Readers, there are two possibilities regarding the integrity and veracity of Classic Homes based on my conversations with their sales rep, Linda Christiensen. I'll lay out the options and let you decide which you think is the more plausible.
I contacted Classic Homes about a year ago to get information on one of their models. Linda, however, could not get my name right, which I saw as a red flag. I always signed my e-mails with my name (as one does) but she consistently called me by one of the names in my e-mail address, which is based on book characters. I decided to pursue a different semi-custom home builder based on this interaction but I always had the Classic Homes model in the back of my head. In the end, I didn't move forward with the second custom home builder and I decided to give Classic Homes a second chance because I really liked the model I'd initially approached them about. I contacted Classic Homes again last month (November 2019) and talked to Linda. If you're wondering, she got my name right. She said the following: "Thank you for your recent call. It's nice to hear from you again. There are some parts of Alexandria that we do not build in but I would be happy to run your address up to our main office." You can probably already tell from her e-mail where this was headed. Not surprisingly, she came back five days later and said "I just received the information I needed from my main office regarding this area and sadly we no longer build in this location. Should you have any further questions at all please do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be happy to assist in any way I can." It doesn't make sense to exclude some parts of Alexandria City from their service area and that's not stated on their website, indicating it's probably not really true. But there's also another problem with her statement. Classic Homes just finished a house about a quarter mile from me (two streets away), so her claim of excluding my area of Alexandria from their service zone is demonstrably false. I have a real problem with power trips and this was one. Linda decided she didn't want to work with me and acted as judge and gatekeeper to her company which shows not only a lack of integrity and professionalism, it's also really petty.
Of course, it's also possible that Linda told me the truth and Classic Homes does not work in the north Alexandria City area near Potomac Yard, stopping just two streets south of me and picking up again in Arlington to my north. If that's the case, I feel you, the public, should be aware of this service blackout area since (like I said) it's not on their website.
Either way, the company deserves the one star I gave them. I'll let you decide if, knowing they either have a weird blackout zone or are incredibly unprofessional, you even want to bother with this company. read more