Complaint Review: Robert Barbato And David Klain Of Savoy Homes Of Crawford Development

It is true that the original builders at Guilford Reserve sold homes that were not properly built, and they abandoned the neighborhood without addressing these issues.
  
I am very happy to say that the original neighbors have been awarded  enough money to make the needed repairs on our homes.
Many of these, including my own,  have already been completed and others are taking place right now.

Most importantly, we now have new builders.  The buildings that were partially built have been repaired, and I believe all but one have been sold.  Given the original problems with first homes, I am sure that the city was very careful with their inspections.

There are 12 more units to be built, by the new owners, and I have been told that the construction will begin within the week. We are very excited that our neighborhood will finally be completed, and the streets and sidewalks repaired.

These are beautiful homes, in a great location, and we have wonderful neighbors.  We can walk up the Monon trail to downtown Carmel and the Arts and Design district to enjoy live music, nice restaurants, and art galleries.  We are also a 5-10 minute walk from the Monon Center and park.

I can finally say that I would highly recommend buying a townhome at Guilford Reserve in Carmel, IN.

Please be aware that conservative estimates from a contractor who did not do an invasive inspection had correction of construction defects FOR THIS ONE UNIT in this neighborhood estimated at roughly 80 thousand dollars. Another forensic inspector who performed an invasive inspection more than doubled this estimate to correct construction defects IN THIS ONE UNIT.

It is amazing what you can find out by googling something. I see thre have been other unhappy owners. The president of Rocky Mountain College got into an altercation with one of the owners over the lack of repairs to his unit in 2007.

Sorry that you had such problems. That is truly an amazing unit you had and the entire complex would be great if someone would come in and finish it out. The architectural style of the buildings is so much better than anything else around there.

Again good luck with future endeavors and thanks for the update.

Marco

Marco, when I realized what was happening in that neighborhood, and I watched other potential buyers looking at homes, my only thought was to protect other people from being suckered like I had been suckered.  As you can see from previous postings, and as you may be able to surmise, my putting other peoples' best interest in front of my own was not a popular decision.  I'm now removed from the situation.  I don't have to watch it unfold in front of me, and the less I say, the better for the people who still live there.  The original builders are gone.  I don't know the future of the property.  I can tell you that what was best for me in my situation was to allow the house to go into foreclosure and file for bankruptcy.  I should mention that I hired a private home inspector who performed an invasive inspection and helped me reach my decision.  Unlike in other states, in Indiana, losing one's house in foreclosure is only the tip of the iceberg.  Banks that lend money for mortgages take the house and pursue the borrower for a deficiency judgment, and neither the bank nor the court cares that I was defrauded.  If the house sells for $175K, my deficiency will be well over $200K.   It was very smart to bring a home inspector with you -- especially one who has your best interest in mind.  

I just looked at the home listed at 980 Brownstone which is currently listed for $175K and I'm sorry but the quality of workmanship does appear to be lacking.  There has been major settling on the southwest corner and there is a crack line that runs all across the back above the garage.  The sidewalk on the southside of the unit has sunken in and is cracked in many places.  Inside there has obviously been a leak from either the bathroom or laundry room on the top floor and it has leaked down into the main family room. The master bedroom has evidence of leaking through the ceiling.  I brought a home inspector with me and his recommendations were DO NOT BUY if the unit already has this many problems in 4 years. Some of the slate in the hallway is so much higher than the other tiles around it, your asking for a stubbed or broken toe

I was excited when I found this unit online and the price.  The upgrades are amazing and the style of the complex was what drew me to it originally.  There are many unfinished units currently and I'm curious as to what the plan is for finishing them as it looks like nothing has been done on them in over 3 years. The exterior of some of the units already look bad.  I also looked through the windows of some of the other units and I could already see the ceramic tile cracking or popping up...seems to have major settling issues. I agree the pond is lacking also.

Eric,

Can you update us on your situation? 

I have recently viewed a current property for sale within the Brownstone at Guilford Reserve subdivision.  I noticed the subdivision is not finished, and was told by our real estate agent that the developers went bankrupt. Can you provide an update on the current status of the subdivision? I am interested in putting an offer in on the property, and am looking for any information. Thank you so much! 

Eric, you've been contacted by the management for the horrible situation on your own property and you have been asked to clean it up and remove the red writing on your windows. Do it Eric. You are hurting all of us.

Eric, the reason we, as your neighbors are not supporting you is that you are a
loose cannon and have made this situation more difficult for everyone in here. You need to keep your mouth shut and do your best to clean up your own property, which everyone is tired of looking at. Your writing all over the windows is what we have to look at day in and day out. You have no consideration for anyone but yourself. At this point, you are the property owner. Clean up your property.

Eric, the reason we, as your neighbors are not supporting you is that you are a
loose cannon and have made this situation more difficult for everyone in here. You need to keep your mouth shut and do your best to clean up your own property, which everyone is tired of looking at. Your writing all over the windows is what we have to look at day in and day out. You have no consideration for anyone but yourself. At this point, you are the property owner. Clean up your property.

Eric, the reason we, as your neighbors are not supporting you is that you are a
loose cannon and have made this situation more difficult for everyone in here. You need to keep your mouth shut and do your best to clean up your own property, which everyone is tired of looking at. Your writing all over the windows is what we have to look at day in and day out. You have no consideration for anyone but yourself. At this point, you are the property owner. Clean up your property.

My case entered the American Arbitration Association, and the arbitrator awarded me roughly 120K dollars. The builder offered no defense in the arbitration process and has failed to honor the arbitrator's decision. With regard to the comments of my "neighbor," I cannot imagine these are the comments of a true neighbor. More likely, they are the erroneous and misleading assertions of an individual attempting to sell distressed property to unsuspecting buyers. Someone with these opinions is either grossly ignorant of the facts surrounding the problems of this neighborhood, morally ambiguous, or perhaps a little of both. My true neighbors are not jumping in to support my factual statements because the lawyer representing other aggrieved home owners in this ongoing situation is advising against it. Shame on this individual for her ignorance and moral ambiguity.

Unfortunately, Eric is a very angry bitter man who has hurt himself and everyone else in Guilford Reserve by vocalizing his venom instead of working to find a solution for himself. Yes, the builder went under, but not every building or unit has the problems that he has stated. In fact, I'm not sure of any building that has all of the problems he stated. Eric overpaid on his unit to begin with, as none of those units are worth what he paid. Rumor has it that the builder initially tried to make things right, but all Eric wanted to do was send his venom towards anyone and anything. Currently there are a couple of builders working with the bank to try and make a deal. When you have someone like Eric out there trying to run everyone off, buyers of units and builder alike, it hurts everyone. Eric is unhappy about the choices he made and now lots of people are paying. He has written all over his windows in red paint doing his best to run everyone off. Eric is not stable at this point and not one who has credible information to offer, especially on a web site. But, you can post anything on the internet and that is how he is keeping himself busy.

Your Neighbor