Building a custom home allows you to have everything you want in the home of your dreams, which is not something you find often in an existing home. The sacrifice you make building a custom home rather than buying a new home is the time it takes. You’re not moving into your new home in six to eight weeks following the date you purchase it, but you’re also not making any other sacrifices. Once you make the decision to design and build your custom dream home, you must find the right builder. Knowing what to look for and how to hire the builder you want is the first step in this exciting process.
Talk to the Community
References are the best way to find a great builder for your new home. There is a trick to finding the best builder when you’re checking references, however. You must look past the answers people give about loving their new dream home following construction. What you want to look for when asking people for references are the buts. They might say they love their new dream home, but they didn’t appreciate it took 8 months longer than originally discussed.
While you must allow for certain complaints about various things, sometimes the issues people have are serious. A house might take a few months longer to complete because of bad weather conditions such as a hurricane that slowed down the process and then pushed the permit process back several weeks. If a house took almost an additional year to build, however, there could be other problems worth considering.
Listen to people and what they have to say, and take what you want from their recommendations. Someone with a great reputation won’t have a perfect reputation, but they won’t have negative reviews. Those are the builders you want to consider.
Meet the Builder
Never hire a builder without first meeting with the builder and getting to know them. How clean is the office? Is the staff friendly and welcoming? Does the builder return calls in a timely fashion or at least let you know when you can expect a longer-than-usual wait for a return call due to specific circumstances? Does the builder listen to you, ask you questions, and get to know you? At Alair Homes Camrose, we get to know our clients so we have a better idea of who they are, what they want, and how we can help them realize their dreams in a home.
Finding a builder is a personal job, and there’s no right or wrong way to look for one. You know what you want, and you know you have to spend months working with this person. How you choose the person you work with is up to you, but you should consider the most important qualities.