Tips on how to choose a builder

Thursday, 15 June 2017

So, you have chosen your little patch of dirt, now it’s time to choose the house and more pertinent to this blog, it’s time to choose your builder.
This decision can be a challenging one as you certainly won’t lack for options in what is a very competitive market place. Depending on budget you could pick from over two dozen builders display homes at Warralily and in the Greater Geelong region. 

Tips on how to choose a builder
  1. Rapport with your building consultant – you might be surprised that this is at the top of my list, here’s why: Your building consultant plays a huge role in you either having a fantastic, enjoyable experience or one that may cause you sleepless nights. They are the conduit by which your vision becomes reality, they will guide you through the selection of your preferred plan, they will take your wants and needs and then turn them into a brand-new house that is uniquely your own.
  2. Family friend referrals,talk to your friends who have built before, you will have much better feedback than going onto Product Review, the reason being your friends will point you in the direction of the high-quality building consultants and builders, they ones that have done and outstanding job as opposed to just highlighting the negative aspects.
  3. Fixed quote, all builders should be able to provide a detailed quote that has a realistic allowance for site costs and all inclusions itemised. Get a couple of quotes to compare apples with apples, e.g. a 25sqs home vs 25sqs home – sit the quotes side by side and then you can start to get a clearer picture.
  4. Promotions, I have a read a few blogs recently that warn buyers of the “too good to be true” promotion, well they are wrong to a certain extent. Builders promotions will vary from month to month, if you do your research though you will be able to avoid the smoke and mirrors and identify the great value promotions. These promotions have less margin for the builder and could mean the promotion may only be around for a short time; so be ready to jump on it when it comes up. This is where trust comes in, if your consultants tells you that the promotion which is ending at the end of the month is a much better one then next month, chances are it is.
  5. Quotes, don’t be afraid to get multiple quotes as per above, the builders provide a free service, if you are up front with them and telling them you are comparing quotes and that you want the best deal, invariable the builder will do his or her best to win your business.
  6. Floorplan, while the floorplan is very important, there are only so many ways you can reconfigure a rectangle, if you find a plan that is 90% right, ask the builder about options to amend the plan to better suit your needs, most builders will have several pre-set internal flip options or they may be open to redrawing the plan, depending on the significants of the changes.
  7. Je ne sais quoi, “An intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive” When in doubt trust your instincts, if you walk into a house and you instantly fall in love with it, don’t complicate the decision-making process. Your subconscious mind may know better, than your logical conscious mind that may have been spun out by the options available.
 
Building your own home can be one of the most rewarding, exciting and life changing experiences you will ever be part of, soak up every second and remember to enjoy the process. The Team at Warralily live and breathe it, it’s one of the reason why Warralily is such an outstanding place to be involved in and we are sure if you decide to call Warralily home you will feel the same.

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