I purchased a new home from Southern Development about 2 years ago. Unbeknownst to anyone, when the baseboards were installed, a high-pressured nail gun used to install the baseboards punctured a bathroom pipe. There was no leak...until the nail rusted and the pipe leaked, which was when I had owned the home for 2 years, outside of the new home warranty period. To be clear, the pipe was punctured at the baseboard level, with a nail from a nail gun; there can be no dispute that this occurred during construction. I was out of town when this happened, and the damage was significant. I contacted Southern Development. Mr. Soles initially expressed "concern" and asked to view the property, which I permitted. Next, he asked for reports from the independent third parties that mitigated and repaired the damage, which clearly detailed the cause and the extent of the damage. I provided him with what he asked for. After much delay and some prompting, I got a response from Mr. Soles indicating that my insurance company was suing Southern Development (which is not surprising given their negligence and clear culpability). He then cut off contact with me. I am left to pursue litigation to recover losses that are not covered by my policy, on what is essentially a "brand-new" home. What I asked for from Southern Development was a dollar per dollar reimbursement for uncovered expenses, never mind the aggravation, inconvenience and time lost because of their negligence. Home builders are all smiles on the front end, when you fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase a home. My experience offered a glimpse at how this builder responded when they produced a substandard product, which was to do nothing. Southern Development will tell you they are a smaller, independent builder, and that they "like it that way" so they can focus on quality and customer service. They will tell you how much the owner Frank Ballif cares about the people that buy his product. My experience was that Southern Development built a lemon, and when they had the opportunity to do the right thing to rectify their poor construction, they quickly abandoned those tenants of quality and customer service. We all must buy a home from someone, but I would strongly encourage you to look to another builder. Southern Development does not stand behind their product, which apparently is not as sound as they would like you to believe. I would also encourage anyone who does have a problem with them to immediately seek legal counsel; do not be fooled by the false care and concern they initially show you because they are only seeking information to protect themselves. read more

I Regret This Purchase Every Single Day! I don't even know where to begin. Buying a home from Southern Development has been one of the most disappointing, disheartening experiences of my life. What was supposed to be a fresh start in a brand-new home has turned into a constant source of stress, frustration, and regret. I should have known something was wrong when the house wasn't even finished at closing. I was assured that everything would be taken care of quickly, but here I am, a month later, still waiting. And every single day, I find something else wrong. On day five, the water heater failed. Five days in, and I had no hot water. That alone should have been a red flag, but it was only the beginning. The electrical work is faulty throughout the house. The refrigerator trips the breaker constantly. I never know if I'll wake up to spoiled food. If something as basic as the wiring is unreliable, I shudder to think what else is hidden behind the walls. The primary bathroom is unfinished. Not only was it never completed, but now there's water damage from the unfinished shower surround. I worry about what's happening beneath the surface--water damage this early means long-term problems down the road. The craftsmanship is nowhere near the quality expected for the cost of this home. The price I paid does not reflect the poor workmanship--sloppy construction, careless finishing, and corners cut everywhere I look. I paid for a well-built home, and instead, I'm left with a rushed, incomplete mess. Everywhere I look, I find something wrong. Holes in the walls hidden behind cabinets, holes in the cabinets themselves, patchwork that looks rushed and sloppy. It's as if they walked away mid-construction and never looked back. The exterior is just as bad. The landscaping is incomplete, the house hasn't been power washed, and the driveway and walkways are so muddy that anyone coming inside tracks dirt everywhere. Keeping the house clean is impossible--it feels like I'm living in a construction site rather than a finished home. The warranty team is useless. I was told that Southern Development had a team to address post-closing issues, but I have yet to hear from them. The length of time between my service requests and actually getting anything done is unacceptable. I am still waiting for work that is necessary just to make my home fully livable. What makes all of this even more infuriating is that the houses directly next to mine--built by the same company--are being completed, while mine remains unfinished. Their yards are fully landscaped with sod, their homes have been power washed and cleaned, and their driveways and walkways are pristine. Meanwhile, I'm left with mud, mess, and incomplete work. I have even gone out of my way to ask my neighbors how many unfinished items they were forced to close on, and not one of them had "punch list" items left undone. It is beyond frustrating to watch homes around me being wrapped up properly while I am left dealing with daily reminders of Southern Development's failure to complete what they started. And on top of everything, any work that needs to be done requires me to be home. That means I have to continuously take time off work just to let their crews in to fix the mistakes they never should have made in the first place. The financial and emotional burden of this house just keeps growing. To make matters worse, the workers they do send are filthy. Now that I've moved in, they track dirt, mud, and dust all over my house and furniture every time they come in to do work. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up after them, in a home that should have been move-in ready a month ago. I can't even put into words how disheartening this experience has been. Every time I walk through the door, instead of feeling excited or at peace, I feel nothing but regret. This house was supposed to be my home, but instead, it feels like a mistake I can't undo. If I could go back in time, I would walk away. I would never buy from Southern Development again, and I urge anyone considering it to think twice. Once they have your money, you're on your own. And if my experience is anything to go by, you'll be left with a house that feels unfinished, neglected, and completely overwhelming. I regret this purchase every single day. read more

