Number one thing I'd do is drive around the neighborhood and talk to your possible neighbors and see how they feel about their already built homes. That's what we have done numerous times with our builder and in our case (not a production builder but a custom builder), we have heard nothing but praise about how the process went.

I also asked our builder if we could go inside houses that were being built. He was only too happy to have us go look around. And most of the people we talked to, when they found out we were building, asked if we'd like a tour of their home. (Of course this is FL and not NY. LOL)

Now we did not tell our builder we were going, but just showed up to see. We did that back in March and again when we were down in FL in August.

I'd suggest researching online too.

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Tolls Brothers communities are usually well accessorized. But you pay for what you get - meaning, they monthly fees can be costly and may not be what you want. Like, sometimes they have an exclusive on a cable provider.

Hello, we are considering buying a toll brothers home in Beekman Chase Community in Dutchess County NY. The house is just a year and a half old and is one of the best houses we have ever seen. It has every single amenity that we can think of.

Amenities can be added. A good quality build can't. It's much more important that the bones of the house are well done than all the amenities in the world.

In this area (CT as well as NY) it's not builders that have exclusives on cable providers. It's decided by community/region, not builder. One town has Comcast, another town has Charter...

Toll Brothers builds in my area, too. I think they went through a rocky/dodgy building period, but I haven't heard bad things about their current projects, although I haven't really been keeping my ear to the ground. But then again best to do some serious personal leg work yourself.

As cpartist notes, don't sweat the amenities - these can be added.

We looked at a couple of their communities in Mn. I think you get a lot for your money. Whether you need it all is a different question.

I.e. lots of square feet. Lots of bathrooms. The kinds of features that people are looking for, like closet systems, audio, home theatres, wine cellars. The big thing in 2014 was mother in law suites. Basement popcorn kitchens. Landscaping is done and coordinated throughout the community. My spouse liked them because you get all this "stuff."

But as others have noted, they are skilled at squeezing profit margins and that has to come out somewhere.

Good luck.

Personally if I wasn't going with a custom builder with an excellent reputation, I'd have found a resale and renovated if it needed it. In fact, that was what I was originally looking for but couldn't find anything that was even close to what our wants and needs were.

Toll Brothers homes are complete garbage. Stay away.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Do you guys think it would be helpful if we did a thorough home inspection before we actually sign anything? Would a home inspector be able to tell if the foundation is sound and the 'bones' are well done? The house is also 1.5 yrs old so from what I hear, this is a decent amount of time for anything major to have happened and revealed itself? what do you guys think? we have looked into building totally custom but the lots we have in our area are fairly limited and since its a hillly and rocky terrain, the excavation work alone can be very pricey. The homes we have seen for resale have either been too small, or too big....so thats why we were even thinking of the toll home. I guess, what I am asking is, is buying a toll home with the right inspections still a bad idea?

also, can anyone tell me about resale values for toll in general?

again thank you all for your time!

An inspector can't see through walls to the studs, etc. They can't see the plumbing behind the walls. I personally would walk away after all I read about Toll Brothers building practices.

Again, bells and whistles can be added. Quality can't.

If I were you, I'd look at some of the "too small" quality older builds and see if you can find the cheapest home on the block and renovate and add on. If you're building on enough land, adding onto a ranch especially is fairly easy and will probably be cheaper than trying to correct all the Toll Brothers problems.

As for resale, I would see what the other Toll homes in the area are sold for. Not what they are asking.

With the rocky terrain, have you talked to an architect as to what could and couldn't be done? Sometimes the most challenging lots can be had for bargain basement prices since no one else wants them, and then with the help of a good architect you can make it into something that is the envy of the neighborhood.

Cpartist, you give some excellent advice and food for thought-thank you for your guidance and detailed ansers :)

there are 2 subdivisions that we are looking at, that are not toll ( toll is separate). Subdivision 1 is a nice neighbourhood and new homes, cul de sac. the syle of homes is vinyl/stone and we would like to be stucco/brick...( different-may stick out and I am wondering if thats off putting for resale value).

