Excel Homes reviews (234)

Review from HomeOwner
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review left on 29 Apr 2018
Build new house
Those who wants to buy or build new home, Excel homes is the top I am completely satisfied .what a service, very good construction Thanks to Charla and the team thanks to site staff and all the people who are involved Thanks Exel homes Karan, Vas
Review from HomeOwner
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review left on 26 Apr 2018
New home purchase
From the time I signed my contract to the time I received my keys the staff has been very helpful in helping me understand the process of new home ownership. We had a few hiccups but over all for my firs5 experience of home ownership and building it has been an experience I’ll never forget. Once I received my keys and moved in and really got to experience The floor plan, it really fit our family perfect and the finishing touches were great. Thanks to Excel for making me a beautiful home that I can be proud to call home.
Answer from pro:
Hi Kris, Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so happy to hear that you love your home and we hope that you are settling in well to life in Sunset Ridge :) Welcome to the Excel family! :) Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 1 May 2018
Review from Rajat Karval
Rating: 1 out of 5
Review left on 15 Apr 2018
Poor Quality and Extremely Poor Customer Service
Excel homes have extremely poor warranty service and even worse customer service. Everything changed as soon as we got possession. The sales team was nice and we bought the house because of the good service. But unfortunately after possession the sales team is out of the picture and you only deal with the service and warrantee team. The warrantee team doesn't care about the homebuyers. I showed all my concerns to the warrantee representative and he took notes and nothing happened afterwards (October to December). Then i had to report some items to Excel homes Service Manager in early December (then again in March) to fix the items under warrantee, but they haven't even sent anyone to look at them yet (now mid-April). Both times the service manager promised in writing that these issues will be addressed, but shamefully there was no one sent to fix the issues. Issues such as cracked lighting fixtures, chipped tiles, mis-positioned tiles, vinyl warping etc. are still not fixed and it has been over 6 months since these were reported. We got possession on July 28th, 2017 and since then our garage door was noisy. We only moved into the house in October and used the garage door for 4-5 months and one day it stopped working (in late feb). It was 9:30 pm in the night time and we had to move all our belongings into the house as the garage door came off the grooves and was bent. Excel homes sent in the third party company to check the door and the third party refused to cover it under warrantee. There was no reason provided and neither was any written report provided by the technician or excel homes. The technician verbally mentioned that it could be many causes such as oiling but nothing is certain. But a new house should not need oiling. Even the Alberta New Home Warrantee Program has the "GUIDE TO THE CARE & MAINTENANCE OF YOUR NEW HOME " (http://www.anhwp.com/caremaintenance/guide-to-the-care-maintenance-of-your-new-home) which says "Every few years, the hinges on your garage door should be lubricated" on page 50. They also tried blaming it on ice build-up in emails, but there was no ice build-up as we clean the snow regularly and even the technician saw no ice buildup. The door was not coming down and that was nothing to do with the ice build-up anyways. It is extremely saddening that Excel homes is trying to get out of fixing this door and also that excel homes build homes where garage doors break in 4-5 months. Then these defects are not covered under warrantee. Excel homes sent their warrantee manager to visit and the manager made comments such as the door was once working and this is not covered under warrantee as it was working at the time of possession. There were lots of other issues with the house as well. The vents have been making noise, there was water leaking through the bathroom exhaust fan (through the roof), the vinyl siding is warped, pieces of vinyl siding were missing, tiles are chipped and are not aligned properly, the hardwood chipped easily, light fixtures were cracked etc. We spend a lot of time trying to reach out to Excel homes and try to get these items fixed. We paid ~565k for our house and we get sub-standard service. Excel homes is really not worth the price as the quality of the house is questionable. I would definitely go with a different builder.
