Page 28 - What You Need to Know to Find the Right Builder

• Certificate of occupancy. Not every town requires a certificate of
occupancy, but those that do should now have final inspections and
certification completed. If your project doesn’t require certification, be sure
to do a thorough walkthrough on your own, make notes of any
imperfections, and be sure the builder rectifies them before leaving. It’s
recommended that you hold a small amount of the final payment until after
the home passes your approval. An amount $5,000 to $10,000 is usually
sufficient to motivate the builder to finish up.

• Time to hand over the keys. While I’ve mentioned most of the building
processes there are always other options that could be factored in like
installing a hot tub, adding a patio, paving a driveway, building a garage or
gazebo, etc. but for this discussion, the home is completed and the builder
hands over the keys to the proud new homeowner. A quality builder will
stand behind his work. Once you move in keep a list of any additional

imperfections you may find (hopefully none). Let the builder know what
you’ve found as soon as you see them, and then after a couple of months
the builder should return to fix anything that’s come up.
• Surveys. A quality builder will always be concerned with your opinions and
what your experience is at any given time. Some builders will send periodic
surveys to you during the building of your home just to make sure you’re
happy and all your concerns are being addressed. At the very least, they
should send a post construction survey asking about your experience.

Please take the time to fill this out and be honest with them! If the builder
is asking, they want an honest answer. They can’t improve their systems if
they don’t know there are problems. If you’re really happy and don’t mind
writing a short testimonial, those are always greatly appreciated and act as
great material for your builder to use in their advertising.

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