Customer Suggestion

We would of liked more options for tile, flooring and carpeting.

Lead Source

After visiting my sister in St. James Plantation, I looked at Kent's model homes and liked the layout and construction.

We have already been telling people how fortunate we were to find Kent Homes!

Sales Attentiveness

Where are more stars??? Five doesn’t give her justice!! Ashley Kent is professionalism personified!!

Sales Problem Resolution

We really have not had to deal with any issues that meet the definition for‘concerns’

Trust

We have no cause for concern as they have set the tempo and we have no fear that things will change.

Lead Source

We met Ashley Kent in the Shelter Bay model and was impressed at the outset!

PM Professionalism

And communication skills are exemplary!

Lead Source

Friend

Professional & Organized

I have found Kent, and particularly our Project Manager, Bill Buchan, to be extremely responsive to our concerns. Information is shared throughout the Kent team quickly and all our dealings with them have been very professional and courteous.

Schedule

Kent has been spot on with their timing and schedule. There was a slight delay in the completion of our home due to some issues with subcontractors. The delay was acceptable to my wife and I and I believe it greatly reduced the post-possession punch list.

Budget

Everything was as agreed to.

Problem Resolution

Really appreciated the team stepping up to make sure that things were done correctly. All concerns were documented and addressed to our satisfaction. We are coming up on the 60 day warranty meeting and while other issues have surfaced, we have the highest confidence in Kent resolving them.

Expertise

Outstanding builder. Cares about clients

Communication

This is a strong suit for Kent. Bi-weekly interaction with Project Manager, very responsive to calls and email. Answers questions in detail, doesn't leave you guessing at intent or what will be accomplished. Project Manager Bill Buchan was assigned our home late in the process and took the time to get our perspective on what was discussed with the previous PM. Always available for a call even after business hours.

Employees & Subcontractors

Everyone we have dealt with was professional, open, honest and got the work done correctly.

Trust

They have proven that again and again. Bill really helped ensure our home was as tight as possible

Punchlist

Still in the process of working through some of that and other items that surfaced after we took possession.

Quality Of Materials

Home survived Hurricane Florence with very minimal damage.

Design Center & Selections

This was our first build. The Kent team did an excellent job of walking us through the process. They were very helpful when it came to visualizing the selections on a larger scale.

Overall Experience

Kent is a no pressure company. They truly are grateful that you chose their company and want your experience to be a good one from start to finish. They recognize that this is a major financial commitment for the vast majority of their customers and they want you to be able to relax and trust that they have your best interests at heart. While they give you a ton of material to review, and I have no idea how any other builder does this, every step of the building process was made clear and they are always available to answer questions. They know people are nervous since they are making a major investment with Kent and most of the customer are long distance buyers. Their portal, the pictures they take through the process and the bi-weekly meetings are all intended to make sure things run smoothly

Sales Attentiveness

Good ambassador for the company. Doesn't come across like a sales person. She is obviously proud of the quality of work and choices provided by Kent. The facts she provides speaks for themselves.

Sales Problem Resolution

Haven't had anything major but my wife and I am confident in their abilities to make things right.

Understanding Of Cost

We would give this a four but as a first time builder, we found ourselves always double checking the numbers. We did find one item with regard to our master closet that resulted in a small credit. This was one of those things where we understood what was being covered at the time but with the amount of information, it required a step back now and then.

Value

Let's start off by saying that we do. Kent provides competitive pricing within Brunswick Forrest. Building makes it difficult to judge because the prices provided by the builder, aren't always aligned with what you can look up or shop for.

Options

The size of our lot limited some potential expansion but we believe that Kent provides a great array of options.

Customer Suggestion

Keep that small builder attitude as you grow.

Lead Source

As I stated earlier, we had some issues with our lot and finding a property that would fit. Our realtor had been actively looking for a quality, competitively priced builder that could fit on the lot. The Kent selections were by far the best we had seen.

Additional Comments

Kent broke ground on our home TODAY. It was a few days after we expected but snow and cold slowed it down. Our project lead, Whit Beebe, sent us pictures right away.

