What to look for in a home builder

Choosing a home builder can be an overwhelming process. We understand that you require a builder who will conduct themselves professionally and produce an exceptional standard of work. We also understand that you want value for your money so we are here to help you protect your home and pocket. To help you in your search for the perfect builder, we have put together the following points to consider.

Range of Designs

A builder’s range of home designs will give you a good insight into what they can and can’t do, and how flexible they are if you want to make changes to your design. Keep in mind a 3-bedroom home can be easily converted to a 4-bedroom design – and there’s more than one way to design a bathroom!

Price

Price is usually the biggest factor in choice – but the cheapest isn’t always the best. By spending a little more money, your options can increase significantly and mean better quality items installed in the home, and better trades delivering a better finish.

Quality

A home is a huge investment so you want to be sure of a builder’s quality. Display homes are a good starting point, but also look at homes under construction. Also, consider the maintenance period a builder offers and whether it is in-house or outsourced. Quality appliances and fittings are also important so be sure to check which brands the builder uses as some products have better warranty periods than others.

Specifications

The choices available to you are very important, as this will have the greatest effect on what your home could look like. A builder’s specification will outline the choices available to you, and the suppliers and showrooms to visit for different fittings, fixtures and appliances. It is important to compare builders’ specifications as some builder’s inclusions may become standard in their specifications while others may charge you extra for the same inclusions.

Service

From a builder’s perspective – service is one of the most important considerations to make. You are making a large commitment – you want to be sure that people are available to you when you have questions, need to check items, or simply to talk about how things are progressing. It’s a large commitment financially – but also emotionally. A good builder will ensure people are available to you and be motivated to provide you with a good building experience

Experience

An important consideration to keep in mind when choosing a builder is how long the builder has been in the industry. Given the current economic climate, we recommend choosing a builder with a good reputation and history in the industry. This will help to reduce the risk of choosing a builder that may go into liquidation, potentially leaving you with an uninsured, half-completed home.

Promotions and Offerings

Many builders offer promotions in order to capture clients. These offers and promotions can be overwhelming at times therefore we recommend determining which promotion best suits your needs. Whether it be a bonus $10, 000 to finish of your home or if it is free air conditioning throughout your home determine which offer will provide you with the best value when building your new home.

Client Reviews

Product Review is becoming an increasingly popular medium for clients when choosing a builder. With many home builders now on the website, Product Review allows clients to provide reviews of their building process during or post-build. When looking at reviews on Product Review, we recommend paying close attention to the negative reviews. These will provide you with valuable insight into how builders communicate with clients and address issues/ concerns that they may be faced with when building their new home.