Hi guys. My wife and I are finally in a position to buy our first home 
Of all the builders in the Denver area (and we have seen model homes from pretty much all of them), we like Richmond's floor plans the most. They are exactly in line with what we're looking for. Everything seems very high quality but of course model homes always are that way. I always had a good impression of Richmond but I don't really know anyone who owns a house built by them so I have heard no first hand experiences.
Do you currently live in a Richmond-built home or know someone who does? I have seen some negative online feedback but I know that everyone with a positive experience usually doesn't randomly post about it.
LMK know what you know! Thanks.
A friend of mine bought one of their homes. Good experience. Took them a little longer than expected to finish the home and my friends had to give up their apt. The builder let them store their stuff in the unfinished garage for 2 weeks (they stayed with family).
One day or one week, exactly after the warranty expired, the upstairs toilet starting leaking on the dining room table. They called whomever and they came out and fixed the problem for free. 
Even thought it was past warranty.
Since some builders are going out of business, see what you can find about their financials and check with the BBB in your area.
Congrats!
In my opinion, no there is not.
Some of the builders will allow it and SOMEONE (you or the builder) has to pay the realtor a commission on the deal. It is usually tacked on, slyly, to the cost of the house, because the builder knows you have a realtor who is expecting to be paid. Other builders say up front that they will not pay a realtor commission.
The cost of the custom built house is rarely negotiable. They sit you down, you pick your lot, your pick your floor plan, you pick your features/add-ons. The builder usually offers bonuses (in concessions, like no closing costs, or no HOA fees for the first year, or a finished media room, etc) if you finance through them/their lender. There really isn't a lot for a realtor to do in this situation to earn a commission.
It's been my experience in talking to builders that they will not lock into a completion date because there are so many other uncontrollable factors. But you can try. If they say completion in March, then you can comeback with, if we have not closed on or before March 31, there will be a $100 per day taken off the final price. (It's a great tactic that most builders/sellers will not agree to....but some will!)
Next question please.
Mickie had some great points.
* never use the seller's agent as your own -- they represent the seller, not you. For example, you have Kathy as your realtor and she takes you to a house she has just listed on the market. That is a conflict of interest. She's representing the seller and she's representing you. She earns double commission if you buy her listing. My experience, going with the realtor to a builder was there really wasn't anything for her to do. And she said so. The builder has already set prices for things...
*which brings me to another point Mickie made -- ASK for things when you sit down and do the house deal!! It doesn't hurt to ask or try to negotiate! It is rare that they do, but it's worth the try especially since it's a buyers market.
Think about the financing you want to do. The builder already has preferred lenders that they have deals with. Thus the incentives they can tack onto the deal. If you go with your own financing, most will be ok with the pre-approval now and the closing in 3 months or so. Just tell them you are having the home built. Oh yeah, and ask them about their policies on that. One of the things I hated about the idea of using a builders lender is they use their own appraisers so naturally, the home will appraise for the purchase price! 
I never felt that was a real honest, or ethical, appraisal. Especially when only one or two homes in the development had been closed on. Your own appraiser will probably give you a better perspective of the true value of the home in comparison. Remember, you have two different appraisers appraise the same house and come back with different numbers and use different comps.
Talk to a bank/credit union and see what they say. Then talk to the builder and see what they say before you make any decisions.
And don't do anything that would jeopardize the deal! I was showed a house that was custom built. Then the wife quit her job like less than a week before closing and they lost the house. Why? The lender verified employment a second time right before closing. Found out she was NOT employed and they didn't meet the numbers on hubbies income alone. 
We have been in a RA home for almost 1 year now. In fact, our one year is coming up in two weeks. Although I love my house, our service from them has been terrible. We closed over a month late, had to pay for an appraisal supplement (because the home wasn't ready when they said, our whole community (65 homes) is dealing with the City to collect on their bonds because they built the stormwater ponds incorrectly and the $15k fix almost came out of our pockets, about 15 of us have 1 or more mechanics liens on our homes because they didn't pay their subs, and in order to get things done that we were promised, i.e., extra paint, leaning fence, leaking gutters, we had to get on their corporate Facebook page to complain. That is when the local reps jumped. All of that being said, we do really love our home, but I would warn you that everyone in our neighborhood has been extremely disappointed with them.
Starting Score: TU 589 EQ 526 EX603