|
This is a story of one family’s first home buying experience.
My family and I moved to the Austin, Texas area to begin a new life. The main purpose of the move as well was to purchase our first home. We lived the apartment life to its fullest and it was time to make the BIG plunge. It was time to go house hunting. Needless to say, we shopped and shopped. We looked from Round Rock to Cedar Park, Pflugerville to Austin. Then, by chance, we stumbled into Hutto. It was quaint. Small, but it was growing. After going from company to company, as well as, personal sellers, we found Gehan.
Actually, Gehan Homes was the last place we would see. That is when we met Glen Sanford. Glen didn’t come across as a salesman. He was friendly, cordial, and very open. He was a professional’s professional. Being this was our first chance at buying a home, Glen answered every question we could come up with. He took the time and explained not only what was available, but what would be better suited for us. Glen asked us questions that WE never thought of. And all of this was before we signed anything. After only a short time, my wife and I decided on what we wanted. Glen was available to us at all times to “hold our hands” thru the entire process. Taking time out to explain everything that happened, is happening, and needs to happen. Without Glen, I am sure we would have gone shopping elsewhere. The home building process was amazing to us. We came by every week to see the lot change from a skeletal shape to a beautiful home. From the molding to the archways; the large windows and expansive floor plans, a Gehan home raises the standards for homes in Central Texas.
Every once in a while, my wife and I will drive thru some of the other neighborhoods in the area and see what the competition is creating. After we get home and see what we have, we know we made the correct choice with Gehan. As the neighborhood around us grows with more and more beautiful Gehan homes, my family and I are so thankful that we came here that one night and said, “lets see if Gehan has what we want.” So to Glen Sanford and the rest of the Gehan Family, I wish to say Thank You for helping make our first home buying experience a memorable one. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the effort that was put into this place. -
Kelly J & Catherine D. Emory Farms, Hutto, Texas
Hello,
We just had to write a note about how happy we are with our new Gehan
home. From the initial sale, sales support and particularly the project
manager, we are very pleased with all aspects of the outcome. We have
heard so many horrible stories of other builders from our neighbors
while our home was being built we kept waiting for that first bad
experience. While living in the house for over a month we have found
this a very user-friendly design that has truly taken little or no time
to get used to and feel like our home. The layout, features,
efficiency, materials and workmanship have exceeded our expectations.
What made this all come together was the project manager, not enough can
be said about the way he kept his promise and followed through to
complete satisfaction. We highly recommend Gehan Homes to all of my
friends.
- Regards,
Kim and Dean,
Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland, TX
Dear Gehan Homes:
This letter is late coming but we feel compelled to write it. Our conscious will not serve us right if we did not take time to express our thanks and appreciation to you for the manner in which you worked with us during the purchase of our home from Gehan Homes, Inc. six months ago.
After hearing terrible stories from our neighbors about their builders, all we can say is that you were a blessing to us. You did not coerce us to purchase from Gehan and you took time to explain to us in detail what we needed to purchase our home. Despite all of your explanations and good intention, there were still a lot of back and forth questioning, and you were not frustrated. You even linked us to a mortgage lender, which we later decided to use, after researching the market. We used your recommended mortgage company because of the way you committed to Gehan and us, simultaneously.
We have now settled comfortably in to our home and are beginning to enjoy it. We marvel at the design and the space. Our home is one of the largest in the neighborhood and it is almost free of problems. Whenever we turn in a warranty request for minor work, Gehan's staff quickly responds. Gehan is a good builder and it is by fare the best builder in my neighborhood.
We did a survey and discover that a Gehan home is more affordable and comparatively could have been sold for a higher price. Thank you Gehan for coming to the aid of the working class citizen. I will always recommend you to my friends and family.
Again, thank you Gehan for building good and spacious homes.
- Sincerely, Arlene and Emmanuel - Cypress Texas
Dear Gehan Homes:
I would like to recommend the sales associate in Woodridge Estates for some Gehan Bucks! We closed a loan for a family in Woodridge last month. She assisted me in unbelievable ways to get the items we needed to get this customer approved and closed. The customers are in love with her for the way she handled their purchase, building process and closing. She has even done things for them after closing that most sales people won't and don't do. She even worked on this closing while she was on vacation in California. I had to question whether or not she was really on vacation. She is an unbelievable asset to Gehan and I enjoy working with her! She works so hard to please every customer to make them believe they are the only one she has. D. L. Sr. Loan Officer, Suburban Mortgage
Somerton Village - Grand Prairie Customer:
Personal thank you to the sales associate there....."When we first met you we knew you were the right person to help us find our new home. You helped us meet our needs and exceed our dreams. We will consider you a dear friend for life, and you even had the good taste of putting a 'red cherry' on top. Thank you for the home and the beautiful plant. - Josh & Dawn
Plus one more....Thank you so much for taking the time to help my brother and I look for a home. We enjoyed working with you and if I can refer business your way I certainly will! Thanks for the great job, - Chris
Dear Mr. Gehan:
We are writing to express our gratitude for the wonderful staff that assisted us in the purchase and closing of our first home.
