Before you invest any money into buying a new construction home, you definitely want to locate a reputable builder, choose your lot, and most importantly, avoid being scammed. The great thing about a new home is the ability to customize a number of things such as paint color, type and color of carpeting, style, and material for kitchen cabinets, brand of appliances, light fixtures, and much more.
Unfortunately, some dishonest builders exist, preying on innocent people eager to hand over their hard-earned money, believing they will have the home of their dreams. Therefore, you need to take time to locate a reputable builder, someone with years of experience. If you know of someone who had a home built and were completely satisfied, ask the name of the builder. From there, you can determine if the builder is the best match for your style and needs.
Once you have found a couple of builders that you like, check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) to make sure there are no unresolved or large numbers of complaints. We also recommend you drive by completed homes, as well as homes in the building process so you can see the work up close. In fact, if the builder has a model home, walk through to look closely at details, which will tell you a lot about the level of workmanship.
The fact is that a dishonest builder without the required experience can take a beautiful plan and totally ruin it. For you as the buyer, this means disaster in the quality of work, a missed schedule, and project that has gone over budget. One vital part of buying a new home is to understand that just because you pay a steep price that does not mean you are getting quality in return. In fact, some builders will replace the use of copper plumbing pipe for polybutylene because it is cheaper. Sadly, using a builder that cuts costs at every corner is a problem.
While checking references and taking time to walk through a builder’s homes takes time, it is time well spent. The house you plan to buy will be your home, your place of refuge. Therefore, you want to do all you can to work with a builder that will listen to the things important to you and work with you in making as many of them as possible happen. While flexibility is required on both the builder and buyer’s end, working with a qualified builder ensures you have the best chance of turning your dream into reality.