Do Your Homework

Okay, so now you know how to make a list of builders and determine whether they specialize in quality, speed, or price. Are you ready to make your choice?

Not yet.

When choosing a builder, you really have to do your homework. Building a home is a major investment, and you should shop for your builder as carefully as you shop for your home. Whether you are building a condo, a townhouse, a house in a subdivision, or a custom built house, you want to know that you are going to get a good quality home from a reputable builder.

The best way to learn about a particular builder is to visit homes he has built and talk with the owners. You might want to consider the following:

• Ask the builders on your list for the addresses of their recently built homes and subdivisions. Builders may even be able to provide names of some home owners who would be willing to talk with you.
• Drive by on a Saturday morning when home owners may be outside doing chores or errands. Introduce yourself and just be honest; tell them that you are going to be building your own home and that you are considering working with the builder who built their home. Talk to several owners, and try to get a random sample of opinions.  You’ll get a much more accurate idea of the quality of a particular builder by talking to as many people as you can. At the very least, drive by and see if the homes look well-built.
• When you talk to builders and home owners, take along a notebook to record the information and your personal impressions about specific builders and homes. Doing so will help you to make comparisons later. Some questions you can ask people include:

Are you happy with your home? If you had any problems, were they fixed promptly and properly? Would you buy another home from this builder?

Usually, people tell you if they are pleased with their homes. And if they are not, they’ll probably want to tell you why.

A Few More Tips

If you want to find a good builder, you really need to look at new houses whenever you can.

Home shows and open houses provide an excellent opportunity to look at new homes. Model homes and houses displayed in home shows are often furnished to give you ideas for using the space, but you can also ask a builder to see unfurnished homes.

When examining a home, look at the quality of the construction features. Inspect the quality of the cabinetry, carpeting, trimwork, and paint.

Ask the builder or the builder’s representative a lot of questions. Get as many specifics as possible. If you receive the answers verbally rather than in writing, take notes. Never hesitate to ask a question. What seems like an insignificant question might yield an important answer.

Hopefully you found something here that can help you.