Warranty Explanation

We appreciated the extension of the carpet warranty but have to withhold judgement as we are not confident that the carpet will hold up

Warranty Satisfaction

So far, everyone has done what they are supposed to do. It is difficult to sort through the many details.

Work Done Right

The carpet and tile needed several visits. Not a Kent Homes issue as they made sure Rug Works took care of the issue

PM Professionalism

Bill is no longer with Kent but we found him to be candid and felt that he was looking out for our best interests. Very detailed oriented.

Recognized Excellence

Randy Parrish has been very responsive. He was understanding of our concerns, did his best to get things scheduled and taken care of. He followed up on issues. Ashley Kent needed to get involved and she provided the extended warranty

Any Changes?

Would have installed a two-door garage, more outlets in the garage and loggia, dimmer switches in some room, added smart home features.

Favorite Home Feature

The open feel, the master bedroom/bathroom, kitchen layout

Customer Suggestion

Make sure people know that the siding goes up in a neutral color and gets painted. I almost lost it when I saw one of the pictures and the color was clearly NOT what we had selected. Whit tells me that happens a lot. We were surprised when the landscaping packing came in above budget right out of the box (our lot needed additional sod which was above the allocation). That should be discussed during the closing so people understand exactly what the possibilities are when they deal with the landscaping company.

Additional Comments

Chris is awesome.

Customer Suggestion

Enhance customer experience by adding a CAD Home Design software so that the customer can get a visual of their home including specific selections and modifications.

Lead Source

John Avera @ Brunswick Forest

Recognized Excellence

Randy

Any Changes?

The upstairs thermostat is not user friendly

Favorite Home Feature

The layout of the home Coopers Bay

Additional Comments

Kent Homes made it a seamless, enjoyable experience!

Customer Suggestion

Invest in software that allows a client to get a visual of the completed product as selections are made during the selection process. As an example we might have changed our color selections.

Lead Source

Visited model during a Brunswick Forrest event

Additional Comments

We love our new home!!! We are thankful for all the hundreds of folks who worked on our homeand especially Chris Moore and his expertise. We also appreciate Kate DeSilva and her helpwith our selections. Thanks to all!

Customer Suggestion

Communicate any significant changes as soon as possible. Our project manager is no longerwith the company and we were not aware of this until we called to set up our pre-constructionmeeting. We are very pleased with our project manager but it would have been nice to knowabout the change ahead of time.

Lead Source

We visited Brunswick Forest during one of their special weekend events and toured severalof the your model homes. We were impressed with the quality and attention to detail.

Additional Comments

Everyone has been very professional and easy to work with. We are looking forward to thecompletion of our Kent home.

PM Professionalism

Chris Moore is an outstanding professional. We appreciate everything he did for us. He always listened well and gave us great advice. We can't say enough good about how much we enjoyed working with him!

Recognized Excellence

Chris Moore and Randy in the warranty department.

Any Changes?

We love it and wouldn't change anything.

Favorite Home Feature

Still love the details... curved arches, nicer closet doors, open floor plan. We are very pleased and get compliments from everyone that enters our home.

Additional Comments

Thank you for everything. Ashley sold us on Kent homes when we first met her. We hear so many sad stories from friends about their builder and we know how blessed we are to have such a beautiful and functional home.

Customer Suggestion

Thank you for building our home and taking pride in the work. Chris Moore is great and weappreciate all he is doing to make it happen.

Additional Comments

Gave a 3 on worksite being clean and safe. It really only applies to clean. It probably meets standardsbut we have cleaned up worksite from several times to get it like we want it.

Quality Of Workmanship

Epoxy on garage floor has failed in some spots after only two months. We believe it was installed when the outside temperature was too cold. Also we have a crack and a couple of divots in the concrete driveway also after only two months.

Additional Comments

We believe Kent will follow through to rectify issues we have found.

