You’ve finally decided to build your dream home. Congratulations, now what? Building a new home is exciting. You get to design a home for the way you live your life, not some cookie cutter variation. Building a new home is not only exciting, it’s also immensely rewarding. However, it can be an overwhelming prospect if you’ve never done it before. That’s why it’s so important to choose a reputable builder. If you’re looking for a home builder in the Eastern metro of the Twin Cities you’ll want to ask any potential home builder a series of questions to make sure they are the right fit for your project.
Choosing a home builder is the single most important part of building a new home. You want to find a company that has a solid reputation, provides outstanding quality and stands by their work. You also want to make sure you find a builder that clicks with you and your family because you’ll be spending a lot of time with them. The following 10 questions to ask your builder are just a starting point, you will surely have more of your own. After reading these be sure to jot down any other questions you have for future reference.
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Home Builder
- Are you licensed and insured? – This is the most important question you can ask of any builder. If they are not licensed and insured move on. If a builder asks you to pull a permit for them, walk away, it means they are not licensed and probably not insured.
- Can I see some of your work? – While working with a first time builder is okay – we all started somewhere – you may want someone with more experience. Walk through the builder’s model homes. This will allow you to see their quality first hand and give you and idea of their signature style.
- Do you have any references? – Like licensing and experience, you want to get some feedback about your builder before you make the final decision. This will give you important information such as as timeliness, staying within budget and quality of work. Check out as many references as you are provided. If the builder doesn’t provide any references you may want to choose a different builder.
- Do you have a warranty? – Most home builders provide a warranty on the home they build for you. Some are a year or two while others have extended warranties. Don’t forget about manufacture warranties on any products in your home, too. Most home builders will take care of anything that breaks down in the first year so call your builder before calling the manufacturer, they’ll often take care of it so you don’t have to hassle with it.
- How often can I expect an update? – A trusted home builder will provide you with regular updates on a schedule that works for both of you. Whether weekly, or every other week, you want to touch base with your builder on a regular basis so if there are any changes they’re caught right away.
- How many homes are you building right now? – Most builders build more than one home at a time, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. Still, knowing how busy your builder is is important if you want more attention than he can give to you.
- Can I visit the site during construction? – Most home builders welcome the homeowner on site. However, it is a construction site and safety is key. Let your builder know you’ll be coming by the site.
- What about change orders? – There hasn’t been a home building project yet that didn’t have a change order or two. Ask how these are handled and to let you know how that affects the cost of the project.
- When do selections need to be made? – Most home builders have an in-house design team who will help you choose selections and fixtures they will keep you on schedule and guide you through the process.
- Do you have a cancellation and refund policy? – It happens, even after checking references, getting referrals, and making sure the contractor is licensed things still may go south. Find out what the cancellation and refund policy is. It’s better to know up front if one exists and how to deal with it if you choose to part ways.
