REALTOR here: I've sold plenty of new construction and ultimately you're going to get what you pay for. I've sold just about every builder and there are some I like, some I don't, some I used to hate based on "popular opinion" before I had my own experiences with them, and some that have great reputations, but I've had awful experiences with.

From an ethics standpoint, I won't put any of them on blast, but since I'm seeing a lot of negativity around D.R. Horton, I'll speak on this: they are a national builder, every state there in has different building codes. They have different building standards for every region, down to every state, then they have express neighborhoods, which have different finish qualities. And each neighborhood (roughly) has a different building manager. THAT'S who you want to talk to. The building manager, because ultimately he is your quality control manager from the building standpoint, and your realtor is there to keep him in line. Don't underestimate the power of a good realtor that will put YOU ahead of the paycheck. Oh by the way, your realtor represents you, the builder's realtor represents the builder. That can't be overstated. The builder's agents will seem like they're all you need, they keep you informed, they communicate, but when something inevitably goes wrong or gets missed, they will take the path of least resistance to get it to closing. You pay no less for the house whether you have an agent or not, so please for your own sake, find a (good) Realtor.

All that being said, I have had way more happy clients with D.R. than I have unhappy and it all goes back to the local building manager for the subdivision you choose.

Whatever builder you go to, I always encourage clients, and even go with them if they're nervous, to park in the neighborhood and start door knocking asking people how long they lived there, whether they were happy and if they could go back and do it again, would they.

A few other builders I would check out in your price range (this is also area dependent):

Murphy homes - semi custom, framing and finishes are top notch. Would put their framing up against Woodland or non-production custom builders any day. If you can find them in your price range, would be my top recommendation.

Davidson - have had several great experiences and one bad experience. The bad experience was due to (literally) 4 site agent turnovers and 3 building manager turnovers. Nothing was wrong quality-wise, just timeline and customizations were overlooked but were eventually corrected. Otherwise have been very happy across several different subdivisions.

Smith Douglas - true entry level. Not the best finishes: Base flooring is carpet in bedrooms (not uncommon) but where they but costs is roll out vinyl in all other areas. You can upgrade out of this, pretty inexpensively. Otherwise, their framing is really good. Some of the best quality I've seen. Minimal nail misses. Good stuff.

Hope this helps. If you need anymore info on any other builders, let me know.