Dover Realty Trust: Please finish my house!

I had just dialed into a conference call and had introduced myself. It was an important call that tore me away from my normal work. I was working at home that June day and it was just dumb luck that a guy was driving a tractor near the front of my house at the time.

And then it happened.

A horrible screeching noise erupted that filled my ears with pain. It so completely coincided with the tractor switching into reverse that I was confused for many seconds thinking that his reverse alert was sounding. But soon enough he started driving forward and the sound continued.

And then it all became clear to me. Every alarm in my house - every smoke detector, heat detector, alarm pad - every little electronic gadget that used its very capable voice to save lives was trying to tell me something.

After excusing myself from the meeting with a quick mention that my house was probably on fire and would someone please send the meeting minutes, I ran from room to room expecting to find the culprit. A hairdryer that had fallen into a sink, a toaster with a newspaper jammed in it, perhaps a box of oily rags that had burst into flames...

Into the basement I ran, expecting to find that my water heater had burst a fuel pipe and was blowing fuel from the severed hose, spewing flames in all directions as the hose thrashed about from the force of the expelled fuel and flame. But alas, all seemed to be normal.

I raced from one end of the house to the other looking, trying to find the smoke that would reveal the flames that must certainly be present to cause my entire house alarm to continue sounding.

The garage - maybe my car erupted into a huge fireball. The bedroom - I was sure my mattress was flame retardant... Everywhere I looked, all was fine.

And then it occurred to me to call the builder of my house, a guy by the name of Joe Savarese.

This hadn't immediately occurred to me. Probably because I find that I am still getting used to the idea of living in a newly built home. My wife and I bought this house in November of last year. Neither of us had bought a new house before, and even today we aren't accustomed to the idea of living in a house that is neither finished nor actively being finished.

Thankfully Joe knew what to do: "go to every smoke detector in the house and look for a blinking red light", he said. Apparently the smoke detectors are all wired together and work in concert with the security system, but each one knows whether it is the cause of the alert. And after about 10 minutes of searching - 10 minutes of an ear-piercing , mind-jolting peal - I disconnected the detector in the house attic.

The alarm stopped immediately, though I'm sure I could still hear it ringing in my ears minutes later.

Tuesday June 26, 2007. The alarm system sounded inexplicably, the cause apparently a faulty unit in the attic. Joe asked me to swap it with the one in the garage.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007. The alarm system sounded again. The swapped unit had exactly the same problem.

Sunday, August 26, 2007. Joe has still not addressed the problem.

So we live in a house that is still under warranty, and the builder doesn't apparently see fit to do the most basic repairs, even though this one is a serious safety concern.

Over time I will tell the entire story about a couple buying a newly built house and the experience of trying to get the builder to finish it. Perhaps you can identify with my story. Or perhaps it can serve as a warning. There are many lessons that we have learned through this experience that I will share along the way.

I would caution that the the old adage that "you get what you pay for" doesn't ring completely true. My revision would be "you never get more than you pay for", essentially calling attention to those hopefully rare instances in which the other party simply takes the money and runs away.

We bought our house from Dover Realty Trust (aka Dover Properties), a company comprised of Stephen N. Gibbs (known to us as Jake Gibbs) and Joe Savarese and sold through their Coldwell Banker agent, Andrea Mills. We were comforted by the idea that Joe liked to do business based on his reputation, and his handshake was more meaningful than any contract he could sign. Additionally, the contract boasts "Dover Realty Trust offers much more through Design, Craftsmanship, and a Commitment to Excellence." Dover Realty Trust has not fulfilled their part of our contract, and I continue to wait for them to finish our house.

Wait with me. The journey will be enlightening and hopefully entertaining. Also, it will be less expensive for you than it was for me.