Subdivision 2, older neighbourhood, very prestigious, but the houses were built in late 1980s and looking dated now. Wondering if we should make a new house there?

the 3rd is ofcourse toll-we could get it at a steep discount..like 100k from asking price...worth a deal?

Thanks again!!!

we did talk to a builder about the rocky terrain, but the lot owner himself did not want to make a deal and was asking wayyy too much not discounting the fact that the lot is hard to work with. With the lot price he was asking and the excavation/site readiness costs, the lot was way out of budget for us.

But i will certainly keep this in mind for future.

Thanks

there are 2 subdivisions that we are looking at, that are not toll ( toll is separate). Subdivision 1 is a nice neighbourhood and new homes, cul de sac. the syle of homes is vinyl/stone and we would like to be stucco/brick...( different-may stick out and I am wondering if thats off putting for resale value).

Just do your due diligence and check out the builder very carefully. Ask the neighbors their thoughts on the builder, etc. I'm a fellow NY'er. Remember we're supposed to be suspicious. ;) Use that to your advantage here. LOL.

As for being the one stucco/brick I don't think that would be a negative at all. Probably if the house is nicely styled it would be a huge plus as you're not the cookie cutter.

Subdivision 2, older neighbourhood, very prestigious, but the houses were built in late 1980s and looking dated now. Wondering if we should make a new house there?

Or see if you can get one that really needs work for a bargain price and renovate. My guess is all those homes will now be turning over?

the 3rd is ofcourse toll-we could get it at a steep discount..like 100k from asking price...worth a deal?

Just the fact that it's such a steep discount should have the bells, not the sirens screaming in your head.

lol, your last comment about toll made me laugh...thanks for your candid thoughts

will check out the builder in the sub division...how do we get in touch with neighbours? just ring their bell and apologize for disturbance but ask question? get public phone directory and make some calls? thanks fellow NY Yorker :)

i should mention that the couple of times ive driven around...i didnt see a single soul outside to speak with lol....short of stalking someone and lying in wait, what else could i do to get in touch?

Stalk them and lie in wait. How about putting a note in their door or mailbox asking them to please call you and explain why in the note. :)

And my last comment should have read, "should have the bells, if not the sirens..."

Need some advice we are planning to purchase a Single family home in hopewell junction built by toll brothers. We have read a lot of bad reviews about toll brothers in different area. Just wondering if anyone in hopewelll junction has purchase any homes .

An inspector can't see through walls to the studs, etc.

But good ones come equipped with tools that can accurately pinpoint moisture and other problems. And hopefully sharp eyes and experience to assess the property.

Buying a resale Toll home would be no different than buying any other resale home. Indeed, I've bought literally dozens of homes up to 120 years old having no idea whomsoever built them. The trickiest part of assessing any home's condition is in a finished basement, where homeowners may have used the wrong materials; and even when done properly, the original surfaces are hidden.

Skimming through the Toll complaints, I see a lot of unsubstantiated kvetching about design and items having nothing to do with workmanship. Like the one complaining about birds nests in the eaves!

(As a builder, I once had a homeowner call me indignantly about her downspouts not working properly. I knew exactly the cause. I got a ladder climbed up and carefully removed the multiple shuttercocks from the downspouts that I had seen her kids batting around.)

Are you building with till brothers or just buying an existing home ? The process and possible headaches are different. Which development - hopewell glen, four corners or Beekman Chase? Yes, I am from the area and in a Toll home :)

Hi @pvgurl hal. We are planning to build with Toll Brothers in Hopewell Glen. How is your experience with their construction. I have seen so many bad reviews and none good so far.

Hi @kvjain (future neighbor!) my husband and I are at the Design Studio finalizing stages at Hopewell Glen. Our move-in date is January. I've had a great experience so far- everyone has answered all my questions and been really kind. Next week we have our pre-construction meeting. I'm documenting our experience on my blog - www.southwickhome.com How has your process been so far?