tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post6069914313743000373..comments2024-01-12T05:09:59.786-08:00Comments on The State of the Homebuilding Industry: Mercedes Homes (Melbourne, Florida) Layoffs and Implosion Continues - Headquarters for SaleHomebuilding Industry Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06603167535520950775noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-69060686067310423072009-08-20T09:06:04.120-07:002009-08-20T09:06:04.120-07:00I also worked for Mercedes Homes in NC. I felt und...I also worked for Mercedes Homes in NC. I felt underpaid and taken advantage of a few times. But I really liked the people I worked with. I had a great boss and they paid for my school. I felt really sad when I was laid off in 2008 and still have yet to find a job. I think they made a huge mistake to build that 7 million dollar complex. It was rediculous and a bad plan to begin with when they had already had cut backs a year earlier and we lost some good people and bonuses.I know you have to do what you have to do to survive but building that complex failed them as an employer and builder. Bad choices all the way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-87632702215417612042009-08-12T10:14:59.808-07:002009-08-12T10:14:59.808-07:00Well its official! We are loosing our ESOP while t...Well its official! We are loosing our ESOP while the Bueschers walk away with everything. I hope Karma gets them! "Under the proposed reorganization plan, one creditor would forgive all of Mercedes' debt in exchange for all the stock in the new company. The other creditor would agree to rewrite the terms on its loans to Mercedes while keeping its liens on the company's assets.<br /><br />The plan would void all the company’s current common stock, which is held in an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), and issue new stock to the Buescher family-controlled Real Estate Investment Ventures, which is owed about $68.5 million in principal and $2.1 million in interest. The debt to the company is secured by the company’s assets."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-28905529450014869662009-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:002009-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00Aliana - you mean to tell me that you thought you ...Aliana - you mean to tell me that you thought you were getting granite counter tops and didn't notice that you didn't have them until after you closed? Are you blind?<BR/><BR/>Sounds like you failed to pay attention and/or adequately inspect your home before moving in. Your fault, there.<BR/><BR/>There are quite a few elated home owners in San Antonio that are in Mercedes Homes. I live around the corner from their neighborhood and have a couple of friends that live in them that have been nothing but happy with the home and the process. However, there is one caveat, they paid attention throughout the process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-2017061696602197232009-03-13T19:33:00.000-07:002009-03-13T19:33:00.000-07:00Holy Crap! I have a new home in Brevard Co. under ...Holy Crap! I have a new home in Brevard Co. under contract and scheduled to close in a few days. I am VERY concerned to read the last post about the 1% clause of the warranty. Especially since I have been advised by several people (including an independant home inspector) to wait until 6 months into it to have an inspection done to cover the warranty issues. That won't do me much good of they can only spend 1% on repairs and if there is anything extensive I'll be left holding the bag. This SUCKS! I don't believe everything I read on the internet, but there are ALOT of unhappy people on this blog. Is there anyone else out there that is happy with thier Mercedes Product??Spankyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06876414485774396501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-8299039241004312942009-03-13T13:31:00.000-07:002009-03-13T13:31:00.000-07:00It’s not unusual that Mercedes asked for court aut...It’s not unusual that Mercedes asked for court authorization. I mean, how many businesses in bankruptcy ask a court to order them to be obligated to their customers? Court authorization on warranties might provide some flexibility for a challenged builder if it also includes some determinative discretion. (http://www.homebuilder-bankruptcy.com/2009/02/what-happens-to-warranties-if-the-builder-files-for-bankruptcy/) BTW, did you get the 1% of sales price figure from The Downturn Analyst (trying to find more sources to better analyze Mercedes’ situation)? It is really a very fluid, declining real estate and finance environment right now. The fact that Mercedes Homes is still selling homes might be encouraging with respect to fulfillment of warranty obligations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-78948581057171798932009-03-09T16:25:00.000-07:002009-03-09T16:25:00.000-07:00Mercedes deserves to go bankrupt. Prior to our clo...Mercedes deserves to go bankrupt. Prior to our closing on our home, they refused to prep the home prior to walk thru. Their threat was "we have a list of people waiting to buy this house, if you don't want it let us know". Roy and Audrey Shannon had a feast in Tampa selling homes for Mercedes, The table has now turned. I wonder where they are now. Famine??