Customer Suggestion

We feel like the 2-day selections process is too compressed & would be better served if extended to 3 days. We spent many, many hours in advance of our Selections Meeting looking at selection options on-line. Had we not done this, we would have been completely overwhelmed during the 2-day meeting. Also, picking lighting, front doors, stamped concrete, etc. by simply looking at web site pictures is less than perfect. We would have appreciated the opportunity to visit local stores that sell the actual products.

Lead Source

We toured several Kent Homes models when visiting both St. James Plantation & Brunswick Forest. Each time we were in one of the models, it felt very well made, had a nice floor plan, & seemed like home to us. So, we kept coming back to the Kent Homes models & came to the realization that this was who we wanted to build our new home in NC. We also appreciated the fact that the Kent Homes sales team did not aggressively pursue us once we had visited them a few times over the course of 1-2 years. They waited until we were ready & came to them with our intention to build a Kent Homes house.

Additional Comments

Reading through the many on-line reviews from Kent Homes customers helped firm up our decision to go with this builder. These reviews were very helpful.

Recognized Excellence

Carol Hobbs was an absolute dream to work with throughout our build process.

Any Changes?

We would have put radiant heat flooring in the master bathroom if we had it to do over again. With the high ceilings & tile flooring, that room is cold for showing during winter months.

Favorite Home Feature

We absolutely love our home floor plan that has the master bedroom, closets, bath & laundry running seamlessly down one side of the house while the guest bedrooms & bath are on the opposite side of the house.

Customer Suggestion

I would have liked a little more info before going to selections meeting, for instance, it would have been nice to know that there was limited choices in some categories such as hardwoods, and that some choices should really be pretty much made before getting there. But overall good, and Vanessa was helpful and patient and responsive.

Lead Source

From looking at homes in St James Plantation

Customer Suggestion

Buy software to help envision what the house will look like with different colors.

Lead Source

Our realtor took us to a Kent Homes model.

Lead Source

I heard about Kent Homes through my own research online.

Additional Comments

Our project manager, Chris Moore was exceptional!

Lead Source

Friend’s recommendation

All the Kent staff are knowledgeable and very easy to work with. This is the first new home we are having built and so far the process is very positive. Time will tell about the friend recommendation, but I expect it to be positive.

Communication

I'm able to text or call the appropriate Kent representative and get effective communication quickly.

Design Center & Selections

Our design center representative (Vanessa) was a delight to work with and made many helpful suggestions.

Overall Experience

To date our overall relationship with Kent has been very positive. We are very early on in the home build phase.

Sales Attentiveness

Carol has responded to all questions rapidly with knowledgeable answer.

Lead Source

From the real estate agent that sold us the property.

Kent Homes has been very responsive so far. They have met all the timelines and we are very very pleased.

Budget Pre-Con

One mix-up with the cabinets and cost us an additional $150

Change Order Process

Not always clear when we receive a change order request. A little more background information would have helped with the reasoning behind the change order to the garage door.

Communication

Answered questions efficiently and to our satisfaction.

Design Center & Selections

Yes - we really enjoyed both the past and the entire process

Overall Experience

We are happy with Kent Homes

Professional & Organized

Yes - we have found them professional and on top of things.

Sales Attentiveness

Absolutely, loved working with Ashley

Sales Communication

Yes, all of our questions were answered.

Sales Knowledge

Yes, see answer above.

Sales Problem Resolution

Yes, see answer above.

Sales Solutions

We are happy with everything.

Salesperson Accessibility

Very focused

Lead Source

We learned about them from viewing the model homes.

Construction Quality

We did our walkthrough and we are extremely pleased with the quality and workmanship as well as with our project manager.

Clean & Safe

Every time we have seen the home it has been clean and safe.

Customer Suggestion

I do not have any suggestions for Kent Homes. They have done a wonderful job.

So far we are very happy with the process and attention to details.

Budget Pre-Con

Kent Homes did everything they could to give us the home we wanted and keep the price reasonable.

Communication

We have been very happy with the communication so far.

