Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Buying a new-construction home is supposed to mean peace of mind — no aging roof, no plumbing surprises, no cracks in the foundation. But in a high-end community in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada, several homeowners say their so-called dream homes are sinking. Literally.
Multiple residents of $1.3 million homes are speaking out, claiming their properties “went up too quickly” and without proper soil preparation. Now, according to their attorney, the ground beneath them is shifting — and the damage is escalating. Walls are cracking, floor tiles are separating, patios are pulling away from the house, and in some cases, entire structures are tilting.
Don’t Miss:
-
Forget Flipping Houses — This $36 Trillion Asset Class Lets You Invest Without Owning Property
-
Arrived Home’s Private Credit Fund’s has historically paid an annualized dividend yield of 8.1%*, which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with just a $100 minimum.
“They believe they bought a wonderful home and instead they bought a lemon,” said attorney Norberto Cisneros, who represents five homeowners in the community, told KVVU-TV in Las Vegas last month.
The homes in question were built roughly five years ago by PulteGroup in a neighborhood developed under the Del Webb brand. Cisneros alleges the soil beneath the homes was not properly compacted before construction — a step that’s critical for long-term structural stability, especially in areas where homes are built on ridgelines or uneven terrain. If that step is skipped or rushed, houses can gradually shift, tilt, or even collapse over time.
According to KVVU-TV, the damage is already visible and worsening. Some homes have gone through multiple rounds of cosmetic repairs, only for the same issues to resurface. One homeowner says their house is now leaning more than an inch and a half, making it difficult to walk safely indoors.
Trending: The ‘ChatGPT of Marketing’ Just Opened a $0.81/Share Round — 10,000+ Investors Are Already In
Cases like this aren’t isolated. Across the country, new construction defects are increasingly under scrutiny as builders race to meet demand in fast-growing regions. Structural problems often stem from poor soil prep, rushed timelines, or low-quality subcontracting. Even luxury homes aren’t immune. Common red flags include cracked drywall, shifting floors, misaligned doors and windows, and separation between patios and foundations — all of which are now surfacing in this case.
Under Nevada law, homeowners must notify builders before suing for construction defects. That notice gives the builder a chance to investigate and offer repairs within a 90-day window. Cisneros says that time has passed, and the builder — PulteGroup — has not offered to make repairs.
“At PulteGroup, we stand behind the quality of homes we deliver,” a spokesperson for PultrGroup told KVVU-TV . “We are actively engaged with homeowners in assessing their concerns and addressing warranty-related repairs to their homes.”
Cisneros, however, claims the builder’s offer to conduct “further investigation” falls short of the requirements laid out under Nevada’s NRS Chapter 40 statute. If no resolution is reached, he says legal action is imminent.
See Also: Backed by $300M+ in Assets and Microsoft’s Climate Fund, Farmland LP Opens Vital Farmland III to Accredited Investors
While the total number of affected homes in the community is still unknown, Cisneros believes the problem is widespread — and potentially costly. He estimates that fully stabilizing the land under each home could cost between $300,000 and $500,000 per property.
For those looking to invest in real estate without the risk of tilting floorboards or shifting soil, platforms like Arrived offer a hands-off alternative. The company lets users buy fractional shares of rental homes across the country — no foundation cracks, no drywall drama, no contractor callbacks required. Investors simply earn passive income as tenants pay rent, while skipping the hassles of home inspections, emergency repairs, and lemon lawsuits.
For anyone buying a newly built home, avoiding a structural nightmare starts with asking the right questions: Was the soil properly compacted? Can you see the geotechnical report? Has the lot been graded more than once? A third-party inspection — even on brand-new construction — can catch red flags before they turn into six-figure repairs. When it comes to real estate, glossy finishes don’t matter if the ground underneath can’t hold up.
Read Next: From Moxy Hotels to $12B in Real Estate — The Firm Behind NYC’s Trendiest Properties Is Letting Individual Investors In.
Image: Shutterstock
This article Homeowners Say Their $1.3 Million Las Vegas Mansions Are ‘Lemons’ That Were Built Too Fast, Now Ground Is Shifting Causing Homes To Crack and Fall Apart originally appeared on Benzinga.com
Terms and Privacy Policy
Yahoo News – Latest News & Headlines
Read the full article .