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-32426899210666200132009-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:002009-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:00Mercedes Homes is the best home I have ever bought...Mercedes Homes is the best home I have ever bought, not only is it a great home but they gave me a great price. The people that are complaining about this are the fucking retards that lost their home because they could not pay for it because they lost their stupid job because they suck as people. That's right fuck you retards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-59323913052589472782009-02-19T11:59:00.000-08:002009-02-19T11:59:00.000-08:00My son & his wife closed on a house on Dec31, ...My son & his wife closed on a house on Dec31, 2008 in the Dallas area. In early Feb09, they started getting letters from contractors demanding payment for work not paid by Mercedes. It's over $9,000 and rising.<BR/><BR/>Anybody else out there with this problem?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-75755906052423525772009-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:002009-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:00You guys should pay attention to all the beachfron...You guys should pay attention to all the beachfront property and yachts the owners, the Buescher's own to the tune of over 5 Million EACH. The owners used company time, subcontractors, employees all for some of these projects, which they will be able to keep even under a bankruptcy. They are thieves and liars. This is against the law and I don't know why no one is talking about this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-79404355458165710872009-02-10T05:40:00.000-08:002009-02-10T05:40:00.000-08:00"VERY" happy Aliana Mercedes Home owners...here's ..."VERY" happy Aliana Mercedes Home owners...here's some news from people the sub contractors in the know!!!<BR/>Quote: "The only way MH will honor the warranties is if it does not cost them a penny. If the builder in that community can do it themselves, then it will be fixed, other than that the home owner's screwed. <BR/>There are also a lot of home owners who have recently closed getting Liens placed on their properties. Not good!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-6053997225281289322009-02-09T08:37:00.000-08:002009-02-09T08:37:00.000-08:00They build junk, don't own one but know a few that...They build junk, don't own one but know a few that do in my neighborhood and nothing but endless problems!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-15959220783876098912009-02-08T21:20:00.000-08:002009-02-08T21:20:00.000-08:00"Rosalind said... We have been in our Mercedes hom..."Rosalind said... <BR/>We have been in our Mercedes home (Dover, FL) for one year now and couldn't be happier with it..."<BR/>================<BR/>Glad to hear you have been in your home a year with no problems. However, that amounts to a lot of money you could loose big time! Since you bought your Mercedes Home over a years ago, it isn't worth what you paid for it in today's market. And with NO warranty on it, should you needed to sell, no one will buy it.<BR/>Assording to the Brevard Court in FL:<BR/>New Bankruptcy court order: 1/30/09<BR/>For Mercedes Homes<BR/>"The builder now has authorization to honor home warranties, but it is NOT obligated to do so. There is a limitation to this authorization – Mercedes Homes CANNOT spend more than 1% of a home’s final sale price on warranty claims". <BR/>What is the 1% of your final home sales price?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-59821399262165186172009-02-08T15:57:00.000-08:002009-02-08T15:57:00.000-08:00Just for the new "Aliana...we are VERY happy with ...Just for the new "Aliana...we are VERY happy with our home..." <BR/><BR/>No matter what you paid for your VERY Mercedes Home, your final sale price, no matter, and we could care less. Just wait till you have your first warranty problems.<BR/><BR/>New Bankruptcy court order: 1/30/09<BR/>For Mercedes Homes<BR/>"The builder now has authorization to honor home warranties, but it is NOT obligated to do so. There is a limitation to this authorization – Mercedes Homes CANNOT spend more than 1% of a home’s final sale price on warranty claims". <BR/><BR/>This should give you some sleepless nights...what is 1% of your sales price? Not much, since you got a VERY good deal. And Mercedes is NOT obligated to even do 1% of warranty work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-3796213797823666172009-02-08T13:41:00.000-08:002009-02-08T13:41:00.000-08:00We have been in our Mercedes home (Dover, FL) for ...We have been in our Mercedes home (Dover, FL) for one year now and couldn't be happier with it. The builder was awesome in his communication and his knowledge. The work was done above our expectations ... as an example, the window above our front door had a typical drywall sill in the plans, however, that was changed to a wooden sill because the builder recommended that would be easier to maintain and would look better!