Impression Homes Review: Pricing, Quality & DFW Communities

First impressions are lasting impressions, right? That's what some people say. So when you're looking at Impression Homes here in DFW, you want to know what kind of impression they're actually making, and whether you should consider them when building your next new construction home.

I sell a ton of new construction across the Metroplex, so I've walked through plenty of Impression communities. I've seen their floor plans, talked to their sales reps, and read what real buyers have to say after closing. Today I'm going to give you the full picture: where they build, what they cost, what you're getting for the money, and whether this builder is the right fit for you. If you're relocating to DFW or already here and considering new construction, my contact information is right at the top of this article, call, text, or email. I'd love to help you find the home that makes the most sense for your situation.

Let's talk about Impression Homes and see if they should be on your list.

Table of Contents

• Where Impression Homes Builds in DFW
• Design Quality and What to Expect
• Pricing and Floor Plans: Royse City and Beyond
• Energy Efficiency and Standard Features
• What Real Buyers Say: Reviews from Google, BBB, and Yelp
• Waterscape Royse City: Impression vs. Tri Pointe
• Should You Build with Impression Homes?

Where Impression Homes Builds in DFW

Impression Homes is fairly well spread out across the Metroplex. You've got several options to the south, Mansfield, Midlothian, and a few in Fort Worth. To the north, they're building in Melissa and Aubrey(Aubrey Creek Estates specifically). Then to the east, you'll find them in Mesquite, Forney, and Royse City.

So if you're looking at options, you could find them in a ton of different spaces and places. That geographic spread gives you flexibility if you're trying to balance commute, school district, or proximity to family. But location is only part of the equation. You also need to know what you're getting when you walk through the door.

Design Quality and What to Expect

When it comes to design quality, I think they're all right. As the kids say these days, they're mid. I've not walked into any of their homes and been like, oh my gosh, overwhelming feeling of just the wow factor. But I've also not walked into their homes and been like, yeah, this is rough. They land somewhere in the middle.

For the most part, if you understand what you're buying, it could be a good option. I would say they're probably a builder you might consider if you're just getting into the home buying experience and you're looking for potentially a first home or starter home. I don't think you're going to get a ton in terms of wow factor upgrades or finishes that make you stop and stare. That's just not there. So if you understand that perspective and you're mindful about what you're getting, it could potentially be a good fit.

From my experience walking those models and seeing their build quality, it's straight mid. Basic level cabinetry in the kitchen. Nothing that jumps out as premium. If you know what you're getting into and you're looking at this as a way to get into the market at a certain price point, then let's have that conversation.

Pricing and Floor Plans: Royse City and Beyond

Let's talk numbers. I'm going to use Waterscape in Royse City as an example because that's a community I know well and it gives us a good baseline for comparison.

At Waterscape, Impression has floor plans starting around $324,990. I looked at a quick move-in that was listed at $318,671 for a 4-bed, 2-bath with 1,671 square feet. At that size, you're looking at smaller bedrooms, but it gets you 4 beds and a 2-car garage. I would put this in the category of a starting home, think like Vim, Centex, or a Horton Express. When you understand the context of what you're getting, it's not bad. You're looking at homes in that $309,000 to $343,000 range in Royse City, which I think is probably their sweet spot in terms of pricing.

Now let's look at the higher end of their range. I pulled up a home in Justin listed at $452,000 for 2,600 square feet. So we added 1,000 square feet to the home, and you can see it's almost the same layout as that first one we looked at. It adds a flex space, and you still get the 4 bedrooms. A little bit more space, a little different layout, but overall probably about the same in terms of quality, design, and finish out. Again, not saying it's bad. It's just mid.

One thing I noticed while trying to navigate their website: it's a little clunky. There's not a super easy way to sort through their list by price or see what you want to see quickly. It sorts by address, and I don't really care about that. User experience matters, especially because so much of the home search starts online these days.

Energy Efficiency and Standard Features

One thing I do think is important when we look at all these builders is energy efficiency. Most new homes should be relatively energy efficient, and Impression advertises a 15 SEER HVAC system, radiant barriers on the roof, double-paned windows, programmable thermostat, soffit vents, and R-8 insulated air ducts.

