Texas Home Builder Guide, What to Look For
So you are ready to find a home builder here in Texas. Do not, I repeat, do not just pick up the Yellow Pages and select the first home builder add that you see. If you have not done your research you may find a yourself with a lot of extra headaches. In this article we will discuss some key points to helping you find the proper qualities of a good builder. Hopefully these tips will allow you to not only select a good builder, but I’ll allow you to have a good relationship with your builder, and get the home of your dreams built with little to no problems.
For emphasis, Going back to what was stated earlier, the first tip is to not pick up the Yellow Pages and just like the first builder that you see.
Never choose a Texas home builder simply because, he or she seems “nice”. Don’t get me wrong it is a big plus to have a builder who is nice, but this should not be the sole reason for selecting him. Being nice is not proof that you need that this person can build a house that you need to build.
Get a reliable referral. By reliable this means someone who you know, knows the builder, or possibly lives in one of the houses that the builder has built. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to find a good reliable builder.
When you are thinking about a particular builder to select to build your home, do some research. Whether this means hiring a private investigator, or just picking up the phone and making some phone calls. You would be surprised how much information you can find on a contractor in just an hour on the Internet or on the phone.
Take a look at your home builders previous houses, both inside and out. Don’t be afraid to talk to previous customers and get their feedback on your home builder. When talking to previous customers it is good to watch for and excited customer, and excited customer is a truly happy customer. You also want to check for satisfaction percentages, sure one or two customers may be happy, but over all what’s his satisfaction rate.
Check your home builders license and registration status. Simply looking up this information on the Internet will provide all kinds of information such as his insurance and unsatisfied customers.
Find out if your home builder has any lawsuits against them from previous customers. This ties in with a lot of the other points, and this information can simply be acquired by calling up to any superior court clerk’s office and just asking for information on a particular builder. The clerk should be able to pull up any files and let you know if that particular builder has been a defendant in any civil suits.
Once you have narrowed it down to one or two builders and you are considering them strongly for your home, sit them down and interview them. Do this like you would interview anyone who might be applying for a job to work for you. Find out if the builder is on the same page as you are when it comes to modifications of the homes plans. If the plans call for laminate countertops and you want granite, is your builder willing to work with you? Does your builder use quality materials that you would find on nicer homes, as apposed to materials you might find in a manufactured or mobile home? Quality products like produced from well known established companies like hardiplank and dal tile. If after the interview you simply don’t like them, the choice is easy to not hire them. This is a prime example of a time when it is great to go with your gut feeling. Try to do your best to see if the builder you are interviewing is throwing you some sort of sales pitch.
Asked the builder for his builders standard contract, then take it home and review it. Then have it reviewed by professional. If for some reason your builder does not want to give you a contract before you actually sign it, that is a pretty big red flag.
If you read and apply these steps, and do your research, the chances are greater for you to find a good home builder that you can build a good relationship and a good house with.
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