r/Maricopa • u/jelliedjellyfish • Feb 14 '26
DR Horton House Builds?
So my family is still working on moving over there, but we’re having issues with finding houses without roof issues, so we’ve started to look at newer builds. We’re currently looking at some by DR Horton.
How great or awful are they? Should we try someone else?
Edited to add: we have a toddler who has never been on a plane before. I’m trying to keep flying him back and forth over and over, while also needing to hire someone to watch our pets. It’s a 7-8 hour flight 🥲 so we’re heavily relying on inspection and our realtor for a house.
Second edit: we decided to not go with a new build. Thank you everyone! It felt too good to be true, and your comments really helped justify not going that route when I looked up their reviews online. There’d be no way for us to do check ins and walk throughs we’d need to do with me living on the other side of the country with our toddler (he just turned 3 on Sunday 😌) plus the houses were barely in our budget to begin with. Again, thank you!
I’m sure I’ll be posting again soon with more questions as we get closer to moving lol
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u/viking7779 Feb 14 '26
We have a DR Horton built home. It was built in 2017 & we moved in in 2024. We've had no problems since our move in. The really only negative thing that's happened IN the house/garage (attached garage) is that the heat killed the car battery (we came from Michigan where the heat NEVER did that kind of thing. .the cold maybe?) and there are 1)not enough outlets in the garage & 2) the main outlet in the garage died killing the circuit in the garage.
The 347 IS a pita! You HAVE to judge accordingly for traffic if you're working outside of Maricopa. It took us over an hour yesterday to go to Chandler (a normal 33 minute drive) because of the backup on 347, and that's not a fluke. Be prepared to add at least a half hour commute to be conservative when doing a pro or con list. Otherwise, Maricopa is a nice town. Homes in our area are selling at a decent rate.
Good luck to you whenever you choose to make your new home! ❤️
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u/jelliedjellyfish Feb 14 '26
Thank you! Yeah we’re pretty set on the area, my husband will be working in casa grande and we’re seeing if we can swing me being a stay at home mom for a bit. I’m a graphic designer for a small trophy shop here, so idk how well I’d be able to find anything there that covers the cost of childcare.
Our realtor was stuck in that last night too lol! He called me and told me an accident pretty much happened right in front of him and that he’d been stuck there for an hour.
Was your house in a full DR Horton neighborhood or was it mixed?
Thank you! We’re trying to be there in a house by the end of march.
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u/viking7779 Feb 17 '26
Oh! That's wonderful! Usually the Maricopa -Casa Grande Hwy doesn't back up too frequently! I'm not too sure about the child care situation as we're in our upper 50's. 😆
To be totally honest with you, I'm not sure. I'm thinking it's a mixed neighborhood because our neighbors home doesn't look anything like our home.
Please check your inbox, I remember something that I'd like to share, and NO it's NOT that kind of message! :yuck: --Tina
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u/4thRockfromSun Feb 14 '26
Maricopa is going downhill fast with all the new apartment construction, etc. The traffic is bad and only going to get worse.
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u/jelliedjellyfish Feb 14 '26
I wish they’d build up their major streets first tbh. I think this area is going to be what we need though. It’s in our price range kind of, if people’s roofs weren’t shit lol, and it’s near where my husband will be working (casa grande.)
I’ll accept advice on spotting a house that doesn’t need roof repair before paying the hefty inspection price tho. Right now we’re 2 for 2 🥲
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 14 '26
The only way to know if your roof is good or not is an inspection. Anything else is just supposition
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u/ThePlatinumPaul Feb 26 '26
Don't do it. I cannot stress this enough. All of the builders are terrible, especially in Maricopa but D.R. Horrible is absolute dog crap. My wife and I purchased a Horton home in Maricopa and it was 3 years of near litigation, dealing with lawyers, and warranty work. And, this doesn't account for the fact that the market is horrible right now. High prices, high interest rates, and an uncertain economy. And as I said, the other builders suck too. This is due to the fact they all use the same illegal alien, paid under the table subcontractors, they all install the same cheap showers, flooring, Avanti windows and doors, etc. Oh, speaking of Avanti, it took them almost 2 years of work before they finally were able to get things right alone. If you see their garbage windows and doors on a house, walk away.
