Is building a new home one of the biggest things you’ll ever do in your life? Absolutely.
It can also be one of the most exciting and most rewarding times of your life – provided you choose the right home builder to partner with you on the journey.
But with so many different home building companies to choose from, how do you go about finding one that’s right for you?
Because building a new home is such a major investment in terms of money, time, effort (and of course, emotion), choosing your home builder is a decision that shouldn’t be rushed. Take your time. Do your research, ask the right questions and weigh up all the options to make sure that your final decision is one that both your head and your heart are happy with.
Spend time researching all the different home building companies. Have a good look through their websites or brochures, ascertain their credentials and search the internet for news articles about them. Building a new home isn’t a quick project and you want to know that you’re in safe hands, so make sure that they’ve got a solid past and a long-term future.
Make a list of your needs and wants and if they don’t tick the boxes, then move on to the next one. You’ll soon discover that home building firms are not all the same.
Personal recommendations are invaluable. If you know anyone who has built a home recently, ask them to give you an honest assessment of their experience and whether they would recommend their builder. They’ll probably be delighted to share information and offer advice – so it’s a good idea to work out what questions you want to ask beforehand. Remember, knowledge is power, so the more you know, the easier it will be to make a decision.
An important question to ask people about their building experience is whether they had the same team on their project from start to finish. Most building companies move their clients through different departments as their home-building journey progresses, but this can be disruptive and unsettling not to mention frustrating and time-consuming – so it’s in your best interests to choose a firm where you interact with the same friendly team throughout the entire project.
The next thing to do is to meet with the home building companies themselves. First impressions count and your initial face-to-face contact will give you a fairly accurate indication of what they’re about and how they operate. Are they friendly? Do you feel welcome? Are they genuinely interested in you or are they just going through the motions? Do you get the feeling that quality and attention to detail are as important to them as they are to you? Are they really listening to you?
It’s also crucial to ask them all the tough questions at that initial meeting. Ask about budgets, costing of variations, timeframes, flexibility on design and finishes, tradespeople etc. Ask how they manage their working relationship with their clients. Do they have a single contact person all the way through? Are they happy to provide contact details of their previous clients so that you can get first-hand feedback? If they aren’t prepared to let you have those – take that as a warning sign.
A slick and smooth presentation is compelling, but it may be misleading and you need to strip away the facade to ascertain whether the company is truly professional, friendly and authentic.
Once you’ve got a short-list of potential home-builders, you should then visit their display homes. Seeing is believing. Not only will you have the opportunity to meet members of the building company’s team and ask them questions etc, you’ll get a total sensory experience of what they offer in terms of design, creativity, functionality and quality. Try and imagine what it would be like to live in that home. Does it feel like a home? Does it offer the lifestyle you’re after? You need to be happy with the answers to ALL of your questions before you embark on the journey of your life!
Don’t forget to check out our recently completed display homes in Iluka and Sorrento which showcase our fresh and stylish approach to home building or drop into the office and meet the team. We’d love to see you for a friendly chat about why we think Coast Homes is the right custom home builder for you.
We know that building a home is one of life’s most significant personal experiences. It’s huge and we know how much it means to you. It certainly means a lot to us too and we love sharing the journey. In all the years that our team has been building new custom built homes in Perth together, nothing has been more rewarding than the friendships we’ve made with our clients and seeing their wide smiles and happy hearts when their dreams become reality. Job done!