<BR/><BR/>It is unfortunate that Mercedes, along with many other builders, is suffering in this economy. I wanted to add my two cents to let everyone know, after reading all these negative posts, that I was very happy with everyone I dealt with at Mercedes in Tampa.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-41609563577386714652009-02-06T13:35:00.000-08:002009-02-06T13:35:00.000-08:00Anonymous said... To the A-Hole in Aliana about th...Anonymous said... <BR/>To the A-Hole in Aliana about the granite tops. Why don't you tell everybody that you got exactly what you were bitching and moaning about!!!!<BR/><BR/>January 26, 2009 6:29 PM <BR/>===============<BR/>Get your facts straight before you post. Today is February 6, 2009...Oops still no granite!<BR/><BR/>What you called me, prehaps you are full of what's in it. <BR/><BR/>BTW...really love the date of your post, same day Mercedes filed bankruptcy and screwed so many people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-3903208600678068032009-02-06T13:21:00.000-08:002009-02-06T13:21:00.000-08:00Anonymous said... Aliana - people ... you are comp...Anonymous said... <BR/>Aliana - people ... you are complete idiots. we are VERY happy with our home and have decided NOT to socialize with sour people like you. Just becuse I negotiated a better deal than you could, we are or MH deserves your redicule? I could be mistaken but I thought I saw granite going into your home recently???? GET A LIFE.<BR/><BR/>January 19, 2009 5:06 PM<BR/>____________________________<BR/> Anonymous said... <BR/>Aliana - people ... you are complete idiots. we are VERY happy with our home and have decided NOT to socialize with sour people like you. Just becuse I negotiated a better deal than you could, we are or MH deserves your redicule? I could be mistaken but I thought I saw granite going into your home recently???? GET A LIFE.<BR/><BR/>January 19, 2009 5:06 PM<BR/>____________________________<BR/><BR/>Adhominem toward a neighbor? Wow, "Very" happy with your Mercedes Home and your great deal? <BR/><BR/>You didn't negotiate anything, they had been planning bankruptcy for months and were desperate to off load your house, before they filed on January 26, 2009. <BR/><BR/>Your warranty is worthless. <BR/><BR/>When you start having problems with your house and you will re-read the posts on here. You are in the minority of those who bought a home from Mercedes. <BR/><BR/>And yes, you are WRONG about the granite countertops that should have been installed in the first place. You didn't see anything going into my home.<BR/><BR/>Just a word of advise learn how to post on a blog, that way you won't post the same thing twice. You also might want to use spell check or a dictionary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-75018005677342432252009-01-27T23:05:00.000-08:002009-01-27T23:05:00.000-08:00Mercedes Homes filled bankruptcy Monday January 26...Mercedes Homes filled bankruptcy Monday January 26, 2009...<BR/>You better be happy in you in Brevard County, FL. home, 'cause your warranty is now worthless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-82220541405989001842009-01-27T20:39:00.000-08:002009-01-27T20:39:00.000-08:00Can anyone tell me why the solid pour walls crack ...Can anyone tell me why the solid pour walls crack every 3 feet apart vertically?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-42018421853781870782009-01-27T15:25:00.000-08:002009-01-27T15:25:00.000-08:00If you are currently a subcontractor with Mercedes...If you are currently a subcontractor with Mercedes Homes, get out now. They are planning to switch you out for lower priced contractors and not pay you or them. They do not plan on stopping construction on any of there houses they are currently on, just not paying any of you doing the work now. They have cut the pay of their employees but the executives are not taking a pay cut!<BR/><BR/>Beware of Mercedes homes they will be scamming you soon!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-49280854268439914712009-01-27T11:36:00.000-08:002009-01-27T11:36:00.000-08:00I am (as of today, WAS) a sub contractor for Merce...I am (as of today, WAS) a sub contractor for Mercedes. I was just informed that Mercedes is unable to pay us the 27,000 dollars they owe us this month because they are in chapter 11. This is the second time in less than a year that we have been screwed by a homebuilder (the last one was Levitt & Sons). Are there any track home builders you can trust anymore?