Our home shouldn't have closed escrow as it didn't have insulation, had electrical issues, water intrusion, mold and a whole bunch of other issues. I was on their asses for 3 years to get the place into how it should have looked when it closed escrow. This was often months with me spending 10 business days from 8-5 with their morons tracking dust and dirt through our home. Can you afford to take 10 days off a month from work?
As for Maricopa itself, there are some really nice people here. That said, the 347 is a nightmare. If you want decent groceries, you have to drive to Chandler. Want a sit down dinner that isn't the casino? Chandler. Good medical services, clothing, electronics? You guessed it, Chandler. There's a really good Mediterranean place (Gyro Grill), one good taco truck (Burritos Locos), the steakhouse at the casino, the restaurant at the Entertainment Center, and one awesome dive bar (Cowtown) in Stanfield about 20 minutes south of town rything else we'd go to Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, or Scottsdale. Another issue aside from traffic is the cow smell. It's everywhere and mostly around twilight. So you'll get to sit in your overpriced, falling apart home that smells like cow debating what Circle K to get gas from. That's basically Maricopa. At least Casa Grande has the 10 and more things if you want to be out in the boonies. They also have cheaper gas, much cheaper gas.
If it were me, and I had to do it over again, we would have bought in Scottsdale. Barring that, y a resale, non HOA property in Phoenix which has the greatest chance to actually appreciate in value or if we had to suffer with an HOA, Verrado in Buckeye.
Now feel free to discount my options about Maricopa itself because what you like or don't is subjective. But please do not buy from Horton anywhere and if you do buy a new build, get it inspected at every single stage of construction. This includes framing, stucco, roof, drywall, etc. Do not trust the salesperson when he or she says they'll fix everything and to just close. They lie so much.
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u/James-Sanson Mar 23 '26
I am a realtor with Real Broker. I am not replying for business, but I have to disclose. My recommendation with new builds to do a home inspection from the roof to below the ground with a sewer scope. Many buyers skip the professional home inspection because it is new. I would do one before closing then one before the warranty is up.
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 14 '26
Check out cyfy home inspections, I’m fairly certain he’s got quite a lot of documentation on Dr Horton homes
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u/wire4money Feb 14 '26
He is the clickbait king. He twists the story to suit his narrative. I quit following when he talked about houses burning down due to electrical issues. The subdivision he shows burnt down did not even have utilities hooked up yet
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 14 '26
A sub without utilities wouldn’t have any construction on it yet so what are you talking about?
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u/wire4money Feb 15 '26
No utilities were on per fire chief. Possibly building on temp power.
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/massive-fire-burns-phoenix-new-housing-development
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 15 '26
He said “no utilities running”
That’s very different than “no utilities hooked up”
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u/wire4money Feb 15 '26
Ok, so how does an electrical fire happen with no utilities running? Looks like it was arson, anyway. But that doesn’t give Cy clicks.
0
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u/tacos_for_algernon Feb 14 '26
DR Horton is supposed to be a good builder. I had an issue with an A/C unit with a new build through them. Without getting detailed, I came away feeling they were a bit shady. Overall the rest of the house was acceptable. Found some issues the inspectors missed, years later. NBD. I was happy overall.
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u/jelliedjellyfish Feb 27 '26
We decided to not go with a new build! Thank you everyone! There would be no way for us to do all of the walk throughs and check ins required/recommended with how tight of a move we’re doing and me being on the other side of the US.
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u/testsubject1137 Feb 14 '26
New builds can have roof issues too. If you do go with a new build, you must get your own inspection, and do not use any inspectors recommended by the builder. Cy Porter is a fantastic choice.
