1) When your home is started, go to the site EVERY DAY. Be sure to follow their site visit guidelines. You could also go in the late afternoon, most of the contractors leave at 5pm.
2) Take pictures, video, etc. but document, document, document.
3) If you see something wrong call the community construction manager about it. Keep on his/her ass.
4) Make sure they notify you of the pre-drywall inspection. That is also a good time to take a video camera and video tape all of the wiring, plumbing, studs, etc (great for future reference when you want to do work on your house).
5) When you do your final walk through. Take your time. Take your own roll of blue painters tape to mark ALL of the imperfections and all of the problems. Don't let them rush you. They "forgot" the blue tape the day we walked through, thankfully we knew they would pull this, so we came prepared.
6) Better yet, mark the wall imperfections with a No 2 pencil. That way they will HAVE to fix the problem (they may just paint over the problem), but at least you won't have the same issue we did. They just tore off our blue tape without fixing the issues.
7) Remember that YOU are paying a boatload of money for this house...not them. YOU will be the one who has to live in this house. So, make sure it is right the first time.
8) If the home isn't the way it should be(*). DON'T GO TO SETTLEMENT. If you can afford to stay in your old home or rental for a few more days, weeks or months do it. They will be more than willing to get the problems fixed because they are losing money everyday your house isn't settled on.
(*)This is a direct quote from www.khov.com "...we have earned a solid reputation for integrity, dependability, leadership and value, due in large part to our unwavering attention to quality construction and unfailing pursuit of customer satisfaction. We know that your home is the foundation for your family's lifestyle, and we honor that philosophy by making sure your new home meets your every desire."
9) When you do go to closing, be prepared to answer their survey. Find it here.
10) If you have problems (and I know you will) submit them to me and I'll get them on the site.
11) Hire an attorney if you have to.
12) Share your experience elsewhere on the web, such as:
H.A.D.D. - Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings
H.O.B.B. - HomeOwners for Better Buildings
Rate Your Builder.info
Get educated about starting your own gripe site at Webgripsites.com
13) File a complaint about K. Hovnanian with the Better Business Bureau in your state www.bbb.com
14) Hire an independant home inspector prior to the expiration of your limited 1 year home warranty offered by K. Hovnanian.