures behind the backs of its original customers so it could mix in $190K homes. As a result, the subdivision is a revolting hodge podge of mismatched architectures. The builder also backslid on its offer of standard paved driveways and the result is an unsightly juxtaposition of plain cement and cobblestone. Prospective buyers should cruise through the subdivision and witness roof lines "plunge" and "skyrocket" between units. It's as though Lionel and h*o scale train sets are being combined together! I had over 62 items on my original punch list at closing. Close to a year later, major items problems have not been resolved. Problems are still being discovered and soon, the cumulative list of defects will grow to 100! Caveat emptor. Before you sign a contract check out the clause about the buyer paying a fine for not closing at the time of the builder's choosing. The likely result is a half-baked home that you are legally bound to accept. Also, check out the dictatorial nature of the association bylaws, which the builder can modify at any time to suit himself. The homeowners themselves will have no say until the year 2010. On top of all this, as you access this Frankenstein like community, you will be greeted by newly established porn-palace and the nasty societal elements such establishments breed. Access to this project is poor and over infrastructure that is heavily damaged by concrete trucks. If you bring this up with a representative, ignore all claims that an access road to Zumbehl Rd. is being contemplated in 2010. Document all promises like these in writing. ...It's now been close to two years since closing on this home and the structure still isn't complete. Most importantly, what Vantage Homes promised as a prestige community is closer to a housing project, complete with overglorified army barracks. Their advertisements should read "boring little cookie cutter homes for sale," and I guarantee you, they are just that. Beware of the project manager who will promise the sky, deliver nothing, and spontaneously transform from deceptively sweet to overtly insulting. This 'gentleman' is rapidly lowering standards so far in this subdivision that soon, roofs will be optional! Most of all, fear the Vantage president who ignores all pleas for ethics and morality and whose only interest is fattening his wallet. No one, absolutely no one, is content with Vantage, so avoid this project as you would the plague! In short, Vantage is a company that has broken many hearts. They have robbed many of the opportunity of owning a prestige home within a setting of other prestige homes. We watch with great concern as the Vantage slum grows around us. And yes, there is no access road to Zumbehl. In fact, the City of St. Charles is considering the closing of its highway 94 entrance to this soon to be isolated free-for-all... If you are a potential buyer, do the smart thing and knock on a few doors. The builder works hard to isolate the lookers from the residents as part of their extensive spin control campaign. Many basement foundations have severely cracked and even caved in. The large majority of owners, even the third tier, are up in arms over the newest display model that is just barely over the minimum zoning size. Further, there is no real carfree maintenance of the yards, Just ask real residents, not the builder or its minions. Here's some important advice... 1. Have an attorney carefully read the association indentures. They're loaded with "gotchas." Further, make sure you have the most recent indentures, the one loaded with many new amendments serving only the builder. 2. Insist on 20% of your down payment be placed in escrow, until you are satisfied with the job. That is entirely within your rights. 3. Hire a professional home inspector to critique your new purchase. 4. If you are interested in owning at Hollow Brook, you are buying into a tense and divided community. 5. "McBride" and "Vantage" are really one and the same. 6. Ask about the builder "loaning" the association (which is controlled by the builder) money to cover builder-incurred debts. and the special assessments and monthly fee hikes that have resulted.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Ima Builder
United States of AmericaMarcus is not a former employee
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, May 11, 2010
Marcus, I worked for McBride & Son Companies for nearly 15 years in middle and senior managment and I have never even heard of you. In the position I was in, I would have heard of you if you actually ever were an management level employee of the company. Even if you are using a fake name, you are still lying. McBride is one of the largest Union contractors in the state of Missouri and I can promise that they are not using any illegal immigrants to perform labor. I now work for a competing home builder, so trust me, I'd love to be able to find a way to knock McBride down a notch, but accusing them of using illegals to perform work is not one of those ways. I know HollowBrook well. Yes, the community switched from Vantage to McBride, yes the floor plans and features were changed. My opinion is that high end villas never should have been built in this location in the first place and that the product currently being built is the most appropriate for the location (along a highway, backing to a trailer park, down the street from Pure Pleasure, concrete batch yard). Most of these things were located there long before anyone ever bought a house at HollowBrook. If someone has a strong case about the promises that were made, I suggest they hire an attorney. That is the only way you are really going to get a resolution. Otherwise it is a bunch of he said, she said type stuff.
Marcus Kilaley
Chesterfield,Missouri,
USA
Former Employee Speaks
#5UPDATE Employee
Thu, February 25, 2010
I worked at McBride and Son, Inc. homes from April 2003 to November 2009 as a Project Manager (which is a fancy way to say middle management) and I can confirm that your report is completely accurate. While I worked there we were trained as managers to "do whatever it takes" to make the deal. Forget feelings, forget morals, we were literally trained in a classroom setting to lie, cheat, make false statements, and even yes- bait and switch.
Sarah
St. Charles,Missouri,
USA
Not the McBride Your Momma Knew
#5Author of original report
Fri, November 20, 2009
(1) Things change; (2) In this case, the builder repeatedly presented an older and incomplete set of indentures to buyers that did not include the more recent amendments he had hastily pushed through the Recorder of Deeds. In short, there was a failure to disclose the radical architectural changes about to take place; (3) The end of 2010 will be too late, since the builder is now rushing to market/erect what many residents are calling "shoddy shacks of shame"; (4) The site supervisor recently resigned, for obvious reasons. He acknowledged the torment that we and other buyers have gone through and regretted not being allowed to do more to correct our issues. Thanks for your concern, Leann.
Leann
Springfield,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Sorry to hear all this...
#5General Comment
Thu, November 19, 2009
My parents have owned their McBride and Son home for over 20 years now. They live in a nice subdivision in St. Charles and fortunately for them, all the houses are in the same price range so that the subdivision has a uniform look to it. I'm not sure how the builder could change the indentures behind homeowner's backs but, as you stated, you all will get your say in 2010. I am so sorry you are going through the troubles of getting your punch list completed. My parents didn't have any problems getting theirs finished. They love their home and even though they are elderly and really need to move into a ranch, they won't move out of their house. I hope everything works out for you and that you will finally be able to enjoy your home as much as my parents love theirs.