Just moved in over the past week and thought I'd share some personal experiences for those up & comers:
Process for getting the keys - it was a bad experience and not sure where to "point the finger" (myself? my lawyers? Freed lawyers? Freed's reps?). All I know is that once my lawyers filed the paper work on the Friday (move in date was the following Monday), I didn't get the keys until Wednesday 5pm. Be extremely cautious when booking movers or any activities on that day. It's not as simple as walking in, picking up your keys, and entering you're new home. In short, I had given my lawyers ample notice of my occupancy date back in December, followed up with them the Thursday prior, they advised that they did not receive any communication from Freed's lawyers, and then began the fun...basically don't expect any fast results.
PDI list compared to Move In - I had about 38 items on the PDI ranging from scratches on the kitchen counter to certain custom layout features not adhered to. When I moved in, I'd say for the most part all the little ones were taken care of (nicks, scratches, etc.) but the big ones are still outstanding. I followed up with the customer service rep and there was a bit of confusion regarding what was processed during my initial contract (custom features) versus what was selected during the finishes selection. A bit frusterating considering it was clearly mapped out on the floor plan and documented on all documents. Now I have to deal with construction to two bathrooms and potentially the kitchen as well.
Quality
- The quality of the floors and the cabinets (upgrades) are fantastic! We selected some standards, but mostly upgrades and all look equally top notch. I do caution those who upgraded to high gloss cabinets to look for cracks. I found one post PDI that is barely noticable, but it's at the corner of the cabinet approx 1 inch long....virtually invisable in dim lighting given the standard fixture provided.
- The pillars are nicely finished with trim on the bottom. The ceilings could have been a bit better, but sometimes "rustick" is modern.
- The suite door is nice...heavy, but it's meant to reduce drafts. The unfortunate thing is that the hallway side of the door is scratched & dented and it's not just my unit either. I'm not sure how Freed will respond to this.
- Blinds (for those who purchased with Freed) look amazing (I purchased charcoal gray 1%) and the installation was done professionally.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase (location, unit size, finishes), but the experience has been very stressful mainly because I had higher expectations with customer service from Freed. I know most trades are outsourced but to move in to a unit that still looked like it was under construction, plus having to fight for my key, leaves me with a lot of bitterness. My advice to those still waiting is to plan for many issues and be happy if/when there are few.