For many of us, building a home is the single biggest financial transaction of our lives. It takes years of saving, planning, and sacrifice to finally own your dream house. This is why choosing a home building company is very important.
Whether you’re building a new home, renovating an old one, or moving into a condo, hiring the right builder can greatly affect the project.
We’ve all heard horror stories about bad home builders that ruined the joy of constructing for the first time. Fortunately, you can avoid a major headache with our tips.
Here’s how you can choose a good home building company.
Price and Budget
For most people, one of the first and most important considerations is money. Almost all of us are limited by the amount of money that is lent to us by banks and other financial institutions. Therefore, the house we are able to build is based on what we can afford to pay.
The same is true for home builders. There are many different kinds of home construction businesses and most of them specialize based on the income of their prospective clients. For example, there are home builders that are very good at making affordable housing look high-end. At the same time, there are also builders whose specialty is building mansions and other kinds of stately homes.
When looking for a home builder, consider what kinds of homes they build. Do they make houses for first-time buyers or are they luxury home builders? In most cases, luxury home builders won’t cater to small housing projects because the margins won’t be the same as the former.
Construction Style
If there are companies that specialize in building luxury homes, then there are also builders that are good at constructing a certain style of the house.
For example, if you are looking to build a modern solar-powered sustainable home, look for a builder that is known to concentrate on this kind of style. A company that is known to construct stand-alone houses might not have the experience or equipment to build a home that has all your requirements. Aside from this, they might also not have enough staff that can create the style that you want.
If you have a particular design or requirement in mind, ask the builder how many styles they have built in this manner. They might have a portfolio of drawings of the style you have in mind.
Reputation
Reputation should also be an important factor when choosing a home builder. Remember those horror stories we heard from friends or relatives about bad builders who soured their experiences? That can happen to you too.
Just like buying shoes or a jacket online, you need to research prospective builders before hiring them. You wouldn’t buy anything online that does not have a 5-star rating, so why should you trust a builder with less than stellar reviews with your money?
A home builder with a good reputation distinguishes them from their competitors. Having a good reputation means that they are professional, care about the quality of their work and have a good attitude when it comes to their job and clients.
It’s not hard to find a reputable builder nowadays. Most building companies have websites so you can easily tell whether they have good standing. Do your research. Find them on social media, ask friends or family if they have worked with them in the past, or talk to past clients and ask them about their experience.
Financially Stable
You also need to find a builder that has good financial stability. Some people don’t think that this is important but many people have been left holding the bag because their contractor could not finish the project due to insufficient funds.
A builder with a fancy office or has the latest equipment does not automatically mean that they are financially stable. You need to dig a little deeper than that. Hiring an online agency for credit references can tell you a lot about a company.
Look at it this way, construction is a very competitive industry. All builders need projects in order to make money. Everything generally looks good on their proposals but they will need to find the cheapest suppliers in order to turn a profit. You will get the best price in town but if the builder is not around to construct the house for you then it will be a hollow victory.
A financial report might not be a guarantee of performance but it is a good source of information about the strength of a company. Check to see if they pay their suppliers on time and if they are regarded highly in the industry.
Location
Australia is a big country. It is very easy to find builders in capital cities so you have a lot of choices if your property is located there. Building in the metro is also easier compared to building in the suburbs and other outlying areas because everything is close by.
Therefore, it is best to hire a home building company that has built homes in your chosen area. Most builders do not like to say no to a project because of competition but working where they are not comfortable can cause delays in the project, additional costs because of logistics, or a longer time frame because of the distance.
A “local” builder will not only know the area well but has all the necessary people and equipment in place.
Communication and Personality
Nobody likes to work with people that we don’t like. Not only is it awkward it can also put a damper on the excitement we feel during construction.
One of the best ways to know whether the builder is a good fit for you is by their communication. A good builder does not only know how to construct a house properly, they also know how to communicate well. You should be comfortable telling them your preferences and they should also find it easy to explain to you even the technical details of the construction or to provide professional advice.
They should also be able to accommodate your communication preferences. For instance, they should be willing to talk to you on the phone compared to emailing or texting you if this is your preference.
A builder that you are comfortable with and who has good communication skills will make it easier for you to make big decisions and make the building process a good experience.
Wrap-up
Finding the right home building company for your project can be time-consuming. However, building a house takes a lot of money so taking your time will make the effort worthwhile.