Do not let viral doom clips set your expectations. Those videos get passed around precisely because they show the worst cases. A feed full of construction disasters will convince you the whole industry is failing, and plenty of national builders turn out solid homes. On any specific builder, weigh real local reputation and what recent buyers in your area say over online clips. Remember too that builders get acquired and merged, so the name on the sign may say little about who is actually building today. What genuinely protects you, new construction or resale, is your own independent inspection: - Hire your own inspector rather than relying on the builder's walkthrough or the municipal sign-off. - Insist that anything the inspection turns up gets fixed before you close, while you still have leverage. Builders will often try to push repairs past closing, and you do not have to let them. A first home is a big step. Your own due diligence, an independent inspection plus fixes documented before closing, matters far more than any online rating of the builder.