Design Center & Selections

Vanessa was great. She was very helpful during selections, gave us several choices, and made sure our final selections went well when placed together. One thing we thought could be improved was tracking the price changes when we made changes to our selections. This doesn't have to do with Vanessa, but probably the software used to track the changes and how it was listed on the options list.

Overall Experience

We've been very happy with everything so far.

Professional & Organized

Kent Homes has been very professional and organized with their communications and overall dealings we've had with them.

Sales Attentiveness

Carol was excellent. She went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. We had several interactions with Carol and she was outstanding in all areas. She always responded quickly and professionally.

Sales Communication

Never had a problem with communication.

Sales Knowledge

Very knowledgeable and professional.

Sales Problem Resolution

Overall, we were happy with the outcome of most of our concerns.

Sales Solutions

Carol always had solutions to our questions and was very attentive to our needs and wants when going through the process.

Salesperson Accessibility

Carol was always easy to get in touch with and responded quickly to any question I had.

Salesperson Knowledge

Yes, Carol went through the presentation at a nice pace, always making sure we understood what was being told to us.

Salesperson Professionalism

Yes! Carol was great!

Trust

We sure hope so! We are looking forward to seeing our house go through the building process.

Understanding Of Cost

I thought the pricing was laid out in a way that was easy to understand.

Value

We feel the house we agreed to will be of fair value.

Options

We were very happy with the options available.

Lead Source

We were looking in Compass Pointe, a friend of ours went to look at Kent Home models and suggested we come and look. Luckily we did! We were interested in two other preferred builders in CP, but thought Kent offered a home that was more in line with what we were looking for.

Additional Comments

We are excited to have Kent Homes build our forever home. Can't wait until we can enjoy it.

Design Center & Selections

Vanessa was a pleasure to work with.

Salesperson Accessibility

Carol is the most responsive professional we have ever dealt with. Kent Homes is very fortunate to have her represent the company.

Salesperson Knowledge

Carol was very knowledgeable.

Salesperson Professionalism

Carol was a pleasure to work with.

Lead Source

Through St. James website guild listing.

No doubt about it - we will when even the slightest opportunity presents itself.

Construction Quality

So far so good, ask me this same question after we move-in.

Problem Resolution

Archie and his Team have been nothing but 5-star Kent representatives.

Understand Building Process

If we didn't before ... we certainly do now. Archie has been a fantastic hand-holder with us thru all the processes.

Communication

Understanding drawings were questionable and sometimes we felt as though we were rushed

Employees & Subcontractors

Kudos to the all the Kent subs.

Employees Professionalism

Yes.

Professional & Organized

Yes.

PM Professionalism

Archie definitely is and much more. He has been the man of the hour these past few 7 months. He knows every aspect of his job, keeping his subs on board as well as us. We're happy he is our PM !

Customer Suggestion

Add a virtual 3D computer program to all new customers during their selections processes. Assemble a picture brochure of each completed home per model; Jonesport, BarHarbor, etc in each community for easy viewing.

Additional Comments

Not at this time but definitely once our dream home is completed.

Customer Suggestion

Please make the pre-construction meeting less boring, the meeting facilitator and project manager merely read line by line from a document that we had already read prior to the meeting.

Lead Source

From our local realtor.

Recognized Excellence

Jim Talbot is the best.

Any Changes?

We had a vinyl floor installed which is still soft in some spots. I would have been more vigilant with the concrete slab imperfections on the walk throughs. Vinyl floor installation requires a flat surface which our slab did not have. The flooring subcontractor that came out to fix it did not know what he was doing. The contractor used for landscaping was a disaster, many plants have died, one tree was installed incorrectly and it drowned in the clay layer. The warranty (90 days) is insufficient and only serves to cover up their mistakes. Our lawn looks terrible.

Favorite Home Feature

Kent homes come with upgraded finishes as standard to the home, we appreciate it.

Additional Comments

The staff was easy to work with.

Simply a great experience. Selections team (Vanessa Hannant) and Project Manager (Andrew Karch) were stars.

Communication

The design and project management teams have communicated very, very well. The finance and admin team have not met this communication standard

Design Center & Selections

Beyond making an extraordinarily detailed process easy, they made it fun.

