Dear Joe & Monica

We wish to share with you our experience with your company and feel free to share this with those potential customers interested in finding a top-notch home builder in the Mat-Su area. We wish to express to you both our complete satisfaction in a process which is, by its very nature, inherently fraught with little problems along the way, no matter who the builder may be. What we wanted was a quality builder who would work with us to help us achieve our dream, and not theirs. We found that in your company, J & M Homes.

Let us begin by stating that we have never been so impressed with a company such as yours, so much so that we have written this testimonial praising your efforts completely and done so freely of our own accord. We feel it behooves us that when a company stands heads above all others it falls upon us to share our good fortune with any individual or family looking for the right general contractor.

We began our search for a home builder over the course of about two years, shortly after purchasing our 5 acres of land. We recognized the absolute importance in finding the right builder. We had heard the many horror stories so many home owners tell of; stories of crooked walls, of cost over-runs, and of ungodly delays. We never experienced any of that with your company.

Our search for the perfect builder took us throughout the Valley and into Anchorage. We spoke to virtually every home vendor over the two years we attended the Mat-Su and Anchorage Home Shows to learn as much as we could, as well as to get recommendations for a great builder. We also spent two years attending the “Parade of Homes” here in the Valley, all in the attempt to gather as much information as to make it possible to find the right builder. We spoke with numerous local Realtors as well as a myriad of local home suppliers, such as all of the local lumber suppliers, etc. We spoke to many high-end home suppliers in our area (appliance dealers, the Jacuzzi dealer, Brown’s Lighting, K&W interiors, and numerous carpet showrooms, etc) in an attempt to gage opinions on local home builders. We also included in our search ratings given by the Alaska Builders Association. We extensively interviewed well over 10 local contractors and then physically inspected each of their model homes. We even went so far as to speak with total strangers who just happened to live in homes and neighborhoods of the caliber and style we were interested in building. We found it sad and somewhat surprising just how many home owners regretted their choice of builder. We were determined to avoid this at all cost.

Our process, as you might realize, was quite time consuming for us, but we felt it imperative to pick the right builder. So after much research we finally came up with one of the “big” contractors who specialized in custom built homes. We had mistakenly believed “bigger” was better and were primarily limiting our search to the really large “mega” builders. We actually got to the point we had picked a builder, so we thought, but we very quickly learned that this “mega” builder did not have the time nor the personal attention available to us that we believed was going to be absolutely necessary (and it was) in order to bring our dream home to fruition. So, after one too many “brush-offs” (such as: “speak with the Realtor if you have any questions”) we cancelled and began again in earnest to find our dream builder.

After a few more agonizing months we finally found a “mid” sized builder that satisfied our every requirement, in fact, that company surpassed our wildest expectations.

Your company, J & M Homes, has felt much more like doing business with family (the good kind). You were patient with us when most companies would have brushed us off. You helped us understand the process and most importantly you helped us understand why one thing was better than another when it came time to build. It was like getting a degree in Home Building from Harvard. Anytime we needed help, you were there for us with open hands. You both truly earned our business.

But in all sincerity, the one thing that stuck out in our minds most was the quality of your finish carpentry and the many other touches of elegance you added to your homes. As amateur wood enthusiasts, we could spot shoddy workmanship a mile away. But upon entering the first J & M home (and each subsequent home), we saw the attention to detail and the old-world craftsmanship we thought long dead in this day and age. We had finally found a builder that took as much pride in their work, and of those in their employ, as we do in our work (and that’s a tough act to follow when you’re as picky as we are).

So thank you Joe and Monica for making our dream home a reality and in your consummate professionalism. You are both forever in our hearts and we live everyday blessed by the knowledge that we chose our builder correctly. You’ll never know the pride we take when total strangers come by our home and ask us who built our home (and that happens frequently during the summer months). We have never hesitated repeating the above story to any one who asks us our opinion of a builder and in expressing our highest recommendation for your company as the only place to go if you want the best quality for the best price, with total professionalism, as well as an air of ever present help offered so graciously whenever asked.

Again, thank you for fulfilling our greatest dream---our home. It is rare to find a home builder who was once a complete stranger, but who now we can call a friend, even a family member. You are truly one-of-a-kind.

Our best wishes to you both, and again we thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

John & Catherine Gray