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-61206408166198970632009-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:002009-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00Hi, I'm John, an Ex-Mercedes employee from North C...Hi, I'm John, an Ex-Mercedes employee from North Carolina. My current residence is a Mercedes Home. Let me start by saying I've been associated with the construction of more than 400 residences in the last 10 years. Many for Mercedes, many for other national home builders, and a few customs built by yours truly. The philosophy of building a good product at a fair price was the underlying driving force of Mercedes Homes. It was instructed to it's management and employees. It's the practice that I learned back in the day and that I still adhere to today. <BR/>But times change as does management and Companies. Construction became a career of liabilities. The job went from what can I do to make the experience better for potential homeowners to whom can I blame if something goes sour. This is because of costs, profit margins and engineering. If I had $10.00 for every time I've heard the phrase "it's built to plan". Gee, Guess what, you may be right but it's still wrong, fix it. Engineers are human, so are site superintendents. <BR/>The long and short of it is simple. There are no shortcuts for experience. There is no perfect home. (I've had two come close over the last 10 years and one of those was a Mercedes Home). A qualified site super or project manager usually builds a quality home. Quality during construction translates into fewer warranty requests. Fewer warranty request result in happier homeowners.<BR/>As far as promises made by sales? I don't know I'm a production guy.<BR/><BR/>Mercedes Runner-up Builder of the year 2002.<BR/>Mercedes Customer Satisfaction award winner with 99.28% Customer Satisfaction 2002.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00077939904473027017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-67247359224579008082009-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:002009-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:00To the A-Hole in Aliana about the granite tops. Wh...To the A-Hole in Aliana about the granite tops. Why don't you tell everybody that you got exactly what you were bitching and moaning about!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-35768212324698433052009-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:002009-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:00Anonymous said...My wife and I bought a mercedes h...Anonymous said...<BR/>My wife and I bought a mercedes home in May of 2008 in Brevard County, FL.<BR/><BR/>So far, so good. After fay we had a window leak and it was fixed promptly. Every other item on our punch list has been addressed, including fixing annoying but non-crucial scratches in windows.<BR/><BR/>We plan on conducting a thorough walk through again before our warranty is up, but we've found them so far to be responsive. You just have to be polite, organized and dilligent with follow through.<BR/>__________________________________<BR/><BR/>Mr & Mrs we're so happy with our Mercedes Home, you better move your thorough walk through up just a bit. <BR/>Why?<BR/>Mercedes Homes filed bankrutcy today January 26, 2009, thus your warranty is worthless. <BR/>Perhaps you should seek a good lawyer in FL.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-4896784051806838202009-01-22T22:44:00.000-08:002009-01-22T22:44:00.000-08:00I too was once an employee with Mercedes Homes. Ho...I too was once an employee with Mercedes Homes. However, I became a casualty in 2007 and was laid off. I am glad to no longer work for them due to:<BR/><BR/>1. The inability to advance up the ladder, number one.<BR/><BR/>2. They did not pay me what I was actually worth according to pay scale.com.<BR/><BR/>3. They did not honor their benefits as written in their employee hand book.<BR/><BR/>4. I did not get all of my severance package as listed within their employee handbook.<BR/><BR/>5. They deferred my ESOP money five year. Chances are, I will never see that money.<BR/><BR/>6. I got tired of hearing about the rumors of them not paying the sub-contractors.<BR/><BR/>7. They build a corporate headquarters in the worst time ever. If they wanted a headquarters, they should have built it during the days Bill Clinton was President.<BR/><BR/>8. They do indeed do good things on the outside, however, what happens on the outside, and what takes place on the inside are two different things. So what if you are on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover. Gotta clean the inside of the cup as well as the outside.<BR/><BR/>I have a feeling that Mercedes Homes will not survive this economic downturn. In fact, it seems like the Bueschers are premeditating the failure of the company so they can shirk: creditors, sub-contractors, and their former employess who have ESOP.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141136223903651896.post-75624527633041080322009-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:002009-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:00Aliana - people ... you are complete idiots. we a...Aliana - people ... you are complete idiots. we are VERY happy with our home and have decided NOT to socialize with sour people like you. Just becuse I negotiated a better deal than you could, we are or MH deserves your redicule? I could be mistaken but I thought I saw granite going into your home recently???? GET A LIFE.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com