Sales Attentiveness

As I mentioned in a prior note, due to promotions and turnover, our dealings with Elizabeth Hundley were minimal. Most of our dealings through contract and design have been with Ashley Kent and Vanessa Hannant, and they have been wonderful to deal with.

Sales Knowledge

This rating should be attributable to Vanessa, as she has played the vast preponderance of this role.

Salesperson Accessibility

Vanessa has been extremely accessable.

Options

This was prime reason for selection of Kent

Lead Source

From Brunswick Forest, as one of the approved builders for Cypress Pointe

Schedule

The sequencing of some steps got a bit flipped around, but overall completion promise was met

Clean & Safe

With the exception of the rough wiring team, site was excellent.

Punchlist

All items addressed as soon as made aware.

Additional Comments

At this 6 month point, very happy in the home and can recommend Kent without reservation.

We will answer this when the house is completed.

Budget Pre-Con

We think some of options were pricey. We paid extra for the executive kitchen at the first signing of our contact, only to pay additional at the options addendum.

Change Order Process

Yes, process was explained, but we thought costly to make a change. We were thinking of adding the coffered ceiling at the options day and it wasn’t worth the cost . I think at that point plans were drawn, but these are not custom built homes, and I’m sure an easy addition to add.

Communication

Communication is excellent! Everyone is so accommodating, from Ashley Kent, Vanessa ( option day), Kristin, to Kenny Jones, just to name a few!

Design Center & Selections

The experience was good, I would love to see a photo book showing the choices I made. For example, a bathroom with the tile I chose.

Overall Experience

So far we are pleased with everything!

Professional & Organized

Yes, Kent homes is very professional and organized. The fact that we are building from NY, the whole process is well organized!

Sales Attentiveness

Ashley was attentive and thorough. We did experience a rough patch with our sunroom. Ashley resolved everything. We still feel if we had examples of the sunroom show to us from the beginning, some of the confusion would have been eliminated.

Sales Communication

Great experience!

Sales Knowledge

Kent homes made our project a positive experience!

Sales Problem Resolution

All our concerns were resolved with the utmost professionalism!

Sales Solutions

Ashley, like we addressed in another question resolved our miscommunication about the sunroom!

Salesperson Accessibility

Ashley was available to us whenever we had a question!

Salesperson Knowledge

Ashley more than exceeded her knowledge of the whole process!

Salesperson Professionalism

Ashley was on time when we met. We also communicated by phone quite frequently. She is very professional and takes pride in her company.

Trust

We are hoping the process will follow through with the quality of workmanship that we hear about!

Value

It seems as though the costs of building in Brunswick Forest is rising!

Options

We felt the options we a little limited.

Customer Suggestion

We think a photo book of the options from previous built homes would help. We know we can look on your website, but to see more examples of options would help the process.

Lead Source

We visited Brunswick Forest ten years ago. We always thought moving there, but never dreamed it would come to fruition. We chose Kent homes from our own experience of viewing their models, and from recommendations from new home owners. We really liked the look of their homes!

Kent has been very easy to work with!

Customer Suggestion

It would be helpful to have more interaction with the Design Center before arriving for actual selection. The ability to have house design and selections shown in a 3D graphics program would be helpful.

Lead Source

A friend who had used Kent Told me about them.

Problem Resolution

All issues have been handled immediately and their follow up is exceptional. Our Project Manager Chris Moore has made the whole process relatively stress free. His willingness to listen and proactively work thru any issue has been OUTSTANDING!

Employees & Subcontractors

All we have met have been extremely friendly!

PM Professionalism

Chris has always been willing to go over and above to resolve any issue. In fact I now implicitly trust Chris and know he is always looking out for our best interest!! No concern or issue is too small to him!!

Lead Source

I heard about them through Patrick at the Brunswick Forrest Sales Office.

Additional Comments

We are remote. It's all good so far.

Lead Source

Friends had a home built for them by Kent and were very happy. Great referral.

