Are you thinking about hiring someone to build your new home? If so, then you may be looking for tips for evaluating home builders. The truth is, building a home is a confusing process to navigate and one of the most misunderstood aspects of house hunting. For many, the dream of building a custom home often ends with the prospective buyer purchasing a pre-built speculative home or working with a builder that can modify the plans of a home already under construction. If you are looking to build a custom home for you and your family, it is crucial to find the right company.
Although building a home is nothing like you see on HGTV, there is one thing that you can learn from those reality TV shows, and that is that you want to find a team that shares your dream. You want to find someone who will partner with you every step of the way to ensure that the home they are building is exactly the way you imagine it. You want them to be invested in your dream just as much as you are. After all, they will ultimately be the ones bringing that dream to life and building a space that you and your family will create memories in for many years to come.
Here are five tips to consider when evaluating who the right builder is for you
Do Your Research
This may seem like an obvious tip, but with so many different companies offering nearly the exact same service, deciding which home builder is the right fit for you can often be overwhelming. The best way to start is to Google “home builders (location)” within the area of your future home. From there you can compare company websites looking for builders whose work most closely resembles the vision you have for your home. Ideally, you want someone with years of experience building homes in that specific area. There’s a lot more to building a home than simply frames and finishes, and you want to hire someone who has experience navigating the planning and development stages within that local municipality, so there are no surprises along the way.
After you complete the initial discovery phase of your research, it is a great idea to consult with a friend, family member, or mutual connection who has already built a custom home. Ask if they have a company they would recommend. If they trusted the service, it’s likely that you will too.
Don’t Find A Builder, Find A Partner
When looking for the right home builder it’s important that you look beyond their past experience and client portfolio. Look for someone you genuinely want to partner with. You want your home builder to be a partner who shares in your vision and brings new ideas to the table each and every day. They should make you feel good about your dream home and instill a sense of excitement into the home building process.
A good builder should be able to develop a complete understanding of your vision and begin to share in the excitement of bringing that vision to life. They will work hard to understand what you’re looking for and to get a sense of what your taste for design is like before they begin work. In short, you want to find someone who is going to be as invested in the project as you are. Set up a meeting with potential builders to get a feel for their communication style, specialties, and what it would be like to work with them before your hire. If they’re the right builder, they should prioritize setting time to meet face to face with you in order for you to get to know, like, and trust them.
Reputation Matters
A custom home isn’t a temporary residence, it’s where you and your family will live for years to come. A place where your kids can grow up in a safe environment, a place where your pets can play, and a place you can all feel comfortable in.
Your third priority when selecting a home builder should be to evaluate the quality of work they have already accomplished. If they can provide you with case studies of other projects they have completed, use those to see if they match your style and vision.
Check out their website and look for projects they have completed recently, but more importantly, try to find what other people have to say about them. Do they have good reviews? Google their name and see what Google Reviews people have left for them. Take a look at their Facebook page and read through any reviews customers have left on there. Lastly, check out their website for a testimonials section to see the reviews that the builder has hand selected for the public to see.
Are other people happy with the quality of work they provide?
See if the home building company can provide references for you to speak with about their experience. What better way to evaluate a home builder than by having your questions answered by someone who was in your shoes and can share their experiences of working with that builder with you!
Two Characteristics To Value In A Home Builder: Confidence & Transparency
When it comes to deciding who you will hand the reins to for what could potentially be the biggest financial decision of your life, it’s important to hire someone who is transparent and instills the utmost confidence in their ability to do the job well. They should be able to clearly analyze your vision and confidently provide clear actionable steps for how they will turn that vision into your new home. Every detail should be transparent, from the quality of the materials to third-party contractors they plan to hire, to delivering a reasonable timeline and what to expect at each phase throughout the planning, development, and building process.
What About Sustainability?
Home building can be a messy process for our planet. It takes a lot of resources to build a home and the environmental footprint can be quite large if a company cuts corners or neglects to use Green Building practices and energy efficient features in the homes they build.
At KDA Homes we strive to build sustainable communities that also serve their members and create the greatest positive impact. We take pride in using Green Building practices throughout the development and building process and all of our homes are Earth Advantage and NW Energy Star certified. We care about being efficient with our work and always consider the impact we will have on the community before we take on a project.
Our homes are built to be solar-ready whenever feasible allowing homeowners to create a net-zero energy system. This means that they have the ability to produce as much energy as they consume and thus avoid paying expensive utility costs to the power company. All of these features only add to the equity of a home meaning that as our homes age, so do their property values. A win for the environment, and the pocketbooks of our happy customers!
Are You Ready To Find The Right Home Builder?
In the end, you want to find a team of architects and home builders that you can truly connect with. A team that will craft a home to fit your family’s needs. There is no perfect formula for selecting which home builder to work with, but we hope these tips for evaluating home builders may lead you to the company that is right for you. And, if you’re considering to build a home in the Rogue Valley of Oregon we would love to chat with you about your vision for a new home!