Answer from pro:
Excel Homes takes all feedback very seriously and I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with us. I want to assure you that Excel warranty staff are committed to approaching every home with care and attention and completing all warrantable repairs. I spoke with our Warranty Manager and he advised that the siding concern has been scheduled to be completed by our trade partner. Any other items that you are concerned with will absolutely be reviewed and addressed. With regards to the garage door, we have made every effort available to try and provide a resolution for this issue. We have had multiple meetings at your home to review the concern, and though it was determined to be a non warrantable item were able to work with our trade partner to ensure that the cost of the remediation was being provided at a reduced rate. Again, I am sorry for your disappointment. Should you have any further concerns, we would be happy to review them with you. Thank you, Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 23 Apr 2018
Review from HomeOwner
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review left on 14 Apr 2018
New Home in Carrington NW of Calgary
I recently purchased an Excel home in the community of Carrington and had the pleasure of working with both Kristen and Tarek. We have now been in our new home for 4 months and wanted to wait until now to review so we could comment on all aspects of our new home experience. As a new home buyer, I had a lot of questions and was surprised by Tarek and Kristen’s level of willingness to help. Moreover, I really appreciate the genuine advice on upgrades that they provided us. They were helpful in guiding us through the selection of lots, interior design and choices etc. After the purchase, Kristen provided us with weekly updates on the progression of our new home, including pictures. I was really impressed with the communication provided. During the construction phase, I received several detailed walkthroughs provided by Kristen and the Site Managers. In the end, the house was built ahead of schedule and possession was organized in a timely manner. After possession, there were some very minor deficiencies and the warranty manager Don was very helpful in fixing all issues that came up over the last 4 months. Throughout this whole process, I probably asked over a thousand questions and Excel Homes responded each of them in a very professional manner. Overall, we have had nothing but a great experience in dealing with the Carrington Excel team and I would definitely recommend Excel Homes to my friends and family. I would like to express my gratitude to Excel Homes, Kristen and Tarek for making my first home purchase a completely fun and stress-free experience.
Answer from pro:
Hi Stephen, Thank you for your review. It was such a pleasure for us to build a home for you and your family :) Your wonderful comments have been passed along to our team :) We hope that you are enjoying life in Carrington, and welcome again to the Excel family! Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 16 Apr 2018
Review from JACK B
Rating: 1 out of 5
Review left on 1 Apr 2018
HOUSE IN HEARTLAND BLVD, COCHRANE, AB
I entered in agreement with Excel Home to have my Duplex House built, on April/11/2017. The possession date was agreed by Sales and was scheduled to be on Oct/25/2017. The agreement was included to provide Landscaping, Shrubs, sods & Wood Fence on the Side Street side, being the corner lot. I was continuously monitoring Construction Progress. I kept communicating with Customer Service Manage - Excel Homes, with regards to the progress. Every time I had a reply that this was not the Custom House and hence Excel Home will not divert Construction Crew to my house site. This resulted in construction delay. I kept writing/requesting the Customer Service Manager that this construction delay would cost me in increased Interest rate(from originally approved rate of 2.05% to 3.09%) for financing, if I will not have house possession by the set date. Still they did not co-operate and continued slower construction. This resulted in so much delayed possession, and increased rate of Interest. I had received the Letter to take possession on December/15/2017, about 2 months after the date agreed by Sales. This was not all. At the time of Pre - Possession Walk through there were numbers of seasonal deficiencies, like Front Entrance Steps-walk way, Garage Drive-way, Exposed Concrete wall Parging, Grading, exterior Wood Paint, Landscaping, Shrub and sods, Side Street side Wood Fence etc. This was quite understandable, as possession was in Winter. But after construction started & taking possession I was notified that Landscaping, Shrub, sods and Side Street side wood Fence was not the part of an agreement. What a great unprofessional experience I had. After this would I refer someone for Excel home? Never ever. I don't want anyone to suffer financially and pass through totally stressful condition which I did throughout the course of construction. Horrible experience. SALES STAFF: So much co-operative, knowledgeable and they were there to help when Customer Service Manager was not available or she was rude. CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR: In depth knowledgeable and totally cooperative.