Not bad on the energy efficiency front. Again, most builders these days are relatively energy efficient. There's a few that stand out as more energy efficient than others, but Impression is right there kind of in that middle of the pack with where everybody else is at. You're not getting cutting-edge green building tech, but you're also not getting something that's going to cost you a fortune to heat and cool.

What Real Buyers Say: Reviews from Google, BBB, and Yelp

Here's the thing that I find interesting. When you go to their website and scroll to homebuyer testimonials, the newest review they show online is from April 20th of 2020. That's the newest thing on their website, April 2020, right as COVID was starting. I don't know that I'd call that a red flag, but that might be a beige flag. Like, hi, we want to look at that.

I want to give this caveat: online reviews can always be skewed one way or the other. You can almost find data to prove anything that you want to prove, whether it's really great, really terrible, or anything in between. So I always tell people, hey, let's take it with a grain of salt. If you're interested in Impression, let's go have a conversation. Let's just ask. Let's see what they say and take it all with a grain of salt.

And as always, I will die on this hill: I don't care who builds your home. I don't care if it's Impression, Horton, Highland, or a custom home builder. Spend the money, get the home inspected. It's worth it. Please, let's get the home inspected if we're buying new construction.

Google My Business Reviews

On Google, Impression Homes has an average of 3 stars from 88 reviews. Let me walk you through some of what people are saying.

One buyer wrote: "First of all, I really like my house. Home plans are pretty good for the price. Bought my home before prices went crazy. Quality, not so much. They seem to use cheap material and the final results are mediocre. Follow up with the builder after closing to address issues was a nightmare. Had to be after them. After a week they promised they would come and fix something. They started on it, 2/3 of it wasn't done. Personally wouldn't recommend them to family and friends because of my experience."

Another review warned about incentive changes: "New home buyers looking to buy something here, please be aware we fell into a trap. We had a discussion, they talked to us about the financing incentives and the upgrade incentives, and they wanted to get it done before the end of the week. And basically things changed."

I want to pause and talk about those two reviews specifically. First, the warranty thing. Most builders have warranties, and I'll just be honest, sometimes they are clunky and a little bit difficult to navigate. That is not a unique thing for Impression. That's kind of across the board. They all have these warranties, but sometimes they're just clunky and difficult to navigate. It's not if something goes wrong, it's when something goes wrong. What are they going to do to make it right? So you got to stay on top of those things. Use the portal, send the emails, do the things you got to do. Document like crazy. They should do a better job honoring their warranty.

Second thing on the incentives: here's what I know as I walk into all these different new construction communities. Sometimes, most of the time when we get to the end of a month or we get to the end of a quarter, the sales staff in that community has no idea what's coming next until it actually happens. They get no say-so on what the incentive will be. When they tell you they don't know, most of the time they're telling the truth. They legitimately do not know until like the morning of. They get an email and they're like, hey, here's the new sale, here's what we're doing. I wish we would be better about that. That's across the board, that's a complaint. So yes, they should have figured out a way to honor what was going on, but also those sales incentives are changing constantly, sometimes month by month, sometimes quarter by quarter, sometimes based on how much inventory gets sold. They're constantly changing, which is why I tell a lot of people, let me do all that homework for you and just try and find the information, gather it for you, and say let's make a decision that makes the most sense.

One review mentioned foundation issues: "They messed up the foundation during the build twice. The structural engineer had to come out about a month before closing. Sold my house. I was living in a hotel for 3 months." Another claimed: "They were one of the builders canceling contracts because I bought it pre-COVID pricing. Turned around and sold it a week later for about $80 grand more. Unethical business. Will never recommend."

There was also a review from another realtor in Keller ISD who was initially excited because the builder offered sprinkler system, tile, and wood floors, things you usually don't get unless you upgrade. But the walkthrough revealed problems: "Garage was left unfinished, which is something we were not told about. The builders laid the driveway, it was too hot and there were cracks all the way throughout. Sloppy paintwork, dead tree in the front yard, unfinished tile in the shower. Garage door didn't work the first week or so. The paint was peeling off with dents on the door. The contractor was dismissive. I guess because I'm a woman and did not look me in the eyes. We don't do that. That's a no-no. Brought it up, said those are normal. Should have seen those before the walkthrough. So many infractions on the house, I was not able to catch all of them. Sold many new builds, but this was the worst. Never again. Buyer beware."

