Shea Homes

I am a homeowner, purchased my home newly built from sheahomes. Very deceived by shea homes shady business tactics, built my home with a high level of negligence and fraud, building code violations that are inimaginable. Please stay away before you spend thousands of dollars and end up in a home that you cannot live in. I ended up moving out as quickly as my home became infested with mold and I became sick with mold from water intrusion that shea homes attempted to cover up and refused to take responsibility for.

DO NOT PURCHASE A SHEA HOME! My husband and I were told to at the time of submitting our earnest deposit by our Community Representative at Ascent at Jorde Farms that it would be refundable until we broke ground. We decided a month before breaking ground that we did not want to pursue with the house because it is going to be out of our price range.

When we told Shea that we did not want to move forward with the house PRIOR to them breaking ground they told us that the moment we were approved by their mortgage company that the earnest deposit became non refundable. With this being our first home, a $15,000 loss is a huge devastation and will set us back with being able to afford a home in the future. You’d think with Shea being a local and small business they’d be a honest company to work with? It is disheartening that they lie to their customers and operate like this.

Shea will steal your money and not bat an eye about it.

We went into contract with Shea Homes for one of their Surf models in March, 2022. Early on we were a little uneasy as we had to qualify with Shea Mortgage to get the process going even if we didn't use them for the loan (we would get $5000 reduction if we did). There was no loan contingency as with most home purchases--something we we told about. So along we went, put $20000 down, put a partial payment for upgrades and required solar to the tune of over $28000. Then came the "requalification" toward the end where we had to requalify. We are in sales and 2022 has been unlike other years and our income (plus interest rate increases) put us in a place where we no longer qualified--and the loan officer was very specific. We asked for our deposit back. No way. Shea homes has increased the price of our model since we signed and they will have no problem selling our house. And they will keep the $28,000 as pure profit. SO BUYER BEWARE! Shea homes has some good people working for them but their corporate greed is off the charts. This is a small community. I don't understand their greed. The fact that we are both seniors isn't a consideration for them but $28000 is a huge loss for us.

I signed a contract with Shea Homes for mountain house and deposited the earnest amount of 20K within 4 hours. Later on Shea Mortgage informed me that my debt to income ratio would be 45%, which was way too high for Loan to be approved. But they still approve the Loan and removed the Loan contingency. Due to some bad health in my home, I have to cancel the home contract and thats also I am doing without taking any upgrades and within a month of signing the contract. Shea homes is not giving back any earnest money back and keeping the whole 20K with them. I will lost around my 6-8 months of saving and will be a huge economic burden on me.
I didn't expect Shea Homes to be doing this to their customers when the home is still in building phase. It's a causing very bad mental trauma on me and I don't know what to do next.

To exactly quote the manager I just got off the phone with, "Can we fix this? Yes. Are we willing to? No."

We secured our lot on July 19th, reviewed contract on the 21st, signed on the 22nd. Customer service went right out the window the moment the contract was signed.

July 31st we were notified that they would be lowering the entire front porch by 8", and adding a 4' x 4' step immediately outside the front door (later said it would be an even more dangerous 3' x 3'). This is the only thing I object to, I asked they do not make this modification.

On September 1st they told us that they would be mirroring the entire house. To be clear, I didn't demand they fix this.

Both of these were sprung on us without any warning and without any effort to compromise. They originally said that these were because of safety issues found during inspections (probably should have been done BEFORE the secured the lot for us), but on September 9th they lied and said it was always the plan.

I put $20,000 earnest money down on a house that was already permitted to be built in Bonney Lake, WA. I was worried about my earnest money and the salesman sent me this:

"Hi there sorry I missed you yesterday, we have a 30 day financial contingency where your earnest money is protected. So you have time to figure out all the money details, if you need to sell to qualify they we can shift you to a Sale of home contingency and protect your earnest money as well. Biggest thing is we got this one off the market for you and we have time to figure it all out before closing. I think this is a perfect fit for you as well, felt like right place at the right time. Plus you will have your sister minuets away"

Seemed ok, right? My appointment with their "design center" was set up for the day after the financial contingency expired. This experience turned out to be a shocking upsell. I had to pick from pre-selected packages, all of them dreary. I asked to see the "plain Jane" version - i.e. no upgrades, and it would have been something I didn't want to live with The pricing of their upgrades was interesting - a faucet they wanted $520 for I found on Amazon for $200. By the time the salesgirl was done adding up the upgrades it was almost another 100kl I went back the next day and we cut it down to about 50k. So I had these choices:

1. Buy the plain jane house that I didn't want to live in
2. Go with the upgrades and buy a house I'd have to sell because I couldn't afford it.
3 Ask for my earnest money back. Unfortunately I didn't find out until after the financial contingency expired that I was faced with choices #1 and #2.