Answer from pro:
Good Afternoon Janak, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. With regards to your possession date, unfortunately as we had explained, this date was not provided in your contract as we could not guarantee that the construction would be completed in this time. We in no way purposefully delayed the construction on your home, and absolutely apologize if this was the impression that you were given. Your home was constructed in a timely manner while keeping quality as a priority. The requests that you had made for changes to your home where unfortunately not options that we had available (IE: adding a screen door to the front door, adding a second tap to the shower, etc). As we were not able to offer for you to purchase these items through us, we were more than happy to put you in touch with our trade partners to have them provide you with a cost to have the work completed after possession or offer alternative solutions to achieve a detail that would meet your needs. Regarding the landscaping, you and I spoke about this several times, and as I explained, the schedule L that you received in your purchase agreement states that you are to receive landscaping (sod, trees etc) should it be a requirement through the developer. Unfortunately this was not something that was required by the developer. We will absolutely ensure that your exterior items are completed as soon as the weather permits. I also apologize if I came across as rude. I tried to assist you in any way that I could and I never meant for you to feel otherwise. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you, Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 5 Apr 2018
Review from Customer of Excel Homes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review left on 15 Mar 2018
Home in SE Calgary
First dealing with Excel, was a wonderful experience from first office visit to our possession date and beyond! They have been nothing but honest, up front and on time with everything.
Answer from pro:
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We are so happy to hear that you have had a wonderful experience with us and we are happy to have you as part of the Excel family :) Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 26 Mar 2018
Review from HomeOwner
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review left on 9 Mar 2018
Nice house, terrible customer service
Initial sales staff were fantastic, answered the million questions I had, but once we signed contract, Excel changed the floorplans for the rest of the street, now our entire backyards are blocked in with rear attached garages blocking all our light and we have balconies looking into our yard. See the huge shadow in photos below. The original house next to us was supposed to be the same floor plan as us. One of the biggest let downs after reviewing plans about sound barriers between duplexes is that there is a space just above our basement wall that has no sound proofing at all. A last minute change in the beam structure caused this. We can hear everything happening in our neighbours basement, and vice versa - can hear audible conversation. No privacy. Love our home, but dealing with Excel, nothing they say can be trusted as your contract is all subject to change on their end and they choose what 'can' be fixed by warranty. Getting certain things addressed is full of endless following up and even then they say, that's nothing we can do.
Answer from pro:
Hi Kali, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. Welcome to Hillcrest! We are so happy to hear that our sales team was helpful and you enjoyed your experience with them. We apologize for the concerns that you are having with the soundproofing and the warrantable items in your home. If you could please contact me at mrogers@excelhomes.ca I would like to look into these for you further. Thank you, Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 13 Mar 2018
Review from HomeOwner
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review left on 6 Mar 2018
Airdrie Duplex - Hillcrest
We were happy with our sales office ( Jamie) there was no pressure, Well explained and easy process. We got 3 walk around during the Construction phase to see how they build our house. Possession day was great, the warranty person explained everything Very well during walk around.