Yes, it's never gonna be perfect. Yes, there are things that you find after you move in. But it's not if, it's when. Yes, there is a shortage of contractors. Yes, good labor is hard to come by. But we still have to do the right things and care about people. I'm sorry, we just got to.

Better Business Bureau and Yelp

On the Better Business Bureau site, I sorted reviews by date. One buyer from August 2023 said they bought a home in 2021, started noticing cracking, and the warranty stated they couldn't do anything about it. Another wrote: "Throughout the build process, throughout the close, not only did our new build take 18 months, but now we have been in the house almost a year. We have a crazy amount of issues. We had to file a warranty at least once a month, including electrical and water things. Would not recommend."

Another complaint: "Have a laundry list of issues. We had a notice of a leak. It was a $1,500 repair. There was problems with the roof all the way throughout. Our home seems safe enough. We will see. The contractors must have been the lowest of bidders. They're not having the slightest work ethic. Zero quality control. Concrete work is horrible. There was holes in the concrete. The oven broke."

One buyer pointed out a drainage issue: "We should have got drainage. The other builder in the neighborhood gave people drains. Steer clear." That's a good point if you're building in a development. Cheapest builder is not always the best option.

On Yelp, recent reviews echoed similar themes. One said: "Anytime they had a problem, I was told there was not a problem and things were to code. Had a written statement from the electrical company acknowledging that it was to code, but it really wouldn't work. Bathroom fixtures aren't working correctly, no value for whatever you pay. Run as far as you can."

Listen, there's so much that goes into the build process. There's the builder, there's the sales rep, there's all the teams that work through your home, there's the contractors. Guys, ask questions. I want you to buy a good quality home. I want you to find something that is going to be beneficial for you and your family, for you to grow into, for you to make memories in, for you to enjoy.

Waterscape Royse City: Impression vs. Tri Pointe

At the end of the day, if you find an Impression home and you're like, Zak, this is the house, I'm happy to help you do that. I just need you to understand and be aware of what you're buying. And that's with any builder. Don't expect fully custom at not full custom pricing. Expect quality, yes, 100 percent, we want quality. But just know what you're getting yourself into.

I want to wrap up with a comparison because I've said before, just because they're the cheapest doesn't mean they're the best. We started this video with Impression Homes in Royse City at Waterscape. There's several different builders and price points in that community, and I want to show you the difference.

With Impression at Waterscape, we've got quick move-in options: 1,600 square feet, 4-bed, 2-bath for $318,000. Another at 2,000 square feet, 4-bed, 2-bath for $343,000. Nothing wrong there.

Same neighborhood, different builder. This is Tri Pointe. I think I like their quality a little bit more. A 4-bedroom, 2-bath, 2,200 square feet with Tri Pointe is $374,000. So $374,000 versus $343,000. We're moving $40,000. Yes, $40,000, when you're like, oh my gosh, $40,000, that's a lot. But when you look at it in terms of financing, it's not as big of a gap as you think.

I just want you to see that and be like, hey, listen, don't just jump into something just to jump. Make the right decision. Please make the right decision. Within that community, there's a few different options. Even if we looked at Highland Homes in the same neighborhood, they're at a different price point, $100,000 more, not trying to get you to do that, but that's a different game. Highland's a different builder. I know that quality is better.

My job is to give you data. My job is to help you any way that I can. I sell a ton of new construction. I believe in the new construction space. I think we need those homes in that space, but I want you to get the one that makes the most sense for you.

Should You Build with Impression Homes?

So here's my take. If this is a first-time home and you're looking and you're like, hey, this gets us into the market, is it worth considering? Maybe. Based on what we saw online, based on my experience, I wish I could give you a straightforward answer, but my job is just to give you data and to help you make that informed decision.

Impression Homes builds in a lot of places across DFW. Their pricing is competitive, especially in that $300,000 to $450,000 range. Their energy efficiency is on par with most production builders. But the reviews suggest you need to be prepared to stay on top of warranty issues, document everything, and manage your expectations on finishes and contractor follow-through.

If I can help you in any way, my contact information is at the bottom of this article. Whether it's Rockwall, Celina, Fort Worth, Waxahachie, anywhere here in DFW, if it comes to new construction, I'd love to help you. I can't help if you don't reach out. Call or text me at 469-707-9077 or book a FREE consultation here.

And as always, get the home inspected. I don't care who the builder is. Spend the money. It's worth it.