There are many characteristics that clearly differentiate homebuilders. So, before you decide to finalise your choice of builder, read through our list of what to look for in a home builder. It is crucial that you find the best home builder that suits your needs and budget. Before you pick a company, here are a few things you should consider.
1. Price and Budget
The cheapest price sometimes means that cheaper materials are used and quality fittings are substituted with lower standard items. These two qualities should not necessarily be the only two reasons to choose your builder. Clearly, affordability and staying within your budget are very important and will influence your decision. It is best to approach the price of building your new home on the basis of selecting a builder who can build first-home buyer homes, mid-range homes, custom design affordable homes, acreage homes, top-end luxury homes and one-off bespoke homes. Builders that can build all of these types of homes are usually the more experienced builders that know how to stay on budget.
2. Reputation and References
Client reviews can often separate those builders with the highest standards. Importantly, learning facts about your homebuilders’ quality and reliability can be achieved by asking to be supplied testimonials by previous customers. Testimonies are a great way to see how the company operates, what customers say about the quality of the construction and the level of customer service. This is more important than just looking at the number of stars given on a review. Quality builders can always put you in touch with previous clients so that you can ask them about their experiences.
3. Financial Stability of the Company
All Queensland Builders need to be registered QBCC license holders, this Government regulatory body can also provide independent advice to you. Sometimes the cheapest build price may not be the soundest reason to decide for selecting the house builder. Price cutting has the potential of risking the financial stability of the building company and in the current market conditions you don’t want to risk your savings. You best stay away from building companies that may not be around in the short term to finish the construction or in the long term to honour warranties. You can read more on the QBCC website at https://www.qbcc.qld.gov.au
4. Home Designs
Ask the builder for some photos of a wider selection of the homes on their website. Many house builders show lots of designs on their websites. It’s important to make sure that the house builder you choose has sound experience in building the home you want. If your heart is set on a two-story home then you don’t want to sign a contract with a builder that has only built single-level homes.
5. Home Builders Location
Ask your shortlisted builders if they can build a home where your land is located. Sometimes, some homebuilders just cannot manage building your home in the location of your land. The construction crews may not be willing or able to travel long distances each day to reach your house site. The location of your land has the potential of pushing up costs, causing build delays and ultimately giving you more stress to deal with.
6. Display Homes
Visiting Display Homes are a great way to get a feel for the look and quality of the build, but make sure to not focus on items that aren’t included in a build such as the furniture, fittings and other extras. This is also a great opportunity to get to know what the sales team are like, which should indicate what type of communication you will have throughout your build. We have three Display Homes you can visit at Whiterock, Flagstone and Beaudesert.
7. Is the Builder Your Kind of People
A quality reputable home builder won’t be afraid to answer all your questions, to provide you all the information you request and then document in contract everything that is agreed to. The decision to build your new home is one of life’s biggest decisions and the experience should hold many happy memories for you. The Internet is full of people’s nightmare stories of when things went horribly wrong with building their homes. Most of these problems happen due to misaligned communications or lack of meeting agreed expectations. Trust is something to be earned. If you are butting heads in the design phase, there is a good chance that the builder is not your kind of people.
8. Transparency
You would want to pick a builder that includes you in every step of the building process. The company should show you the house plans and clearly lay out the price estimates from them and their subcontractors. Choose a company that assures you are insured from any damages in case something happens.
9. Industry experience
A company with decades of experience in the field is always a good choice. Staying in the industry for a long time usually means that the community trusts the home builders for their service. Home builders that have Industry memberships, such at Housing Industry Association (HIA) or Master Builders Queensland (QMBA), show that they are committed long-term to learning, developing and establishing relationships with developers, contractors and suppliers.
10. Environmentally Conscious
Integrating sustainable living items into builds are becoming more popular, with many homes choosing to install solar panels, energy efficient appliances and other renewable energy solutions. These can increase your homes efficiency, decrease costs and save energy, water and maintenance, all important factors to consider when building a home. Choosing a builder that understands and offers eco-friendly house designs and sustainable features means you can be saving a lot of money in the long term.
