Constraction reviews in Omaha, Nebraska

My home is 2 years old & since closing I have made several warranty claims. Celebrity should be ashamed of themselves but they don't give a DAMN. Now my roof is leaking from installing the vent pipe incorrectly, along with many other issues and they will not take ownership. I wish I would've never, ever bought a home with them. BUYER'S PLEASE BE AWARE

My older parents recently purchased a smaller model Celebrity Home. Though overall it is a good home, the “It’s all included!” slogan is a bit misleading. Finished garage? Not included. Railing on the porch? Not included. Several other small details as well are apparently “not included.” A cleaning service came in prior to move-in because it had been a model home. They used an abrasive cleaner on the new microwave door and left sticky residue on the quartz countertop. Unfortunately my parents did not report these issues in time, so it’s on them now. Just be aware of all the details as you consider a purchase.

BEFORE YOU BUY, CHECK THE REVIEWS OF THIS COMPANY. I'd go so far to say check the
reviews of the contractors they use as well.

There have been several issues with my newly constructed home, most of the which have been resolved. However, my front steps are separating from the porch foundation and the builder is saying it's not a warranty item. It shouldn't matter! My home is less than a year old and I shouldn't have to replace the steps and possibly the porch already.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PRIDE OR PROFESSIONALISM AMONGST SOME STAFF WITHIN THEIR COMPANY!! They use subpar products and contractors who do shoddy work and this is what they are willing to stand on.
Listed concerns:
No shower doors for over a month after moving in
Garbage disposal issues
Fireplace tripped circuit breaker, it took months to get this resolved
Leaking plumbing in my basement
Garage door needed adjustment
Front steps separating from the porch slab and the slab is crumbling underneath

This is last purchase was our 3rd Celebrity Home purchase in the last 18 yrs. The reason we bought 3 celebrity homes is because they are good homes. Any probllems we had were minor, and if they were within warranty, they were addressed in friendly but professional manor. We had a situation in which a window was leaking, and they were immediately out to help soak up the rain to prevent more damage, then re-installed the window without further problem. Our last purchase was a home for over $300k. We had looned at homes in another state and were surprised how much quality they lacked. We looked at different builders here, but because either sales associates were rude or models lacked the integrity of what we already had, we went back to celebrity. Our sales associate with this purchase was Jane Ploughman. She kept us informed, and was superb at her job. Sorry folks who give celebrity less then 5 stars, I wish you had the years of experience we had with this builder. Oh, and yes, we could have afforded much more, but we love the home we chose.

Our Sales Rep was great, but since the day we closed we haven't heard a peep from anyone regarding items not completed. We still do not have grass and there is a hole in our basement floor which were promised would be completed within 30 days of closing. My Sales Rep claims he doesn't have the contact info for our Warranty Rep and advised i put in a claim online-which i've done twice now. It's been almost 60 days since we closed and i still have not heard anything from anyone in response to grass or floor repair and have not been able to get even contact information from anyone on who i can call. I would never recommend this builder to anyone. They definitely don't care about you once they have their money. Also, our concrete and exterior paint/caulk is very shoddy work. It's the cheapest builder in town and we are getting what we paid for. I'll be contacting a lawyer soon.

Celebrity homes are great for a first home to get you started and build some equity in a home. There is a first home buyers program with their lenders that is really helpful.

Just know that these houses are cheaper. You are buying a fixer upper. The drywall is going to crack (which is normal for any new building that is settling) You are going to have to repaint the walls because the paint sucks and is very thin. Things like this are going to happen, but you are getting what you pay for.

We are happy we used celebrity for our first house. Been there about 3 years and have a lot of equity already and now we have money to put down for a new home we are going to build (different builder, we are upgrading) We had a Vista, it was super small but just fine for my husband and I. It really depends what you're looking for in a house, but if it's your first home, this is a great decision and teaches you how to take care of a house.

