How To Choose The Right Builder For Your New Home
Do you need help choosing a builder to construct your new home or office? We’ve put together a list to help you decide what to look for and what to avoid.
It can be overwhelming to choose the right builder when you are building a new home. In today’s market, we have a lot of choices! It can be hard to decide where to begin when there are so many firms, companies, and builders competing for our attention.
You can find boutique builders who only take on a few high-end projects at a given time. They have designers, architects, and landscapers on staff and charge a lot. Modular home builders sell thousands of prefabricated kits a year. These homes have very limited customization options, if at all. However, they are a great option for those who want to build on a budget.
The majority of us will fall somewhere in between; we’ll choose to build with either a project or volume builder. These companies offer a high level of customization and decent build times but are not expensive. They’re perfect, or as Goldilocks might say.
We were fortunate to find a sales consultant willing to help us change/alter plans to meet our family’s requirements. It was ultimately his willingness to guide us and hold our hand that led us to choose his company.
We made some mistakes along the building process but we loved the final result and our experience! I’ve put together a list of things to consider when interviewing builders… hopefully, you can choose a winner as well!
1. Find a block of land first
You should consider where you would like to live before you do anything else. This is for several reasons:
- Before visiting a display village, you should determine which builders service your area.
- Certain blocks or estates are owned by certain building companies, which can limit your choices.
- Finding a floor plan that works for irregularly shaped, sloping, or narrow blocks (read our tips on how to design a house for a narrow block) can be difficult. Before they can offer any advice, builders will need this information.
2. Visit a Builder’s Display Village
Visit a display home to get a good idea of the builder’s quality.
You can save yourself a lot of time by looking for a mixed-display village near you. They are usually found in newer estates and feature a wide range of display homes by different builders, all within walking distance.
Take plenty of pictures and notes when you visit each builder’s house. After a while, all the homes will feel the same and it’ll become difficult to distinguish which one is which.
Display homes are often the best of what a builder has to offer. Display homes are often full of upgrades and may not be a true representation. Before you sign anything, make sure you know what is included in the builder’s initial cost and what will cost you more later.
3. Budgets are not a magic bullet.
You probably saw this coming a mile off. Unfortunately, money is the most important factor in choosing a builder to construct your new home.
If your budget does not allow it, there’s no sense in contacting a luxury homebuilder. Even though we’d all love to build the house of our dreams custom, many of us are still far away from that goal.
Be sure to note the ‘ticket prices’ for each builder’s land and home packages before you engage with them. This is not a 100% accurate representation of the final build cost, but it will give you a good idea.
4. Do Your Homework
It’s worth doing some research on your potential home builder before you commit to anything. It’s normal to find a few negative reviews or experiences, but an overwhelming number should be cause for concern.
Try to find someone who has recently worked with the builder. You can do this by joining Facebook groups or messaging someone privately on Instagram. You may be lucky to have a family member or friend who recently built with a company. You’ve just hit the jackpot.
5. Ask questions to your builder
You should always be prepared with questions when you meet with a sales consultant. I suggest taking notes in the meeting to be able to review them later.
Even though your family may have different needs than mine, I believe there are a few questions worth asking no matter what your circumstances are. Feel free to add your questions.
- How long does it take you to build a new car?
- How long is the construction process?
- Are you offering a fixed-price build or are there variations in this contract?
- What is the amount of the deposit and when is it due?
- Does landscaping include the cost?
- Can I change this floorplan to my liking?
- What is included in your standard packages?
- Do you offer custom floor plans/can I use my plan?
- Do you have an art studio/design center?
- When will I know the final price?