Options - "Caruso Homes IS NOT a Custom Builder" EP. 9

Bill and Bev (B-Squared) share their experiences with building their new Caruso House. In this episode, Bill and Bev dive head first into their structural selections in their Caruso Home's Kingsport Estate Series House. They share some of the highs and lows of dealing with Caruso Home's manager's to navigate the poorly designed selection process. Caruso Home's leaves a lot to be desired with their design center and options selection process.
#newconstructionhome #foreverhome #dreamhome
#NewHomeUpdate #CARUSOhomes #carusokingsport #blackhomeowners
#emptyhousetour #billandbevbsquared #newhomeoptions
References: Caruso Homes Live: L & L Flooring Tour
• L & L Flooring Tour

[@strengthinme1212]

Thank you!

[@msiproaudiovideosolutions2263]

Great Info!

[@trubetold007]

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH ,WE WERE GOING TO BUILD WITH THEM BUT, SEEING THEY HAVE NO CHOICES OF WHAT I WOULD LIKE IN A CUSTOM HOME THE EXPERIENCE WOULD LEAVE ME LACKING WE HAVE DECIDED ,,,,,,……. PS, I LOVE HOW YOUR HOME TURNED OUT , Thank you again

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hello. Thank you! and You welcome!

[@djcprice4376]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this valuable information. I had no idea. The home is absolutely beautiful. Great job. Standing your ground paid off. 😊

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey Djc Price. You're welcome. Thank you!

[@Frank-ll1in]

It’s very interesting watching these videos. We are building a Michigan model via the “on your lot” process and have ran into many of the same issues with Caruso management and sales reps. 10 months after signing the build contract, we finally have basement walls this past weekend. Looking forward to your next video.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Thanks! Congratulations on the basement. Progress feels good!

[@morpheusmann]

I feel all of your pain. My Spouse and I has the type of house 🏡 you guys got but it was built by KHovnanian and it is the Colorado model that looks like a Kingsport. I live in UPPER MARLBORO and my community has the Kingsport model by Caruso as well. We were going to buy the Kingsport model but the sales manager was so Nasty and Rude that we left that model with our Realtor and decided to buy a KHov home and got it built exactly like the model hime and they gave us a culdesac lot that backed up to trees and $20,000 in design center credit. So watching this video is very personal for me because I almost purchased your home but the lack of good customer service turned my Spouse and off immediately and we never went back. They even had the nerve to call us to see what happened and I let them have it. ✊🏿🖤🙏🏼👍🏼🏡

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Wow! Glad you guys drew a line in the sand. It can be difficult because bad customer service is not a breach of contract. You can have a beautiful home that meets all of the requirements of the contract that is built solid and in accordance to all state codes and regulations but go through hell because customer service is the worse. We know we have a solid house however, customer service left a lot to be desired. Glad things are well with you guys and congrats on the new house!

[@MrSquirrelboy17]

My husband cancelled...lol with another company, you guys are hilarious, too funny

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Oh no! lol

[@jamesmaccari9128]

The thing that got me was the base price is a house that can't function. Then they hit you with a $185k lot finishing deal. That's everything you need, like well, septic. Hookups , permits, driveway, and on and on. Then comes the options. Then you are double the basic price. Crazy.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

They did not break out the cost for us like that! I am sure it is wrapped up in there though.

[@jamesmaccari9128]

@billbev-bsquare5226 They shouldn't do that. I'm in MD. As well, and that killed the deal for me. Then I started looking further south near Bowie, etc, and I can get one of their houses that are bigger completed on their lot for cheaper. They are charging a big premium for custom builds on your lot. I understand you can build cheaper in a development, but the other competitors here had base price houses that were all inclusive except for upgrades from $120k to $150k less that had a better standard roof and better framing. Thanks for taking us on the journey with you.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

@@jamesmaccari9128 You welcome. Thanks for stopping through! Best!

[@collingtont]

More More, please! My husband and I are building with Caruso, and this process, oh my snap, is tedious. We began this process in March, and as of the said date, they have not excavated the lot. This has truly taught us patience 😊

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

So glad to hear that!