Customer service is terrible. Lived her for 5 months and we have dry wall separating. When they painted our house they didn't care at all and made dead spots in our grass from the paint. It's taken over a month to get the dry wall fixed (the dry wall company scheduled me right away, it was celebrity that didn't contact them within a month to get it fixed). Everyone I have spoken to with celebrity is always very rude and apparently they do not want repeat customers. Will never build with them again. Wish I could give zero stars but it wouldn't let me.

Best value around! Beautiful, good quality homes. They use the same materials (upgraded countertops/cabinets) as the big custom builders without the high cost.

DO NOT BUY! An update to a previous review. We are over a month and a half past closing. Stone work is still missing which has left holes on exterior for mice to get in. They told us they can’t give us a date on when it will be done. We have a list of over 10 warranty items that still have not been addressed. Punch list items from our closing walk still have not been addressed. This company has zero care for the costumer. They care about making their money and leaving you high and dry in the end…

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We bought a home in 2017 and less than 3 years already having to get $3,000 in estimates on landscaping to fix irrigation issues that caused our driveway slab to buckle over last winter and the stairs to front door to crack with voids under it. Contacted Celebrity and their response is our warranty is out. Be careful when buying a home with them.

Celebrity is quick to take your money and slow to make repairs that shouldn't have to be made. I closed on my house in May of 2020. The house wasn't painted and there was no sod when I moved in. Nails on the siding were not flush, the driveway was cracked and water pooled on my front porch.

The contractor who installed my sprinkler system smoked marijuana in my garage. I wasn't home at the time so that gave them a free pass I guess until I showed up during the install.

The sod company left their lunch trash on my porch. When confronted, the only worker left stated it wasn't his problem. When pressed to remove the trash he responded with explatives and slurs.

These contractors aren't people you want around your family.

The contractor who graded my yard before the sod was installed drove a bobcat on my driveway and cracked the slab after hitting my neighbors house and knocking a hole in the siding. Keep in mind I sealed and caulked my driveway before the damage. As of 03/18/21 my neighbors house is still not fully repaired.

The on-line work order process is a total nightmare. Celebrity has no oversight. The e-mails are handled by your community foreman. Hopefully you get a good one.

I initiated my work order to plumb nails, caulk, and paint it May. It is September. They just finished the job and only after more than a handful of requests and a call to the corporate office.

My driveway still isn't fixed. Apparently this is supposed to occur in the next three days. I won't hold my breath.

If you're thinking about purchasing a Celebrity Home don't!

Update at 11/27/2020. Look at the totally unacceptable sealant job they did on my driveway after replacing the previously mentioned concrete panel. Looks great right?

Update 02/25/2021. "We have sent you a e/m a couple of months ago there will be no more work done on your concrete by celebrity homes." Apparently that is an acceptable repair job by Celebrity.

3/18/21 I was threatened with legal action via mail by Celebrity Homes attorneys for posting on-line about my displeasure with their product. Celebrity Homes is a Predator. Read your contract. They (Celebrity Homes) shows up to fix something and makes it worse when they leave. A recent Nebraska ruling stated Celebrity Homes could not enforce the terms of their contract restricting consumer review on social media. But they tried......because they are horrible.....and they know it. I'm expressing my right as a displeased consumer. Today, less than one year from the date of purchase of my home, my furnace stopped working. It was pumping a higher than acceptable level of gas into the furnace due to faulty installation by Celebrity Homes contractors. This cost money on my gas bil, and money on neccessary subsequent repairs. Additionally, the condenser hose was not properly installed and was leaking which left a rusty mess on the base of the furnace. An email to Celebrity, cleary explaining a problem with my furnace was responded to by a clarification pertaining to my water heater which was never mentioned in correspondence. Pure negligence and apathy which is the norm for Celebrity. There was never a reference to a water heater. Do not buy a Celebrity Home. Incompetence it their moto. Then they threaten you with legal action when they are called on their lack of customer service.