From the moment that we toured the model homes, the sales counselor was terrific. He explained the process and eased our worries during many rain out days and construction delays. He is a great sales agent and it is easy to tell why he likes his job.
Your construction manager was very helpful in the construction/planning stages. He made us feel welcome and was always available to answer any questions we had.
The staff at Suburban Mortgage were excellent to work with. Calls were returned in a timely manner and it was very easy to correspond via email and fax.
The representative at Empire Title is great. She has an award winning personality and made our close experience very carefree.
It is with great pleasure that I am able to write these kind words about the staff that you employ and deal with on a daily basis. I would HIGHLY recommend any of my family and/or friends to purchase with Gehan Homes.
We are looking forward to spending our first Christmas in our new home, thanks to all of your kind efforts from Gehan Homes.
- Sincerely, Elvin & Edwina
Dear Mr. Gehan:
First, we would like to thank you for employing such great people, who care about their customers. One Saturday my wife went house hunting and fell in love with Gehan Homes, our salesperson was so helpful and courteous. More importantly, she made sure no one would take advantage of us, she made us feel very comfortable and safe that Gehan would do all they could to make sure we would become homeowners and that's what she did, made us homeowners. We appreciate all the help and support she gave us. She made our first home buying process exciting and fun. She went WAY beyond the call of duty to help with more than just our home buying but insuring the home was in TOP shape for our move-in and that was the extra mile in our book. This young woman is a great and valuable asset to your corporation and your company is very lucky to have such value to represent you.
- Sincerely, L.M. & Pamela
We recently purchased our first home in the Glen Cove community in Little Elm, TX. As I'm sure you're aware, we had many options available to us in Little Elm. There were many different builders to choose from and even more options in "gently used" homes in the area.
Some friends of ours had been living in Glen Cove and strongly suggested we look into buying a Gehan Home. After touring the neighborhood and looking through many different floor plans, we decided that we'd found a home that perfectly suited our needs. Before we knew it, we had begun the process of closing on our home. Everyone was very helpful.
The day we closed some issues came up that we felt needed to be addressed. Shortly there after, I had a conversation with the warranty division supervisor about our situation, and he went out of his way to assure me that he would do whatever he could to make our experience a good one. He did just that. We have been in our home for 2 months now and we couldn't be happier. Looking back, I can remember some times where tempers flared and emotions ran high (it was our first home purchase, after all), but in the end, everything just seemed to fall into place.
It has been a pleasure to work with everyone including Suburban Mortgage. I hope that Gehan Homes knows what a difference these people are making. When given the opportunity, we'll be sure to tell people what a wonderful experience being a Gehan Homeowner has been!
- Sincerely, Amy & Anthony
Dear Mr. Gehan:
You have a superb sales representative at Chapin Court. She is not only a great salesperson, but also a tremendous asset to Gehan Homes. Her friendliness and knowledge are tops. My husband insisted we stop and look at Gehan Homes in Chapin Court, this past July. I resisted. We left the development that day with the knowledge that we would possibly own a home, again. The sales representative was always available through the process, to guide and calm our fears. She also really went the extra mile the day we closed. Our car broke down on our way to Lewisville. I called her because I wasn't sure whom else to call. I was just going to let her know that we would rent a car, but would be late for closing. She offered to pick us up and take us to the closing. She then waited for us and returned us to our new home. I hope you realize what a gem you have in her.
- Sincerely, Chris & Valerie
In April of this year, my wife flew to Texas to find a home for us. During the week she was in Texas, she and my son viewed no less than 60 homes, new and older. Of all the homes they visited, they were most impressed by the Gehan Home. Although we were going to spend more than we originally anticipated, she told me that it was well worth it, because of the quality of craftsmanship in the home. In May of this year, we closed on the above home and moved here from Erie, Pennsylvania.
We are very pleased with our home and have received many compliments on it. From the start, our experience has been pleasant. Our sales person was very helpful and handled our paperwork very efficiently.