Quality Of Workmanship

Small details tend to be overlooked or ignored

Our willingness to recommend Kent Homes is based on our personal experience working with Kent Homes and based on what we've learned and read about issues regarding other builders in the area. Kent is by far the superior builder in our opinion.

Overall Experience

Everything about my experience was excellent, except to matters related to CF Bridge plans

Lead Source

From Brian Galeucia, the Brunswick Forest Sales Rep. They were one of the five builders we could choose from in Cypress Pointe.

Additional Comments

My experience with Kent Homes has been very satisfying, except for the companies communication regarding the Cape Fear Bridge Crossing initiative

Construction Quality

There were occasions where either material was no longer available, requiring a different selection, or the subcontractor did not use the material contracted for, or the material had a manufacturing defect - all requiring the subcontractor to remedy. While one might argue that these issues are common place when building a home, Kent Homes ultimately resolved each issue with quality workmanship as they arose.

Problem Resolution

It's important to expect that the customer plays a significant role in catching mistakes. However, Kent Homes was good at addressing and resolving matters without impact to schedule.

Understand Building Process

It's important for the customer to be engaged and ask detail questions along every step of the process

Communication

You rely on three critical Kent Homes employees - your sales rep, your design/selection rep and your builder. The most responsive and informative of the three was Kate DaSilva. She would respond immediately, even on her days off. Vanessa is highly competent at design, but I'd like to see Kent Homes invest in additional design resources, enabling Vanessa to manage a more reasonable work load.

Trust

I learned that trusting Kent Homes to do the right thing is part of their company culture, in spite of occasions where subcontractors work was challenging.

Clean & Safe

Kent Homes has a reputation for very clean and safe work sites. That's important to the neighbors who are burdened with the disruption of subcontractors on the street for months.

Employees & Subcontractors

Subcontractors were always friendly on site and appear to be very competent.

Employees Professionalism

Never had a negative experience with any Kent Homes employee. Kristin, at the front desk, was very helpful, responsive and involved.

Overall Experience

Building a home is a stressful process for the buyer, so I encourage Kent Homes and customer to over-communicate and listen. Kent could improve the process of managing the subcontractors by adding a process to verify that the material being used or installed by the subcontractor is correct before it is installed (rather than simply trusting the subcontractor).

PM Professionalism

Chris clearly knows how to build a home. He's very competent with the technical and schedule aspects of a job. Would appreciate if he anticipated our questions and addressed matters before we brought them up.

Customer Suggestion

1) Maintain a good inventory of models to review 2) Arrange for customers to meet senior management at least once during the build process 3) Over communicate next steps with customers 4) Provide additional design center resources 5) Improve the management of subcontractors by verifying materials before installation

Professional & Organized

Kate DaSilva continued throughout our project to be highly professional, knowledgeable and responsive to our needs. She consistently went above and beyond our expectations, from our initial inquiry of Kent Homes models all the way through delivery.

Schedule

Chris Moore was our project manager. He's to be commended for staying on top of every issue regarding delivery and schedule, to the point that he delivered our home in excellent condition a month ahead of schedule.

Budget

Vanessa Hannant from the design center was excellent at listening and understanding our vision, providing professional recommendations, assuring we received a value without exceeding our budget. In particular, we commend Vanessa for not overselling design options beyond our needs and wants.

Problem Resolution

Chris Moore was diligent and dedicated to making sure we were satisfied with problem resolution. He often asked of us "Are you happy with this?".

Communication

All Kent employees were accessible and responsive to our calls and inquiries.

Clean & Safe

Kent's reputation amongst the neighbors is that they keep the cleanest project site of all the builders in our community

Trust

Our trust of Kent Homes was further enhanced during the warranty period. Kent Homes is very serious about customer satisfaction, as seen during the initial and 60 day walk through process.

Punchlist

Chris Moore was diligent on following up to resolve outstanding issues and accommodating our availability.

Additional Comments

Last but not least, Ashley Kent was consistently responsive to our inquiries and personally involved in our initial discussions with Kent Homes always striving for genuine customer satisfaction.