The Better Business Bureau rates Celebrity Home with an "F."

BTW the Celebrity Legal Team threatened to cancel my home warranty if I kept expressing my right as a consumer with an opinion on their low quality of service. The attorney's even went so far as stating I was belligerent with Celebrity employees. Provide a quality service Celebrity. Simple..... I have a month left on my warranty and I chose to pay a competent contractor to fix Celebrity Home mistakes today.

There will be more updates to come as I will surely be threatened to remain silent by Celebrity lawyers. I surely wasn't "made whole" on this repair.

We bought a Celebrity Home a little over a year ago. 2 weeks prior to our year mark, we submitted the online warranty. It has been 4 months and we haven’t received an email or phone call on the work. I resubmitted the work order and they said that our warranty was expired. I’ve had decorative stone falling off the exterior of the home since the day we moved in. It is nice to have the option to customize your home, but I would recommend going with one of the more reliable home builders in the Omaha area. Look at the other reviews. It’s not a good sign when a home builder has this many 1 star reviews. Spend the extra money and get a quality builder.

What a nightmare this company is. I heard celebrity homes were bad but I thought they had improved somewhat. Our window on the second level leaked gallons and gallons of water through the drywall to where it was coming through the downstairs drywall. This last rainfall it rained for like 2 days and it leaked the entire time. We already had them out to look at it the first spring season that it happened and now our warranty is up and guess what, they don't care! This is an issue that was known about, not fixed and they put it on Millard Lumber to fix. Absolutely shoddy work done on our home. It's TWO YEARS OLD. I've never seen such terrible construction, drywall cracking, and unprofessionalism. Do not buy one of these homes please...so overpriced for what you get.

I was elated to receive an email today that indicates I can write an honest and fair review of this company. I always found the idea that if you had to put in your contract that you are restricting people from reviewing your company on social media that you already knew you were doing poor business. Our terrible experience started with the misinformation from the agent representing the builder and went down hill from there. Our water issues were never resolved, had to seek legal action to get any warranty work addressed. Conversations with the Broker, Sean, are argumentative and combative with no resolution to be found. Terry who represents the warranty side of the business is the least professional person I have ever interacted with. In fact, I have a voicemail where he states “I threatened the deck guy with his life” but why would you say that to your consumer? I wish I could share one positive thing but even digging deep I can’t seem to come up with one. We sold the home after less than a year in it just to get out of the headache and built with a reputable builder. My advice is seek other builders- you can find something in the same price range with a much better experience!

Moved into new home Nov, 2017. Their current walkthrough policy has you walkthrough (you cannot bring anyone other than you and your spouse) then sign papers the same day. Any problems you identify are documented and they promise to fix them in a reasonable time frame. At first things were fine: patio needed mud-jacked, a window needed repaired, and the exterior lights needed to be raised. These things were all done by Christmas. At first their warranty department was responsive and helpful. Then problems began. We have been waiting on them to finish the exterior paint after fixing the lights and windows for 6 months. They did not put up a silt fence in the neighboring lot until after massive mud runoff had destroyed about 300 square foot of our sod, then ignored requests to repair it. The only reason it got done is because I personally spoke to the contractors as they were laying our neighbor's sod and told them to repair our damage. They of course had received no directive from Celebrity to do so. During a recent storm water leaked into our basement from the main gas line because it was not properly sealed and the yard was not properly graded so water sits up against the house instead of draining away from it. Called the emergency line and was told someone would be out to check it out by lunch. No one ever showed or followed up. Recently spoke with Sean McGuire personally, who seemed helpful and promised to follow up on unfinished work. Still no response from the warranty department. When my wife tried to also follow up, McGuire basically said he could not help us and we needed to go through the warranty department that we have not heard from in 4 months. Other neighbors have had similar frustrations. Celebrity talks a good game, particularly their sales reps, but once they get you in the house, everything is a battle. Buyer beware.

