DREAM HOME NIGHTMARE
http://www1.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investigations/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15949_5092835,00.html
By Ray Sayah
October 25, 2006
They paid tens of thousands of dollars for their dream home, but now they have nothing?not their money and not their homes.
For Cindy and Bryan Kimberly it was supposed to be a dream home, but it turned out to be just the opposite.
"It has been a nightmare, it has totally ruined our dream of building a new home," said Bryan.
The couple expected to be living in their custom made home by the end of the month. But all they have is an unlivable shell.
"It's frustrating because I was promised a time to be in, and I'm not gonna be in by then," said Cindy.
Denise Kramarczyk said she was promised that her house would be done between July 1 and September 1 of 2006.
Those promises came from Adriano Paciocco and Dean Masculli.
For more than two decades the men have fattened their pockets as one of Michigan's top builders. Their company Multi Building has done a booming business with subdivisions in southeast Michigan.
Dean and Adriano have done quite well living side-by-side in mega mansions while some customers have spent their life savings on homes they don't even have.
Denise and Andrew Schimmoeller put down $20,000 for their dream home, but it's not finished.
James Albanice had hoped to move his wife and kids into their new home next month, but no work has been done on it for months.
"It was going slow, but it screeched to a halt," he said.
So what happened to this once-thriving construction company?
Action News Investigators learned that Dean and Adriano don't like one another. The long-time friends and business partners are parting ways and they have sued each other over how to dissolve their 22-year-old company.
Meanwhile work has stopped on the homes and their customers have been left out in the cold.
Some of the amenities Multi Building promised customers were never provided.
Not long after JoAnn Jurek moved in, subcontractors slapped her home and several others with thousands of dollars in liens, claiming Dean and Adriano failed to pay them for services.
Court records show National City Bank is also suing the company for failing to pay back a $10 million loan.
All this is in stark contrast to their glossy brochures where they boast "their goal is a determination to serve customers and that will never change."
Customers just want answers about what will happen to their homes and money, but they're not getting them.
Dean and Adriano refused to talk to Action News. But we found out that Dean recently sold his massive home for $3.6 million.
Meanwhile, the Kimberly's have had to live with relatives waiting for a home that may never be built.
"It's hard living out of bags running from home to home while they live in their cushy multi-million dollar homes and don't care about us little guys," said Cindy.
Adriano and Dean refused to talk to Action News but they did issue a three sentence statement. Nowhere do they say they're sorry. Instead they say they still hope to finish the homes.
http://www.rateyourbuilder.info/view_ratings.php?builder_id=1694
Comments on Multi Building Company:
The problems began AFTER I closed. Found out the builder was not paying his contractors and I have liens on my home! Now the builder has pulled out and left the subdivision unfinished and vacant. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BUILDER!! --posted on October 4th, 2006
DO NOT USE THIS BUILDER!!!!!! I REPEAT DO NOT USE THIS BUILDER!! We have had so many issues since we closed on our house. After our walk through we were assured that everything we tagged would be fixed or repaired before our closing. We werent offered a second walk-thru before we signed the paperwork and when we moved in we still found orange stickers around the house. Well to move things along.....we have "3" fraudulent leins on our home because this builder didnt pay their bills....they have closed up shop backed out of the subdivision and left the homeowners there without fullfilling their end of the contracts we signed. They left houses vacant,unfinished, which are a hazard to the neighborhood young children. They have created a mess and they need to fulfill their end of the deal. It would really sadden me to find out that this builder could file bankruptcy and start fresh again under a different name while knowing what they have done to so many people! We are the ones that get stuck cleaning up their mess!!!!! It is wrong and absurd and I dont think they should be able to get away with this. So whatever you do make sure you do some serious research into each and every builder company and make sure every issue is addressed long before you close on your home because you never know what could be lerking around the corner once you close or even sign a contract. --posted on October 4th, 2006
We received a letter in July, 2006 stating that we would close in November/December of 2006. No work has been done to our home in the last 6 weeks due to disputes between the 2 partners of Multi Building. We have attempted to obtain status from the owners and are receiving absolutely no response. As of today, I do not believe that the builder intends on fulfilling his contractual obligation to us. I am in contact with other homeowners that are in similar situations with Multi Building. PLEASE DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH BEFORE SIGNING ANY CONTRACTS WITH THIS BUILDER. --posted on September 9th, 2006
In November, 2005 I signed a contract to build a home with Multi Building Company. My contract states that the home will be completed by September 1, 2006. I am getting married in October, 2006 and wanted to move into the house beforehand. I was also relocated from Cincinnati, Ohio and wanted full use of my company?s relocation benefits which expire on October 1, 2006. As of September 1, 2006, my home remains unfinished. Very little work has been completed on it since April, 2006. During August, my fianc?, and I have sent 2 certified letters requesting a response from Multi Building Company. We have also placed over 36 calls to the CEO of Multi Building Company, and the President of Multi Building Company. We have not received one call back nor have we received a letter in response. Another builder has graciously offered to take over our contract and complete the construction of our home. Unfortunately, I can not do this until I receive written permission from the Multi Building Company. I have heard that Multi Building Company employees are no longer being paid and are not able to collect unemployment. We have also learned that several of our future neighbors who have already closed on Multi Building Company homes have thousands of dollars of liens from subcontractors that were left unpaid. These innocent homeowners are now potentially liable for those liens. There may be up to 30 current homeowners in Multi Building constructed homes that are in the same situation. BUYER BEWARE! DO NOT BUILD WITH MULIT BUILDING COMPANY! --posted on September 9th, 2006
We had a terrible experience with Multi. Our home has serious issues and they will not fix them. They do not honor their warranty if they don't feel like it. Every single thing you bring to their attention to fix they make excuses rather than just fixing it even if it's an inexpensive thing to fix. Walk through a Multi sub and knock on some doors to find out what people really think of them... about half will tell you to stay away I guarantee it. --posted on August 31st, 2005
Anonymous
Northville, Michigan
U.S.A.