Shea has refused to give me my earnest money back. I advised them after my design center appointment that I realized it wouldn't work and they said I'd lose the 20k earnest money. In addition the sales contract was made out to me and didn't include my husband and my husband, who had a stroke, is refusing to sign. I cannot afford the house without him.

Yesterday the local sales manager told me she wanted a 16k "design deposit" to move forward if I wanted to somehow buy the house - (so I could sell it) - since I can't afford to live there. She had previously waived this design deposit. Who would give this company an additional 16k under these circumstances?

I've found out I've got major health problems, my family has major health problems and it's not easy to be put in this position by a company who I feel is using unfair business practices. If I had gone to the design center BEFORE the financial contingency expired I'd have known - but they set up the appointment for me one day after the expiration.

I have a lawyer and a friend told me to contact the Washington State Attorney General but really all I want is my 20k back. Shea will sell this house for more than I'd have to pay - they've already raised their prices. Apparently they want that plus my 20k. I really thought Shea was a better company than this.

We have contacted the Customer directly and have resolved the complaint

Where do I begin with my list of complaintsI'll approach this as a list since it will be easier to break downQuality of Product within days: It was surprising to see the number of recognized issues during our walk throughOne thing that was mentioned was that there were unequal gaps between the tile work and the trimApparently the contractors that lay down the tile do not level the tiles before they lay them down [redacted] reasoning for this, it would take too longI'm surprised with [redacted] being a reputable builder, they would say something like thatAnd instead of correcting the issue by caulking the gaps, they leave it as is cause caulking will also take a great deal of time to doSo basically, putting in the time to deliver a stellar product is not something they strive to do?!! Some of the walls were crooked and can't be repaired cause it would mean a massive overhaul within the house, some vents were bent, temperature zoning was inconsistent throughout the house and they said that with the size of our home, it is hard to equally get hot or cold air within each roomSo why not go with a better heating and cooling system?!? Isn't that the logical thing to do?? Some of the cabinetry had unfinished spots that needed to be stained, they claimed that a bug repellant solution was pumped between the walls, but the 3rd day in our house we had an ant infestation (which was resolved the very next day when the company that provides the service pumped the repellant into the wallsThe ants immediately leftI don't think it was done to begin with) and the biggest issue, they didn't clean up after themselvesWe found food wrappers, cut out pieces of venting tubes, empty mini propane tanks and nails throughout some of the cabinetsNow these cabinets are not easily or commonly accessedEasy to stash trash in places where people won't find them right awayQuality of Product within months: Now the house had time to settle and our biggest issue was a huge crack forming on our concrete stairsWe had asked if the stairs could be redone before it gets worseThis was rapidly dismissed and they told us to wait to see if the crack gets largerSo instead of fixing the issue at its early stages, wait till it gets worse?! It's like telling a patient with cancer "oh your cancer isn't that badLet's wait till it gets worse before we treat you." Very sloppy and lazy to own up to the issueQuality of the Product after Year: The concrete stairs generated a larger crack and [redacted] finally gave into our request to redo the stairsThey redid it but also left a pretty large unfinished home at the side of the stairThis hole could potentially grow into a large crackInstead of calling the builders to redo it, my husband and I have pretty much given up on their quality of work and decided if you want it done right, do it yourselfVery disappointingCustomer Service: Initially I thought the customer service was outstandingThe sales team and design team were very friendlyWhen we got into the development team, things were not as invitingSometimes questions were half answered or were avoided completelyFollow up was not done in a timely manner, or information was not provided until you repeatedly askedOverall, I would not recommend [redacted] HomesWe had less issues with our first new home with [redacted] and their product was about 300K lessIt goes to show that it doesn't matter how much money you spend for your homeMore money doesn't necessarily equate to better buildersDo extensive research on the complaints and initiate your decision from there

We have contacted the Customer directly and have resolved the complaint.