We don't usually write reviews, but Southern Development deserves a shout out. We moved into a new home they built for us in 2015. Recently we had a problem with the siding on one part of the house. I contacted Mark Collins to discuss how I could get it fixed...I really thought he would just point me to some siding contractors and it would be our responsibility to get it fixed...but no...Mark has their crew come out to our house that day to take a look. Despite the house being over 5 years old, the next day they fixed it...and it involved replacing a portion of the siding. Their work was superb. These folks stand behind their product. You can buy with confidence. They are GREAT to work with and we are fans! read more

We chose Southern Development to build our home for us in 2010. This was the 3rd new home we've built in the area and BY FAR this was the best experience of the 3. The price was fair, the building process was surprisingly easy, and they've taken care of any issues that came up after we moved in. Our salesperson Judi was about as sweet a person as you'll ever meet-- no pressure, and fun to deal with. And Doug the superintendent was also very good, helping us with questions on site and even making some minor changes for us along the way. We did have a small plumbing problem that came up about 6 months after we moved in. Not a huge issue, but we wanted it fixed. When we bought the house they gave us the cell phone number for their warranty guy. We called him at 5pm and he was there the next day at 9am. They had it totally fixed within 48 hours and we haven't had any issues since. Bottom line: This builder does what they tell you they're going to do. Period. They deliver what they promise. That's refreshing. read more

As a recent home buyer from Southern Development, I would highly recommend them. Searching for a new home can seem daunting, but their team made the whole process really manageable and enjoyable. When we decided to buy with Southern, our sales manager was incredibly helpful in answering all of our questions and walking us through the paperwork and pricing options -- and he has been consistently responsive throughout the whole building process and even after we moved in. He also worked with the building team to help us make a few adjustments to the floor plan and gave us regular updates on the progress of the house. The design center, where buyers pick everything from their faucets to deck options, has a huge selection, and their interior designer could not have done a better job of walking us through all of the choices we had to make -- and when asked, she provided a second opinion that I really valued and trusted. I felt like she respected my budget and had great advice about where to spend and save to get the look we wanted at a price we could afford. And we did the whole meeting over lunch that Southern ordered for us, which was a pleasant surprise. We did a few walk throughs of the house, and the builders took us through the house from top to bottom, answered all of our questions, addressed any concerns, and really made sure that we understood the "bones" of the house before the dry wall and finishings were applied. We also got to do a very thorough final inspection where they touched up anything we pointed out so the house was totally ready for us to move in. Southern has hosted several social events in the time that we've been here, giving us the opportunity to get to know our neighbors in a fun setting and fostering a sense of community. Overall, our experience has been very positive and I've strongly recommend Southern Development to friends and family looking to buy in the Charlottesville area. We love our place and feel confident that we will always have an open line of communication with Southern as we live here for many years to come. read more

Choosing to build with Southern Development was a great decision. As a first-time home buyer, the process seemed daunting. But, they were always open to answering any and all questions and listened to each of our concerns. The Design Center was helpful, but overwhelming at first. Thankfully, their support staff made the decision-making process much easier by walking us through each and every step. They didn't pressure us out of our budget and tried to find ways to reach our home goals. Now that we've been in our home for quite some time, I still feel comfortable reaching out to their team to answer questions and address any issues that arise. While it does take some time for them to address the situation, they are still committed to helping us get to where we want to be. I would build with Southern again. read more

The sales manager provide false information to try to persuade people to buy/rent their houses. However, it has a good one year guarantee, since the house tends to break down easily. read more

Southern Development constructed our home in 2013, and my family is very pleased. They were meticulous in constructing the home to fit all of my family's needs until it was perfect for my family. The purchasing experience was enjoyable because the people I've worked with were considerate and accommodated all our concerns. Our sales manager David and our construction manager Robert are both excellent people and their high level of expertise really helped our purchasing process. read more