Selecting a Builder

To select a builder, begin by thinking about you. What kind of customer are you? If you purchased or built other homes, recall which aspects of those experiences you enjoyed most –and least. What would you like to repeat or avoid? Think about quality. Your definition of quality is unlikely to match anyone else's exactly. Identify the specific characteristics you equate with quality. Consider aesthetics, needs, and environmental impact.

Ads and signs alert you to the fact that a builder exists; they do not establish how the company treats its customers. For the answer to that important question, talk to the customers themselves.

• Visit Models – Look carefully, and then return to those you like and look again. Sit in each room and stand in every corner. Sit on the floor and look up. Listen to sounds that carry through the home. Notice how doors and windows fit. Look at wood trim installation, paint and stain coverage. Examine the exterior. The quality you are looking at is the quality the builder will deliver.

• Inspect Homes Under Construction – Even builders who have model homes seldom offer a sample of each floor plan, but you may be able to tour homes under construction to experience a life-size example. Seeing homes at the frame, mechanical, insulation, and drywall stages offers an opportunity to see the qualityinside the wall.

• Research History and Reputation – Ask about the company's financial strength, how long they've been in business, how long they have worked with their subcontractors and what type of reputation they carry in the business community, etc.

Talk to previous buyers. Visit communities on a weekend and talk to people who are washing their cars, walking their dogs, or cutting their lawn. "I'm considering having my home built. Can I ask you a few questions about your home and how the company is to work with?" Talk to at least 3 people and visit several areas if possible. Ask about the things that are important to you.

Ask to meet the person who would be in charge of building your home. Think of this meeting as interviewing the company. Look at floor plans and talk about the home you want. How well does this company listen? Are the builder's suggestions and comments helpful and relevant? Are your questions answered clearly and completely? Remember that your relationship with the builder will continue through the warranty period, so choose someone with whom you will be comfortable for the long term.

Many factors must come together for you to be comfortable with your builder — design, quality, price, and of course location. Throughout your exploration, comparing one detail after the next, you keep coming back to the same builder. Phone calls are returned promptly, questions are answered completely, and information is forthright and clear. Suggestions about the home you want make sense, and the price is in line with your budget.