This is my opinion based on the interaction I had with this business. DO NOT bother with Celebrity Homes. Their selling agent was not at all helpful in assisting with customer needs. I originally started talks of a possible house to buy, it was advertised with a certain asking price. Within a few days, they raised the price by about $4,000. This is new construction, don't they know how much it costs to build their house? They said even though I was already talking with them on a set price, there's nothing they could do about it being raised and they would not consider honoring their original asking price. Well there's something I can do about it and that's go to a better builder which is exactly what I did. It is clear that Celebrity Homes is only about their bottom line and it seams they could care less about their clients. Last I checked word of mouth and a solid reputation makes a company successful, not bait and switch practices. Don't waste your time; spend a little more money and get the quality you deserve.

Sales process was good. Easy. Sales rep was awesome. Issues are with build quality and customer service after the sale. Walk through is designed to speed you through and miss issues. Have a major drainage issue in the yard, no support. Plumbing leak on the main line, no support, discovered the bathroom sink faucets are too close to the backsplash to function properly, no support. Paint looks good but is like a chalk board, marks up if you even think about it. Quality has certainly improved from years ago but still lacking in some areas. More customer support would be great. It is celebrity and will always be an option for entry level. Certainly not anything more than a ‘5 year home’

Our experience was more than we imagined! We love our new home and the layout! My huge inspiration was the model, which ours looks just like, with added touches. The staff is excellent in handling any warranty issues that are legit. Overall completely satisfied with our beautiful home! Always has been our dream to own a new home, celebrity was able to produce, making our dream a reality! The added bonus was they completed ahead of planned completion date!! We can't wait to enjoy the holidays in our new house!

We've been living in this house for almost year and have had many issues with it. The windows leak any time it rains, to the point of making puddles on the floors, and made constant fluttering sounds until I was able to make a warranty request. They fixed the fluttering sound but said the windows are designed to allow water in then back out through little vents. They said I need to clean them out by taking the entire window out of the frame and pulling a guide strip out to even reach the very small hard to reach vents. These windows are heavy and you can't even fully clean the vents, so they frequently clog. There is also some kind of electrical problem in the kitchen. The lights occasionally pop out, so we go to push the back in and the entire kitchen circuit shorts out. We made two separate warranty requests with pics and full descriptions like they ask for and have had no response. The microwave very frequently goes out, their response was to just leave an adapter on our porch on a rainy day for us to install. When we told them that the microwave continues going out and they sent an e mail saying it's up to the manufacturer now, we need to contact them.
As long as this comment has already been there are many more problems with this house that we have sent out warranty requests for that have seemingly gone on ignored. Please don't rush into buying from celebrity. You will be left with a constant worry of what will go wrong today.

Borderline scammers. Every time I submit a warranty claim, they tell me it's not covered, so I have to screenshot their own warranty document and send it back to them as proof. Then they will cover it. That's insane.

The homes are OK at best, but the company itself leaves a lot to be desired.

By the way, when you submit a warranty claim (and I've submitted like 10 so I know), some guy will text you back from his iPhone. Usually you get something like, "that not cover sry - Sent from iOS." The level of unprofessionalism is astounding.

Buyer Beware with these guys. Cheap materials are one thing. But, I have found so many instances where the contractors did not even bother to finish the job.
Most recently, I incurred water damage under my kitchen sink. Had a reputable plumber come out. One of the pipes they used was too short and would not stay connected, hence the leak. But, that's not the worst part.
My kitchen sink is falling off of my granite because Celebrity didn't bother to install both brackets that hold up the sink. The entire fix with all the damage came to $600.
Half of the plates covering electrical outlets and cable jacks were missing when I moved in, and I could never get Celebrity to do anything about it.

Things began breaking immediately and I have spent a fortune to repair a brand new house. It sucks, and it's not fair, but all I can do is warn the next guy.