Comments:
Overall Morrison was fair to work with in some respects and difficult to work with in others. I will list the good and the bad and then some recommendations at the end
The Good:
The home was completed on-time;
The builder's agent was pleasant to work with (for the most part);
The house overall is solid, no floor creaks or unstable walls.
The Bad:
Very poor internal/external communication
Often we didn't know what was going on at times given various discrepancies and found it difficult to get the same answer from two different people on any individual issue.
Lot of "Finger Pointing"
When we had a problem often we were told to talk to our Morrison agent when we approached or builder. Our agent would point us back to our builder.
Lots of "No, we can't do that!" responses
Whenever we made a change request or raised an issue we were ALWAYS initially told "no, that can't be done" and we then had to fight for what we wanted fixed/changed. This made it a struggle to work with Morrison. Today, a month after I have closed I cringed everytime I find something not right that I need to call in. I know I am going to have to prepare myself for a conflict in getting it resolved.
Poor issue resolution
Morrison seemed to usually looked for the "shortcut" approach to fixing an issue rather than the correct way of fixing an issue.
Recommendations:
DO NOT CLOSE UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED!
Some folks at Morrison will say the same thing but overall they want to get you to the closing table, so you'll feel some pressure to close. DON'T!!!...Make sure you're completely satisified up front.
TAKE YOUR TIME UPFRONT DURING DESIGN
Morrison initially expected us to select all our upgrades during one meeting that lasted three hours. As first time home builders this was not possible (we ultimately had three meetings each of three hours). Take as long as you need to make sure you've thought of everything you want in the design of your home. The Morrison design representatives are not that helpful when it comes to thinking of little areas of improvement you could do to your house, so make sure to consult with other would-be neighbors. Ask those neighbors what they would have done differently before you finish the design process. The more input you can get the more satisfied you'll be with the end product.
Some upgrades aren't even offered through the design center. If you want something bad enough fight for it until you get it.
DON'T BE CHEAP
If you want an upgrade get it! You'll thank yourself later that you did or hate yourself later that you didn't.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT BEING A BOTHER!
At the end of the process you're the one stuck with the house. Ask questions and make sure you get a response that sounds logical TO YOU. Don't let Morrison try and fast talk you into an explaination as to why something is the way it is. If it doesn't make sense to you then keep challenging your builder to explain further AND ASK A THIRD PARTY. Chances are whatever it is you are challenging isn't be done the best way. If that's the case DEMAND that Morrison do it a different way.
ALWAYS BE HONEST!
This should go without saying but if you want Morrison to be honest then you have to be honest with them too. Don't tell them something is okay if you don't think it really is. If you come back later to tell them something isn't right chances are you wont' have any footing on which to stand.
GO THROUGH THE PRE-DRYWALL MEETING SLOWLY!
This is HUGE! If you don't take the time to really inspect things pre-drywall Morrison will come back to you later when there is a problem and say, "hey that should have been pointed out pre-drywall". Don't let that mistake happen to you. Check all electrical outlets making sure they are where you want them to be, plumbing lines that they all look normal with no leaks or really badly bent piping, all 2x4's are solid, etc. and make sure they are up to your satisfaction.
FINALLY......PICK YOUR BATTLES!!
Chances are there will be things you are not happy with at the end of the process. Make sure to go into this process understanding your expectations. NOT EVERY PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE IMMEDIATELY MADE A CONCERN. Make sure that you prioritize your issues and address those which are of utmost importance first. The last thing you want to do is to develop an unworkable relationship between you and your builder. No builder is perfect. Morrison, while they do have plenty of faults, can be open-minded enough to resolve those which are of utmost importance.
ENJOY YOUR NEW HOME!
Enough said!
