Page 11 - What You Need to Know to Find the Right Builder

Chapter 3

If you think it’s expensive to hire a

Quality Home Builder, try hiring a bad one!

To a client who’s inexperienced in building projects, it’s difficult to know
who a quality builder is and who the bad builder is. Often prospective clients start
by going on Google, or another search engine and punching in “Home Builders” or

“general contractors”, and quite a few options may come up. You may even look
to Facebook for help. How many times have you seen a builder’s website or
advertisement where it says, “we build new homes, additions, renovations,
basements and garages”. Gee, isn’t that nice? If you’re a builder I would hope

you could do all those things. What about telling us a little more? What about
finding a builder who doesn’t just tell you they have great customer service, but
who has systems in place to prove it? What about finding a builder who has a

great reputation? Someone known for going the extra mile.

When a builder is in sales mode, they may seem like a nice person at first,
but what do you really know about them? Are they trustworthy, honest,

committed to doing things right, or are they just trying to fast talk you to make
the sale? Here are some ideas as to how you should start qualifying a builder
before you hire them. Remember, you’re hiring your builder in much the same
way a business owner would interview and hire an employee. Ask questions and

check out references. Also, don’t forget that the builder is trying to get a feel for
how you are too. Not every builder is right for every client and not every client is

right for every builder. A builder should be interviewing you just as you are
interviewing them to make sure it’s the right fit for both parties. Budget, time-
lines, and personalities all play a role in determining whether a relationship will
proceed well for everyone.

Ask for references and follow through with them. Former clients are the
best resource. Ask for the phone numbers of a few different past clients and
when you call them, ask lots of questions like: Did the project stay in budget? Was

it completed on time? How smooth did the process run? Was the builder easy to
get a hold of during the project? Did the builder meet your expectations?

10