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My guide has over 100 questions you can ask a builder. Here are 3 examples.
1) When was the last time you were in a law suit from a customer, and what was it about?
2) How often will we communicate and meet about the progress of my home build?
3) When a problem occurs with one of your home builds, what is your process to fix it?
Choosing a home builder is the most important part of a home build, because a builder can make your build a breeze or a living nightmare.
Learn how to get the home you expect.
During my years as a construction foreman, I have seen a range of builders from great to awful. Now, of course, you don’t want the awful ones, but what’s amazing is how many times they are the ones picked by homeowners.
When I saw homeowners pick a bad builder, I thought to myself- “Why did they pick this builder? Don’t they understand how important it is to have a good builder? What are they missing or not understanding?”
Even when homeowners picked builders that weren’t bad, there were still issues regarding expectations not being met. I wondered, “Didn’t they discuss demands and requirements and then come to a mutual understanding regarding meeting those demands and requirements?”
I paid close attention to what was going on, and I learned that homeowners weren’t performing their due diligence with a builder. Or if they were, they weren’t doing it properly. And, why is this? Many of them get caught up in misguided thinking.
1)They assume any builder can build their house.
2)They think hiring a cheaper builder will save them money (often the opposite is true, costing them more).
3)They are willing to take a chance with the biggest purchase of their life, hoping it turns out well.
4) They don’t understand how many things can go wrong with a home build, until they go through a home build.
5) They believe asking a builder only a few questions while interviewing them is enough to determine their qualifications.
6) They didn’t realize how stressful and overwhelming a home build could be with an inadequate builder.
7)They assume contracts take care of everything, such as protecting them from bad builders and bad workmanship. (Detailed contracts are important, so that there is no confusion as to what is expected and they do provide a level of protection. But, often, disputes are not worth taking to court because of the time and cost to rectify the matter.)
8)Their excitement clouds their judgement.
9)They think they can figure it out as they go.
10) They are overconfident in their own ability and limited knowledge, which they believe is good enough to get them through the home build.
They lack knowledge in 2 areas. The first area is not realizing the importance of properly performing their due diligence with a builder, and the second is not knowing how to do it.
Knowing how to find a good builder and come to a mutual understanding with them are the truly difficult and elusive parts of a home build, yet they are the most critical.
Why is a good builder and coming to a mutual understanding with them so vital? Building a home is one of the most expensive, stressful, and overwhelming things you will do in your life, and the builder plays the biggest role in reducing those issues. If you start your build with a qualified builder and have a mutual understanding with them, it can make the difference between a nightmare build or a dream come true. So, do everything you can to start your build right!
If you find yourself thinking that you can take a lackadaisical approach to your home build, take a step back and consider the risk you are taking. It is imperative that you approach your build in a precise, educated, and calculated manner and not in a haphazard way. There’s too much at risk.
So, how do you go about this? How do you take such an approach to your build? Properly perform your due diligence with a builder.
As part of my mission to help others have a great home build, I have created guides that assist homeowners with starting their home build in the right way with a builder. These guides help owners find, interview, and vet a home builder, so they can have a successful build.
It takes a good builder to build a home in a timely manner, with quality, and according to your expectations. But, even good builders aren’t always strong in all the skills and character traits that it takes to build a house. For example, they may not be the best communicator, which can make it difficult for you if you’re expecting frequent updates. These guides will help you find the weak spots in a builder, so that you can determine if you want to work them and how to handle them if you do.
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