We are extremely pleased with the construction manager. We can stop him on the street at any time with any question, and he is right there to help us. We have had a few minor items that needed attention, which he took care of immediately. He has even stopped at our house to ask if we had any questions or problems. He is truly a caring employee and should be commended on a job well done. His is good advertisement for Gehan Homes.
- Thank you, Robert and Carol
It has come to our attention that our initial Letter of Commendation praising your construction superintendent for outstanding customer service throughout the construction phase of our home was somehow not received at the corporate office. However, it's very important to us that this feedback reaches you and therefore we attempt again to openly commend him.
We honestly expected the construction phase of our to be chaotic. To the contrary, your superintendent and his team made the construction phase of our home smooth and easy. Both him and his team were exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable. The chain of communication was very effective in that we (the potential homebuyers) would pose questions or concerns to the on-site construction team, and if they could not answer positively to an issue/concern, they would escalate the question/concern to the superintendent and he would personally and quickly respond to one or both of us. Now...in a society that is "money -driven" instead of "customer satisfaction driven" - we were in shock that we received such expeditious and courteous responses throughout the process.
This is the third home I have built, but this was the FIRST TIME that I had ever been spoken to by a construction superintendent with sincere respect and sincerity as though I were a human being. Previous builders had treated me like I was dumb, uneducated, from another planet...and basically that my investment, my input, nor my inquiries mattered. (What I call "the triple I(3I) Test" in customer satisfaction.) It is the concept(s) of customer satisfaction and strategically increasing customer loyalty that makes economics work effectively, unfortunately, numerous other homebuilders (including their Pre-Sales, Construction and Post-Sales staff) have not learned that "customer satisfaction" (not extended price) is the driving force to gaining market share and increasing popularity among customers.
Your construction Superintendent and his team obviously mastered the "3I Test"
All members of the construction team were polite, kind - perfect gentlemen
An effective chain of communication had been clearly established.
An effective chain of command had been clearly established
A respect for their leadership has been EARNED.
The superintendent knows that "leadership" is "participative" which makes subordinates "want" to work for you...he is a great leader (which is much, much, more than a manager). He is a manager of people, not just resources! Which says a lot for his character.
All members of the construction team were team players and driven by customer satisfaction
Construction was ahead of schedule.
Risks (such as delay of material/supplies or the delivery of incorrect material/supplies) were well managed which would have very little impact to the construction budget, resources, quality, and schedule.
Post-close follow-up: As we see him and his team building other homes in our development, they still wave and inquire whether "everything is okay with the house."
And last, but certainly not least...he and his team produced a HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT!!!!!!!!
We love our home! It's several months later and we are even more in love with our home. We are proud of where we live and we are proud of what we live in! Although the loan qualification process nor the closing went well, one thing we are still proud of is the actual finished product. Gehan builds a darn good home!
- Sincerely yours, Renetta
We purchased our new Gehan Home in August of 2003. We put our house on the market in June and sold it in August. We wanted to find a home already standing that we could move into as soon as our house sold. We had been looking in this area for a couple of years and decided to check out the builders. We looked at Gehan before we purchased our first home and remembered how we like them. We came over and met your salesman. He showed us some homes he had in inventory. We looked at other builders in the area, but we were not able to find what we found with Gehan. Our salesman kept us informed of any houses that would be coming up and their prices. Once we found our home, he made every effort to get us in it. We appreciate his hard work and helpfulness in making our family's transition into a new home a smooth one.
Once we were in our home a couple of months, we had some things happen that required immediate attention. One of your staff came over within minutes of us calling and helped us get those things resolved quickly. We are very happy with the people we have dealt with at Gehan. We know that if something needs to be taken care of, it will be handled in a timely fashion.
- We appreciate everything! John and Deanna
To all concerned at Gehan Homes Corporate Office:
We would like to take the time to acknowledge and thank our Sales Counselor for the excellent job and total support given with assisting us with the purchase of our new home. I'd like to point out how he was always there when needed and when things got rough he was very lifting, assuring us that everything was Ok and resolved the issues with great professionalism. We were getting discouraged at one point and becoming frustrated but he stepped in with great knowledge of the home buying thing and cleared up all of the dark clouds away. We appreciate all that he did for us and we're very blessed that he was our counselor. Our three year-old daughter seems to have enjoyed every chat that he and she shared. We would like to send big thanks to him (He is the MAN!) Without him we would have given up and still would have been renters.
- Thanks for your time, Kim and Eric
|