Where do I begin with my list of complaints. I'll approach this as a list since it will be easier to break down.
Quality of Product within 30 days:
It was surprising to see the number of recognized issues during our walk through. One thing that was mentioned was that there were unequal gaps between the tile work and the trim. Apparently the contractors that lay down the tile do not level the tiles before they lay them down. [redacted] reasoning for this, it would take too long. I'm surprised with [redacted] being a reputable builder, they would say something like that. And instead of correcting the issue by caulking the gaps, they leave it as is cause caulking will also take a great deal of time to do. So basically, putting in the time to deliver a stellar product is not something they strive to do?!! Some of the walls were crooked and can't be repaired cause it would mean a massive overhaul within the house, some vents were bent, temperature zoning was inconsistent throughout the house and they said that with the size of our home, it is hard to equally get hot or cold air within each room. So why not go with a better heating and cooling system?!? Isn't that the logical thing to do?? Some of the cabinetry had unfinished spots that needed to be stained, they claimed that a bug repellant solution was pumped between the walls, but the 3rd day in our house we had an ant infestation (which was resolved the very next day when the company that provides the service pumped the repellant into the walls. The ants immediately left. I don't think it was done to begin with) and the biggest issue, they didn't clean up after themselves. We found food wrappers, cut out pieces of venting tubes, empty mini propane tanks and nails throughout some of the cabinets. Now these cabinets are not easily or commonly accessed. Easy to stash trash in places where people won't find them right away.
Quality of Product within 6 months:
Now the house had time to settle and our biggest issue was a huge crack forming on our concrete stairs. We had asked if the stairs could be redone before it gets worse. This was rapidly dismissed and they told us to wait to see if the crack gets larger. So instead of fixing the issue at its early stages, wait till it gets worse?! It's like telling a patient with cancer "oh your cancer isn't that bad. Let's wait till it gets worse before we treat you." Very sloppy and lazy to own up to the issue.
Quality of the Product after 1 Year:
The concrete stairs generated a larger crack and [redacted] finally gave into our request to redo the stairs. They redid it but also left a pretty large unfinished home at the side of the stair. This hole could potentially grow into a large crack. Instead of calling the builders to redo it, my husband and I have pretty much given up on their quality of work and decided if you want it done right, do it yourself. Very disappointing.
Customer Service:
Initially I thought the customer service was outstanding. The sales team and design team were very friendly. When we got into the development team, things were not as inviting. Sometimes questions were half answered or were avoided completely. Follow up was not done in a timely manner, or information was not provided until you repeatedly asked.
Overall, I would not recommend [redacted] Homes. We had less issues with our first new home with [redacted] and their product was about 300K less. It goes to show that it doesn't matter how much money you spend for your home. More money doesn't necessarily equate to better builders. Do extensive research on the complaints and initiate your decision from there.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/21) */
To Whom It May Concern:
We are in receipt of the attached complaint filed by [redacted] ("Ms. [redacted]") against Shea Homes Limited Partnership ("SHLP"). We believe there are two errors with the complaint requiring it to be...

dismissed.
Shea Homes Limited Partnership is not affiliated with Shea Homes of North Carolina. They are unrelated companies, albeit sharing a name.
Furthermore, SHLP's corporate headquarters is in Walnut, California, not in Northern California. SHLP has a division in Northern California, but it is not SHLP's headquarters nor is SHLP or its Northern California Division legally affiliated with Shea Homes of North Carolina.
Ms. [redacted] has also filed her complaint with the North Carolina Revdex.com, which appears to be the proper venue.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/04/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Thank you for your recent correspondence. We understand that Mr. [redacted] has a questions related to pricing at one of our projects. 

We break out the price the homes within our projects into two main categories "Base Price" and "Upgrades". The Base Price denotes the price of...

the home itself, absent any options, upgrades or buyer selections. Upgrades are priced separately and are in addition to the Base Price. Most of our projects require a buyer to purchase a minimum level of Upgrades. Of note, the vast majority of buyers exceed these minimums. It appears we did not do an adequate job of explaining our pricing structure to Mr. [redacted] and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. 

