Selecting a Quality Home Builder: What to Look For

The decision to build a new home is an exciting one.

Your head is full of ideas and dreams, but realising those dreams and seeing those ideas come to fruition requires the expertise of a good home builder — someone who possesses both experience and know-how.

Selecting a builder to construct your new home is as important as deciding on its size and style, and therefore, worthy of careful consideration.

The first step is to narrow down your geographical choices and ultimately, to choose the area in which you want to live for the foreseeable future.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you’ve chosen The Ponds, Sydney.

To begin your quest to locate a quality builder in The Ponds, you’ll need to make up a list of questions to ask each prospective builder you interview.

This is an important preliminary, because it’s too easy to listen to a presentation and have your mind go blank when the builder asks if you have any questions! It’s also just a smart business practice to be prepared for a meeting, and after all that’s what contracting with a builder is — a business transaction.

Your List of Questions

Here’s a sample list of questions to ask. You may think of a few more questions to ask that aren’t included here. If that’s the case, by all means, add them to your list!

• What types of homes does the builder specialise in building?
• Is there a display centre, where you can view examples of their work?
• Is the floor plan flexible? (For example, can you eliminate a front porch and add a back deck instead?)
• What level of standard inclusions (things like air-conditioning, tiles and carpet, Caesarstone benchtops, ceiling heights, etc) do they offer? (this varies considerably from builder to builder and can make a big pricing difference)
• How much “customising” can you include versus standard features?
• Can up upgrade (or downgrade) inclusions to suit your budget and tastes?
• Does the builder offer a warranty on the new home?
• Does the price of the build include landscaping, or is that something you’ll have to do yourself (or hire somebody else to do)?

Next Visit Display Homes in the Sydney Region

Once you’ve compiled a list of available builders, you can check their websites to see if the types of homes they build match your vision. You’ll also learn things like how long they’ve been building homes in the area, and other important information about them.

Once you’ve compiled a list of builders you feel comfortable with, it’s time to start making appointments to meet with them — armed with your list of questions, of course!

Consider Reputation and Longevity

A good reputation is important, which is why it’s a good idea to check testimonials of owners of homes constructed by the builder you’re considering hiring.

How long they’ve been in business matters too. The longer they’ve been building, the better they’re likely to be at producing a quality product, and the more assured you can be of their integrity since a builder that short-changes clients isn’t likely to stay in business for very long!

Champion Homes has been building quality, beautiful homes for Sydney families since 1998 and we’d love to help you build yours too.   

Be Wary of Just Low Prices!

A high price isn’t always a sign of quality in a building firm but it’s important to resist the temptation hiring a builder primarily on the basis of a low price quote. If one firm comes back with a quote for your project and it’s significantly lower than the other prices quoted for the same scope of work, it should arouse some suspicion.

It may just be that the other quotes are excessively high and the one firm is simply good value, but more likely the “low-ball”  firm is putting in a speculative bid to try and get the work — and aims to make more profit on the project perhaps by cutting corners or presenting you with a range of extra charges as work progresses!

Tying Up the Loose Ends

Once you’ve done your homework, gotten answers to your questions, reviewed quotes and checked your contract, your way forward will be much clearer. In the end, you’ll be glad that you did your homework and taken your time in choosing because you’ll be able to proceed with your new home plans feeling completely confident that you’ve made an informed choice.

If you really are considering a newly built home in the greater Sydney region, be sure to include Champion Homes on your list of potential builders.

With 20 years under our belts, we build some of the best quality contemporary homes in the area, and we’ve got the reputation to back up our building expertise! Contact us today for more information!