05/17/2016
Long Post Warning.........but this article describes our building philosophy to a tee.
NEW HOME BUILDERS......PROCEED WITH CAUTION
So, you’re thinking about building and you’re being diligent and doing all of the research in looking for the most honest, experienced, and cost effective builder…
Did you know there are many homeowners out there that do all of this yet still end up getting one pulled over on them by the builder?
• Many things can be a factor in this unfortunate incident. It may be due to a builder that is just plain slimy. Unfortunately, there are people out there that run their businesses with only themselves in mind. They don’t care about the consumer. They don’t care about your life long investment. They don’t care what you went through to finally become a homeowner. They only care about getting the most money for the least amount of work. They will tell you a price that you want to hear just to get you to sign on the dotted line knowing that they will need more money from you half way through the process. It does happen. I’ve heard so many horror stories.
• Then there are the builders who are NOT organized. They don’t have a budget. If they do, it’s more of a round figure; a guess. They don’t know how long the project will take. They too will tell you a price that you want to hear to get you to sign on the dotted line, knowing that they may need to ask for more later. This happens a lot as well. It’s not fun for the homeowner -I mean, who has an extra $50K laying around? (In one instance I heard of a builder being $110K over budget! The homeowners couldn’t finish their home. So sad and so very WRONG!)
• Then there are the builders who did their homework, got you a price that you’re happy with. You signed on the dotted line only to find out as you’re building that what was included in that “great price” was NOT what you were thinking. You asked for 2×6 exterior walls; you’re getting 2×4 exterior walls. You asked for a generator; not included. You asked for ceiling fans in every bedroom; also not included. The list goes on. I like to call these builders the “bait and switch” builders. They bait you with a great price then provide you with sub par products. You can surely “upgrade” to better products but you’ll have to pay a hefty change order fee as well as costly charges for the upgrades that you want! THIS is where they make their money. Most “big-box builders” do this.
So, what do you do? Ask these questions BEFORE you sign on the dotted line. Make sure you KNOW what you’re getting before you sign. Find a builder that takes their time to get pricing on ALL of your “extras”. Make sure they give you a FIRM PRICE. Make sure they follow a BUDGET. Make sure they follow a TIMELINE. Make sure the contract INCLUDES your extra items. An organized builder will have all your extras defined in the contract.
It’s not right to be surprised with extra costs later in the building process, yet so many builders do it and think nothing of it. Be smart, don’t become a statistic. Building a home should be a process that you can enjoy!
