As a new home specialist, working with two successful builders in the community, I'd like to offer a few tips and suggestions to anyone who is considering building a home vs. buying an existing one.
- Building your dream home is both an exciting and a stressful time. Make sure you talk openly and extensively with your sales agent and/or builder on the front end, before construction begins, to get all of your questions answered. Take nothing for granted and do not make assumptions about the building process. There are no foolish questions in new construction!
- Try to plan your entire home in advance. Flooring, materials, appliances, etc.. Many people are not aware that making changes during the construction process is often very expensive and sometimes not even possible. Planning in advance will help to lessen the chance of disappointment.
- Visit showrooms, tour model homes. Go to open houses and read home building and design magazines for ideas. Keep a scrap book or file of photos and ideas you'd like to incorporate into your new home. Go over these with your agent or builder early in the planning process.
- Take nothing for granted. Remember that just because you see something in a different home your builder constructed, does not always mean you will get that in your new home. Be sure and ask for a complete list of standard features and amenities to clarify.
- Understand that most builders will provide a standard one year warranty, but you may request an extended warranty that picks up where the other leaves off. This is very important should the home ever have any time of major structural flaws. Some builders, such as Creekside Homes, provides this on every new home they build.
- Ask for testimonials
- If your builder does not have any homes currently on the market or under construction, ask if he will schedule an appointment for you to tour other homes he has built in the past. Many homeowners will gladly and proudly show off their new home, and you will have the opportunity to see a finished product.
- Average turn-around time in new construction is 4 to 6 months.
- Most stock floor plans are customizable. You will save thousands of dollars by going this route as opposed to having an architect design one from scratch.
- Many builders can make plan changes "in the field" without have to pay additional architect fees.