In an attempt to be more clear, we are in the process of updating all of our price sheets to better explain this concept. We will include language indicating "Base pricing does not include Design or Construction Upgrades. Minimum purchase of $___________ in Design or Construction Upgrades required."

We again apologize Mr. [redacted] believed our pricing seemed deceptive...that was certainly not our intent. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions. 

Sincerely,

Shea Home

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Thank you for

your letter dated December 13, 2014 regarding [redacted]'s disappointment and

complaint regarding [redacted]...

Pools - Complaint ID [redacted]. We have sent

the information to our contact at [redacted] Pools for their follow up. Although

you have filed a complaint again Shea Homes, [redacted] would have a separate

contract with [redacted] which would not involve Shea Homes. As a result, [redacted]

Pools will need to handle this matter.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached at

###-###-####.

Sincerely,

SHEA HOMES

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is acceptable.  

I would like to thank Shea homes for making the clarification on their price sheet.  

Regards,

[redacted]

Review: I have an issue with [redacted] Pools, however Shea Homes, was the Company I contracted with for my home, which in turn lead me to [redacted] Pool. The complaint number is ID [redacted]. My issue with [redacted] is as follows.

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with our $30,000 swimming pool purchase. We purchased a new house in December of 2003 from Shea home builders, they recommended you as the pool builder of choice here in Chandler Az. the pool was built in January of 2004. We wanted to make sure we ended up with a quality product so we went ahead and made this extremely large purchase for our family. As you know you are not the least inexpensive pool builder in town, we went with [redacted] spending more money than your competitors to ensure we would be happy in the long ran with a good product and company that would stand behind their workmanship. Bud Rick was our designer and we worked with him on layout and advice as he was the expert in the field. We have spent many hours enjoying our backyard, however it is now become a nightmare and a "safety hazard" as the rock water slide has become a danger zone for my family. As you can see from the pictures it is literally falling apart. From what I understand "Laurant" was the rock slide installer that was used. I was told that he did poor workmanship from your employees along with other personal issues he had. As you can see from the pictures the water slide is unsafe and has large cracks all over it (it is coming apart !!). You can also see rebar showing through from the inside. It has become apparent to me that the "waterslide fills with water" from within while it is on, this causes flooding in my back yard ! resulting in all kinds of other issues. It is also causing "rust" stains on the pebble sheen as well (pictured in attachments). At this point we cannot even use our swimming pool in fear someone will become injured from the slide falling apart while in the pool. It has caused many discussions and heartache within our household, as we cannot enjoy our backyard anymore. The decking also has issues and has some serious cracks. What I am asking is the the pool be fixed so my family can enjoy our backyard again. Please contact me to discuss further to get this resolved,thanks for your time.Desired Settlement: I would like my pool and slide repaired. If Shea sells pools with [redacted] Shea should help get these issues fixed.

Business

Response:

Thank you for

your letter dated December 13, 2014 regarding [redacted]'s disappointment and

complaint regarding [redacted] Pools - Complaint ID [redacted]. We have sent

the information to our contact at [redacted] Pools for their follow up. Although

you have filed a complaint again Shea Homes, [redacted] would have a separate

contract with [redacted] which would not involve Shea Homes. As a result, [redacted]

Pools will need to handle this matter.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached at

###-###-####.

Sincerely,

SHEA HOMES

Not worth the hassle! If you are looking for a place to retire do not even think about Shea Homes at Encanterra. They have flooding issues, foundation issues,houses cracking inside from settling issues, sink holes and just plain old terrible business practices (taking kick backs from trade partners for customers having to have to use the trade partners if they want incentives that they promise. [redacted] does nothing to help you all they do is tell you what you can't do and the yearly dues are$3828 as of 2104, similar to what you would pay in Scottsdale not East Valley, with same if not better amenities. Nothing gets fixed and if it does it takes a year before they get it right. Customer Service reps are former car sales people and or insurance sales people who don't care, there are a few, but less than the ones that don't care. I read the 6 year problem, how about 6 months after being built! And still going. Very disappointed and nobody at Shea seems to really care, especially if they have gotten your money already. they make up different rules as they go, it changes every 6 months, and the so called private community, has had more break ins and thefts then anywhere I have ever lived, maybe that is because they leave most of the gates open all day and night. but most of the break ins are in cars left out in front of houses all night which is suppose to be against the [redacted] rules, when you complain this is the famous line: "we are not there during the night so we can't do anything about it" Do yourself a favor and go to Florence or Chandler, better houses and better prices and 1/2 the dues for a staff that actually does their jobs, instead of blowing you off.By the way the pictures online our all computer enhanced, not one house looks like any of the pictures.