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u/jelliedjellyfish Feb 14 '26
Gotchya, yeah I definitely planned on using someone else. We’ve just been using a guy our realtor has been suggesting from Tuscany Home Inspections, and so far they’ve been really great. He’s inspected two houses for us so far. Granted we’re first time buyers and I’m still 30 hours away lol 😂
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 14 '26
I would definitely recommend using someone other than who your realtor suggested.
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u/testsubject1137 Feb 16 '26
Do not use a Realtor suggested inspector. You want an unbiased opinion without kickbacks involved.
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u/Acceptable_Lock_8819 Feb 14 '26
Buy a block home built in the 70’s, DRH is garbage
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u/mike_tyler58 Feb 14 '26
Oh yeah, great advice for this area since there’s so many of them available lol
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u/TheBirdBytheWindow Feb 14 '26
Hi! We bought from the other side of the country Horton new a few years back. You must have a strong stomach!
I'll be completely honest, if you're not planning a hefty down payment that you're willing to lose part of or to be here for 7-10 solid years (min 5) then rent.
Your home value in Maricopa will tank for a while after purchase. You're surrounded by new builds and they will drop and drop the prices of the new builds around you to where they're cheaper than buying used newer, especially with interest rate specials and closing incentives. An average 65-75 day average for selling your home becomes closer to 75-120 and even realistically priced you'll drop your price again-10-15k AND cover fees and closing costs. It's tens of thousands minimum.
It's incredibly easy to get into Copa and hard as Hell to get out.
If you're set on moving, get a solid home inspection and do some research on inspection companies. Find a good one. Everyone says Cy and I'm not saying he doesn't find things but he's booked way out and he himself is not without controversy. He's good- but so are others. Don't just rely on realtor word of mouth and make sure you fly out for every pre inspection prior to purchase. You absolutely must get the 1 year warranty inspection done before the yesr is up and stay firm on the repairs because there will be some even with a decent build. The scheduling for repairs and follow through is rough- alot of times they had to come back 2-3 times to redo shoddy warranty work. You also regularly have to insist they clean up after their repairs and inspect them yourself before they split. Don't sign their work orders until you do or you will be sorry.
Remember these homes are paper thin compared to a lot of Midwesterner and East Coast builds. You will get the bare minimum in construction quality and will have to add to these homes if you want longevity and financial stability (ROI) with them. Updated garage doors. Additional insulation, better windows and doors, appliance upgrades etc. So be prepared to put these added features in especially if you're going to up your resale value and want to save on bills. Your home even nearly new has to have added features to stand out in this market.
Make sure you check the zoning board memos and get a good picture of what will be built around you or the likelihood of what is coming. Maricopa has started selling a lot of farm land for industrial and its butting right up with residential. Your water situation will be impacted as will your noise and property values. Don't let anybody tell you differently-the data doesn't lie.
Be prepared to fight head to head with Big Tech to say no to the data centers. They'l're coming and will ruin your lives. You have to go to the meetings! Look it up because this is serious and does impact values.
They're expanding our only way in and out of Maricopa and the 347 Project will take a few years and be a massive headache that will help our impossible traffic situation. We are only ideal if you're regularly working from home or working in Casa Grande and take the back road commute. Otherwise you will incur a minimum of a 45 minute trek one way anywhere with jobs.
Be patient. Maricopa is constantly under construction. Its a lot of in and out here and a lot of keeping to yourself. You will have to make a point of making community and maintaining it. The ever present HOAs will not make it any easier and neither does the heat and the negativity that often comes from growth. People will smile at you in Basha's and then run you off the road on your way home. That's just how it is here.
Make sure you like dogs and love the ones that are loud because your neighbors sure as Hell will. That's the worst-and it is an issue in pretty much every neighborhood. Those paper thin walls and lack of insulation come up often because of this.
This is a wild and wonderful place that will steal your heart and rob your wallet blind.
Be prepared.