[@todayzmomma1999]

Im in king george county Va and I’m building a new home in Sumter SC and I’m finding that the things you guys are talking about Im going through right now. It something how the builders can change prices for the simplest things.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

It can be crazy!

[@aaronjm1000]

Enjoyed the video! We have been in our Kingsport for 3 years now its going well. Maybe its hit and miss with the communities b/c we had a fast pace experience with free custom options and we even made changes during the build with no extra fees. No closing cost and lots of upgrades and we used our own lender. Again, may have changed. They also referred a worker to finish our custom options after we moved in and he did awesome work for us! They helped out even a few years after closing. Hope it gets better!

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey Aaronjm1000. You have a point. My first Caruso home (over 20 yrs ago) process was not too crazy. This time our customer experience was not the best. Maybe it was this community, maybe the climate, etc. We are in a good space because we really like our home and community however, the customer engagement process was very challenging. You know, one or two people in a company can make a major difference in a person's customer service experience. I will let you know how the after build customer interaction is. Thanks for commenting.

[@aaronjm1000]

@@billbev-bsquare5226 Yeah you're right! Also, when you come into the community last, you get hit with the cost they gave everyone else to get them in. I was going to move there when it was a grand opening and the prices were very low.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

@@aaronjm1000 For us, the prices were kinda relative because we both just sold our houses in the same market. If that was not the case, we surely would have felt different. lol

[@collingtont]

I have watched your videos at least ten times. You all are my gurus for Caruso homes😊. From start to finish, how long did it take before you all were able to get the keys? Where your trees for your lot already down?

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey. 9 months. Trees were cleared. A whole had to be dug.

[@jaybadger8394]

Wow, I am so sorry y’all had to go through all that. The Kingsport is one of the most beautiful homes in the DMV area. We were very close to purchasing one. The wife and I talked about our short experience we had with Caruso Homes on her channel Simply Sammie. Barry came off like a used car salesman. We felt pressured, so we walked away. I can’t wait to see your empty house tour. Keep the videos coming.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Jay, we follow you guys! We love your house. Congratulations!

[@SimplySammie001]

Omg! I’m so sorry y’all had to to go through all of this. What a headache! We almost built a Kingsport with Caruso, but after we sat down with Barry, we felt like we were getting nickeled and dimed so we ending up choosing another builder. With all the cutbacks we would have had to made, it wouldn’t have felt like the Kingsport! Good for y’all for sticking with it, it truly is a beautiful home! Good luck with everything! 🥰

[@collingtont]

When are we going to see the empty house tour? The last video was a teaser😄. Congratulations, and thank you for taking us along for the ride.

[@SimplySammie001]

@@collingtont hi there! Sorry it’s taking so long, but the internet providers can’t come until the 8th! So I won’t be able to post until then! 😫😫😫 but the tour has been recorded, thank you for your patience! All I have is my phone until then. ☹️

[@collingtont]

@@SimplySammie001 At least it's recorded 😊 I am looking forward to seeing it.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

It's not far away now! A few to go! :-)

[@linnsoltwedel]

700 for a lampost is cheap, because if you would do it later they would haft to bury the electrical, get it hoocked to the panel and then the price of the lamppost itself. So I get that you wanted it to be done by the builder. You would think such a fancy house!

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Yes! The installer has to dig down on each side of the walkway to run the wire under, pour a cement footer that goes below the freeze line 36" and route the wire through the house basement to the electrical panel. $700 seems very reasonable.

[@ZBEST247]

My husband and I are having a heck of a time right now finding out the selections we made are not what we expected. Options and upgrades were not properly described/discussed. We also had selections made on our behalf that we were unaware of until after the fact. Barry is a trip!

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey! We went through the same process, they did not have an options book onsite and some sample were missing. At least a month later we visited the model and they had a newly printed options packet (word doc) onsite. When we looked through the new document, we noticed options that were never explained. At the preconstruction meeting, we were finding out things that were options that we did not know about (5" molding and lights under the cabinets). We feel your pain! We been there and have a T - Shirt, shorts and shoes to prove it! It is very frustrating. Walking through homes that were in the process of being built was our saving grace. That only worked up to a certain point because they stop you from making change request when they order the supplies and they charge you $500 each request after the preconstruction. We love the way Caruso built our house but the process and customer interaction leaves a lot to be desired. Hang in there!