Review: Right now this is more of a qustion than a complaint. I was looking at a new shea home in san tan az. The price list I was given listed the price of the home at $199,990. When I asked the onsite realtor for a price quote to purchase the sales amount was listed as $209,990. When I questioned the higher price I was told that they would not sell me the house unless I purchased $10,000 in upgrades, I could not purchase the house for the advertised price.

Is this an acceptable practice for new home builders?Desired Settlement: An explaination and more honest pricing. If you cannot purchase the house for the advertised price then they should not post that price. Seems a little decepive.

Business

Response:

Thank you for your recent correspondence. We understand that Mr. [redacted] has a questions related to pricing at one of our projects.

We break out the price the homes within our projects into two main categories "Base Price" and "Upgrades". The Base Price denotes the price of the home itself, absent any options, upgrades or buyer selections. Upgrades are priced separately and are in addition to the Base Price. Most of our projects require a buyer to purchase a minimum level of Upgrades. Of note, the vast majority of buyers exceed these minimums. It appears we did not do an adequate job of explaining our pricing structure to Mr. [redacted] and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

In an attempt to be more clear, we are in the process of updating all of our price sheets to better explain this concept. We will include language indicating "Base pricing does not include Design or Construction Upgrades. Minimum purchase of $___________ in Design or Construction Upgrades required."

We again apologize Mr. [redacted] believed our pricing seemed deceptive...that was certainly not our intent. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Shea Home

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is acceptable.

I would like to thank Shea homes for making the clarification on their price sheet.

Regards,

Review: To: AZ Revdex.com

From: [redacted] : [redacted] Phone: [redacted]

Address: 2[redacted]

Email address: [redacted]

I bought a new home in December 2010 to minimize repair and replacement costs.

I believe Shea uses inferior contractors and products as evidenced by 4 issues within 5 years. I am asking for 50% compensation for my costs or $1200. The percentage of repair and product breakdown is unreasonable for a new home. I own a 60 year old home in MN and rarely a problem….furnace ran 50 years and AC 47 year where I would expect that climate stress would be an issue. My point…inferior contractors and products evidenced by the necessity of frequent repairs or replacement.

1. Irrigation system failure in 2013- after 3 years. Required Timer replacement ($400) . I continue to service dripper issues and plus 2 underground pipe replacements the past 2 years resulting in large water utilization. Shea no longer utilizes this company which suggests inferior products or contractor. My costs have exceeded $600.

2. Air Conditioner failed Aug 2014. I contacted Shea who suggested I call the contracted installer (no longer utilized). They failed to properly diagnose and fix the AC. Meanwhile summer tenants needed to find alternative housing as temps exceeded 100-110. The vendor stated they replaced the cooling fluid as well as a leak…then attempted to bill me $1800. I negotiated a reduced price at $800 because I was advised I could rescind the work order; they then agreed to negotiate a lower price. I returned to my home a month and a half later to find a still non-functioning AC. So my tenant was too nice to complain again. I once again reported the nonfunctioning AC. The Coil was replaced and tried to bill another $800 service fee. I negotiated $400. Total costs $1200.

3. Garage door sensor failed in Oct 2015. I finally contacted a service rep today after trying multiple solutions to the problem. They replaced the Sensor system as well as a new spring system. I have manually tripped the door and shut the door for the last two months because of cost issues. The [redacted] service rep and installer stated Shea’s contracted company installs inferior quality products with subsequent failures within a 3-5 years. My cost.$615.

Sprinkler system repair…$400…compensated by Shea. I initially paid for it but was told by my handyman to report the issue to Shea…a system problemDesired Settlement: 50% Compensation for costs of repairs and replacement....$1200.