With some of the lowest home inventory we’ve seen in years, the option to build your own home is starting to look more attractive to people. In fact, new home sales are projected to go up by 26% this year. Building a home is a big deal, though. Many people assume it is a huge headache, too. But we’ve had many clients and friends who have had a great experience with home building! It doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds. It’s really just important to know how to choose a home builder – the right home builder.
Here are Five Tips to Choosing the Right Home Builder
- Find out your options. Make a list of potential home builders in your area. If you already know the type of home you want to build, this will help narrow down your options.
- An easy first stop is friends and family. Who would they recommend? What were their experiences?
- Talk to your trusted real estate agent (cough cough, Dani Beyer Real Estate). They, most likely, have had some experience with local builders or have a lot of information because of the industry they’re in.
- Search for local home builders’ associations in your area to find a list.
- Do some drive bys. If you already know a neighborhood you’d like to build in, you may not have a choose when it comes to the builder. So drive by the homes that have been built or are under construction and take some notes. Check out what lots are available and visit a model home.
- Interview potential builders. Set up appointments with the builders you’re most interested in and grill them! You’re investing your time and money, too, so it’s important you ask as many hard-hitting questions as possible.
- Check reviews and awards. Google reviews, social media reviews and recommendations and endorsements on websites are important to consider. You’ll usually find customers either had a really good experience, or really bad. Not many report on an average encounter. In addition, there are a ton of award opportunities in this industry and finding a builder who has consistently placed in those awards is another good sign.
- Take experience into consideration. In our experience, you don’t want the newest hot building company to build your home. I mean, a hot builder, wait; we digress…ANYWHO, you want a company with a (solid) reputation, years of success and seasoned professionals working for them. You want a company that takes pride in their quality of work, not just the speed at which they get homes up.
The process of considering how to choose a home builder can feel overwhelming. We are happy to be a resource for you if you’re considering building a home instead of buying one already built. We can help provide resources to answer questions on construction mortgage, help you purchase land and help point you to the right area in town to build your home based on your family priorities.