Do you still think this could be completed on time?

No Way!

Yah, that's what I thought. How long do you think it might take? Is this type of thing common?

I'd bet your builder is having money problems and that you've lost 7K. I think you need to find a new builder and start over. That may not involve the lot that you've picked though. Your bank is probably the one who will end up going after him as a creditor, so talk to them about help with that and also help with finding another lot and/or another builder.

live is more than likely spot on. Move on

I am really doubting that it is money problems. The builder has been in business for 25 years and has built a number of homes in the past 2 years, they are currently building two in Sharon MA. The 7k is refundable if try cant deliver anyway and is held by REMax so I wouldn't lose that.

I would go sit as his office till you catch him in person.

I would just say that this is not a good sign for the many, many ongoing decisions and negotiations that building the house would actually require. So, if there is a way to get your deposit back and get a different builder it would be worth it.

We have a phrase for this in my field: "past behavior predicts future behavior."

Please do not think me rude, but do not be so naive to think that a builder in business for 25 years and with other projects in process could not be in financial trouble. The description of your builder is identical to ours that declared bankruptcy last March. The fact your money is held by a Remaxx agent is very much in your favor. We were vigilant in communicating with the bankruptcy court and attorneys. The outcome is our funds were not discharged and they will be paid to us over 60 months. No interest, no lump sum payment, however, it is better than being out the cash.

I hope your builder is simply behind with no financial issues.

I would send a registered letter, receipt required, to the buiolder (copies to the bank and all involved) giving notice that you declare you contract in defalult, and void. I would retreive the deposit from the RE firm and move on to other opportunities.

Whether or not the builder is in financial or other difficulty, the lack of performance and communication is a bad sign.

Time to fall back, regroup and advance on another front.

I did a little digging and on the town website it seems they have a meeting with conservation tomorrow at 7pm to get an extension for the "determination of applicability." They had already got the permits a few years back and they want to renew them to build this lot and the neighboring lot.) The fact that the builder is actively taking steps to complete the project provides some confidence and hints that financial problems are likely not the issue but if the level of communication doesn't increase in the coming weeks I may have a meeting to request more transparency. I do think the project is behind schedule but I think that is somewhat typical and the fact there are wetlands on the lot probably makes the delay even more typical. I will keep you guys updated as the situation unfolds, thanks for the advice!

I have to agree with the other posters, I would run not walk the other way. Yours being the first lot means you're the guinea pig, did you check his references and talk to folks who have had a residential build done by him in the past? How did those conversations go..if you didn't have a ton of gleaming references I'd definitely pull the cord and bail out. If its merely a matter of a delay due to conservation there is no reason you should have had to play investigator and dig up this information on your own. Why in the world would he not just offer this fact up..something smells fishy! You need a bit more than than a hint of confidence in your builder, and if you're afraid to make waves by seriously considering pulling the plug..maybe building might not be a good option for you.

There is NO excuse for the builder's lack of communication with you, particularly since you've already put down a deposit. Why do you think the communication will improve with him if you decide to proceed? How much stress and anxiety do you want to add to the normal amount that goes with a build? RUN!

Well running forgoes the deposit since I have already signed a P&S agreement so I just "running" isn't such a smart option when the builder doesn't reply to emails super fast. Their real estate agent has responded to emails but has not provided as much information as I would like (they have said that they are meeting with the town to get the requisite papers, which turned out to be true, they just didn't say they were meeting with conservation.) I think you guys are being pretty rash to throw away the 7k deposit. There is a midterm step where we just request a meeting to get more communication on the builders part. I will let you know how it turns out.

This is the first time that I recall you stating you cannot get your deposit back. And I agree that the lack of communication is not a good sign going into a project, but it's up to you obviously and you asked for peoples thoughts and in my opinion I would be very leery of this project going forward without issues.

I thought you said the deposit was held by a RE and was refundable. A well built house will take around 6 months to build, from the time the builder first gets equipment to the property until you get occupancy. Required approvals could take 6 months (or more) depending on the jurisdiction(s) and the builder's cooperation.

Good luck with your project.

Connett woods and two other builders are all quoting a 4-5 month time frame from start to finish which might have to do with the jusisdiction or maybe that is just because the house is a pretty standard 1900 sq ft colonial. I do think the builder was a little optimistic signing off on a move in date of April 29th but I still think we are only looking at being one or two months behind that.

7K is a very small drop in the bucket on a home build. 1% of the typical custom home cost. If you cannot afford to lose that and walk away for your betterment, then you should rethink building entirely. You'll be in for a very bumpy ride. Your 20% contingency reserve should be able to absorb that expense and you should be able to adjust some of your finishes to do so. Consider that 7K tuition for the education you're receiving and find someone more communicative, responsive, and who will help you to understand the process and costs better.

You said they are in breach when they don't deliver on the 29th. So, plan to walk away. There is NO WAY you'll get a house, let alone a quality house in 2 months.

Start your plan B and recover the cash on April 30th.

I have no idea of your house plans are nor the size, but April 29 is only two months away...so the answer to if your house could be completed, I would say ,No! If your communication this far has been so bad, I hate to think what the rest of your build will be like. You must have good communication at all times for a good build experience. Maybe, even though 7k is a good chunk of change, you might have to cut your losses while you are ahead.

I never asked anybody what I should do. 7k is 50% of the down payment and walking away from it would mean not buying a home at all so that is completely out of the question and astupid move as I have nothing to lose by waiting until April and 7k to lose by "cutting" my losses. The builder doesn't get a dime until the project is finished and at that point he is paid for both the land and building at the same time by my mortgage company so I have no way of losing additional money unless I bail on the deal.

"I never asked anybody what I should do."

Then why did you post?
We aren't your builder, nor your city, so cannot answer your real question.

The other question you asked was if it could be done one time. We answered that. NO.

"what do you think is going on here, what might cause them to be secretive in this way, what kind of problems might they have with the town in buying the land and building on it? Do you still think this could be completed on time?"

These are the only questions I asked. People other than the builder might have had some insight as to what some possible reasons might be. I agree with you that completing the project in 2 months doesn't sound feasible but the other questions honestly aren't unreasonable ones.

1: If you have a house in 2 months we'd all be terrified at the quality of said house.

2. You seem flexible on your timeline but based on your post you've been pretty clear that either you aren't proactive enough with your own build to know whats going on, or your builder does in fact have some pretty shady communication and all the warning signs are there for a rocky build. I've had delays on my own groundbreaking, never was there a problem contacting the builder and getting a revised timeline. So clearly you know your situation better than us, make a judgement call. If however you stick it out past April and have problems.can we say we told you so? :) We're only calling it like we see it and its a very real possibility that very long after your contract deadline you may have a house not meeting your criteria at all.