Answer from pro:
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! We will pass your comments along to Jamie :) Welcome to Hillcrest and the Excel Homes family! Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 12 Mar 2018
Review from Muhammad Mustafa Alam
Rating: 1 out of 5
Review left on 15 Feb 2018
New Build in Mahogany
SERVICE: From the first day we met SALES and till the POSSESSION, there were quite a bit of surprises given to us from time to time. No one likes surprises especially when its about increasing cost. First time, we met SALES, I asked a very simple questions, I put down a figure and asked SALES if I can have the same show home built within such a price tag, the answer was YES. Once we have signed the initial agreement, and after calculating all the features and upgrades which were exactly as per the show home, I was told a much higher price than initially stated. Plus the features were not the same as compared to the Show home like the home was not a Walk out Basement and unfinished basement etc due to land restriction. Secondly, I had notified SALES number of times that I am porting the Mortgage and since the bank gives only 6 month of extension, any delay in the possession must be notified to be immediately so I can ask for extension to my bank if needed, BUT that did not happen. As, I was keeping very close eye on the construction process, I had realized that the house would not be completed on my time and then when I intervened, SALES then notified me that yes there is about 3 weeks delay in the construction. I immediately applied for Mortgage extension to the bank which got approved without any issues. This is not it. To my surprise, right before 1 week of possession, I received an email from Excel provided Law Firm with the Statement of Adjustment where I noticed LATE INTEREST CHARGES OF $900.00. When I inquired about it, they said its a long explanation and we will provide that during our meeting. I waited for the meeting which was just a couple of days prior to possession. In our meeting, Lawyer was unable to explain everything that we asked. When asked about the LATE INTEREST CHARGES OF $900.00, they said Developer (Hopewell) does not have land title in the name of Excel Homes and that is why there you will be paying $900 as a rent until the land gets registered in your name. This again led to NO WITHDRAWAL of the funds from the bank on the given date and asking for another month of PORTING EXTENSION from the bank. The bank was really mad on me because they only entertain one time application for the extension not twice as one application had already been made previously due to delay in construction. The bank told us that there is no guarantee that they will approve the application and will not refund me penalty amount $3000.00 as promised earlier. Further on, they cannot offer me the same Mortgage Rate as their system has new rates now. After going through all this stress for a couple of weeks (over Christmas), the bank finally approved the 2nd Time Application for Extension but they offered me a higher rate of Mortgage. According to there calculation, there is a difference of $1500 over 5 years term which now I will have to pay just because EXCEL HOMES did not notify me of this land registration issue on time. I will NOT recommend anyone to build a home with EXCEL. HOME: Overall the home was built nicely, however there is always a room for improvement. For Example the stair planks are not too wide and kind of unsafe and may cause slippage. Previous houses we have built with others had much wider stairs.
Answer from pro:
Hello Mustafa, Thank you for your feedback. I apologize as it sounds like there has been some confusion throughout your process and I will definitely look into this with our team. With regards to the land title concern, we absolutely understand the position that this situation put you all in, and we are working with our developer partners to ensure that this does not happen again going forward. The issue with the registration was not something that we had any control over, and we wish that would could have had the information earlier than we did to make our customers aware. There was a delay on the developer side which was out of their control, and then a larger delay due to the system crashing at the land title office. Though it was out of our control, we feel terrible for the ways in which our customers were affected and we are currently looking at what can be done to help take the sting away. I am happy to hear that you are happy with the quality of the home, and have passed along your recommendations. Should you have any further feedback that you would be willing to share with me, I would love to hear from you. My contact is: mrogers@excelhomes.ca Thank you again, and welcome to Mahogany! Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 22 Feb 2018
Review from Sarah Carefoot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review left on 25 Jan 2018
Sunset Ridge (Fee Simple) Townhome
My criteria was 3 bedrooms and a garage that could accommodate my vehicle and motorcycle for 300,000 or less and no condo fees. Excel Homes was the only company I could find that was able to provide me with what I was looking for. The finished product is gorgerous. I love the cabinets. I love the layout. I love the little touches they thought about in the blueprints. It is so nice to have a decent number of heating ducts in each room and electrical outlets. The lighting is perfect too! They did a fantastic job. I give them 10 out of 10, as long as they fix the little defects I've asked them to. They have 11 more months to go before I'll start getting upset. The staff were amazing. I loved the Michelle's and Josip. What a great group!
Answer from pro:
Hi Sarah! Thank you again for sharing your experience. We are so happy to hear that you are settling in well and loving the space :) We will absolutely make sure that any concerns that you have are addressed. :) The Michelles and Josip love you guys too!! Please let us know if there is anything you need :) Welcome again to Sunset Ridge and the Excel family! Michelle Rogers-Customer Experience Manager
Reply created 29 Jan 2018