[@MrSquirrelboy17]

We cancelled, and went bought our own land , house plans, and our our contractor... timely but I feel it's go be worth it

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

@@MrSquirrelboy17 That will probably more rewarding. We are so happy for you guys.

[@brittanylaster8972]

Who did you all end up going through? We’re in the process of working with Caruso and now I’m concerned. We weren’t planning to visit the design center until the end of the month. We’re doing the Kingsport elevation 22

[@linnsoltwedel]

So what did the columns end up costing?

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

I think it was about $3K

[@Juanc4rl0s]

How much did they offered you guys in option credits? Was it 15k, 20k, 25k?

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

LOL $000,000.00

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

We were the last house in the development.

[@toyswigg]

We know exactly what your talking about especially with the communication, choosing/changing your options, and all the extra cost for upgrades. Caruso has not even broke ground yet on our home ...😩. Hubby and I was thinking the same thing should we get out but after choosing the floor plan and options, I don't want to give up on our dream home. Thanks for sharing your experience because it gives us some great insight and things we should look out for. Cannot wait to see your other videos leading up to your beautiful home. Despite all the frustrations you had to endure....it was all worth it in the end. Blessing upon Blessing. 🙌🏾❤️ Would it be possible to have your email so we may contact you with questions?

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Thank you.... Yes: [e-mail]

[@juane6838]

Hi Bill & Bev. Your home is beautiful. Sorry that it was a pain to get to the finish line. I'm currently building with Caruso and the communication has been horrible. I've experienced change orders with incorrect options, inaccurate pricing on options...you name it, I've experienced it. I'm thinking it's time to escalate to someone at the regional office. Who did you have a good luck with..I want to reach out to that person.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey Juan. Thank you! We contacted Nicole Russell, Regional Sales Manager at Caruso Homes or Mike Murphy Senior Regional Production Manager

[@Lyysssaaa]

I’m see a lot of issues with builders on KZbin. Minor that turn expensive but still issues. Makes one wonder if they’re only doing it because of your race? Was the stone actually discontinued? And why was do many things considered an upgrade?

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey E Robinson. By making so many things options, it allows Caruso to keep the base price as low as possible. I believe the idea is to attract a wider band of people. Caruso is a production builder. They provide a product which has value to an end-user or customer with a certain profit margin that they are trying to achieve.

[@collingtont]

Oh, by the way, Caruso no longer gives out the handout that has free brick front.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Really! I don't think they met for us to get it. Gone are the days of free anything. lol

[@linnsoltwedel]

It's cheaper for them to build it like you wanted than build a desk. So thats rude!

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

We thought the same.

[@Lyysssaaa]

The more I hear sounds like a lawsuit for damages, cleaning supplies, and frankly pain and suffering

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

We thought about it! Now we are enjoying our home. Posting videos helps!

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

LOL - Between 9 - 10 months!

[@mariocox904]

Was talking to your general contractor or did you have one I think they were penny and diamond you beating you out of money when it shouldn't cost any thing more or just a little nickel and diming you because you guess it you are African-American

[@mariocox904]

I hear you and if you are happy good. because I was one of them people doing that type of work and they made a lot of mistakes but if you are happy with the process I'm happy for you

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Thank you!

[@linnsoltwedel]

You are doing THEM a favor. You are buying from them, not someone else. So them acting like that would give me a big irk, and I might take my shoes and leave.

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

LOL. We thought able it!

[@mariocox904]

People this is your example when you are paying the money to have your house constructed do not be that or this nice you pay for what you get you do not pay for bad service time to end the contract that what I would have did and you were the you would have seen do a better job stuff scratch floors uncovered other things uncovered no no that is a no no they know it this pisses me off that y'all was too nice

[@billbev-bsquare5226]

Hey Mario. Happy New Year! It all worked out. Customer service is not a requirement of the contract. The house is built to specification according to our contract. Poor/Good customer service is not a breach of contract that would cause us to walk away or stay. If a home buyer walks away from a contract because of poor customer service, they could lose their deposit and possible face other problems.