Susan - You're making your decision more difficult than it should be. Builder reputation (and Realtors know best) is really all that's important beyond the value of the current product they have. Everything else you' re worried about can't be determined accurately enough to be factored into a decision. Reputation is really the sum of everything the builder has done. No one is strong financially right now. Quality is suffering as builders have to cut costs to keep their prices in line with this market. Subcontractors are going out of business so many of the same folks aren't swinging the hammers, hanging sheetrock, etc. etc. regardless of who the general contractor is. Find the best new home in the best neighborhood at the best price and have your home inspector look it over. Your agent can help.

You might consider going to the association of builders website. It depends on what county you are looking but you can go to the state site at http://www.biaw.com and search for the county you are interested in and then find the builder you are looking for. Of course this is going to mostly give you positive things about the builder but if they are not a member of the association, that might raise a red flag. I come at this a little different from alot of agents in that I used to be a builder. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

One of the best ways to find out about a builder is to see where they have built in the past few years and go to that neighborhood and ask the owners how they like their homes, how the builder handles call backs, and if they have had any problems. For financial information contact the title company and find out if there are any liens/judgements against this builder. If it is a smaller builder you can ask the title company to search out their sales in past years and contact the owners.
Mary (resident of Kirkland)

I neglected to include the JD Powers link earlier..... hope this helps you.

http://www.jdpower.com/homes

I spent a number of years representing two of the largest builders in the state and have continued to stay knowledgeable and abreast of area builders. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, although I know you are prefering not to seek the opinions of agents -- just know that you are welcome to call me if you have ANY questions.

But since you are seeking buyers opinions and perhaps would like to see customer service ratings you can visit, for example, JD Powers and Associates website, keeping in mind that not all builders are rated on there, you can visit the http://www.bbb.org (Better Business Bureau) to see if any complaints have been lodged against a builder, I have heard that Microsoft has a board posted for builders they would recommend or not (so if you know someone who works there you might try that avenue), ask neighbors who live in the community you are interested in if they have had a good buying experience, what would they have done differently, etc... Inquire as to their warranty, customer service program etc. since that is such a crucial part of new construction. Finally, just do a quick google search for the builder you are interested in and you will be surprised at the information you can find.

Best of luck to you!