If you have been unable to find your dream home, you may want to consider choosing a home builder to construct it for you. It may sound scary and a huge undertaking, but consider this: according to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), nearly 25% of all homes purchased year-to-year are new constructions. That’s a significant number. Add to the fact that new home constructions are usually cheaper when it comes to maintaining the home for the first few years since it’s brand-new, and suddenly buying from a builder seems like a tempting idea.
But how can you be sure you’re choosing the right home builder? Are there things you can do to take solace in knowing that you’ve chosen the right company for the job? Below are a few things you can do to put your mind at rest before committing to a builder.
Are they reputable?
Since this is arguably the biggest purchase of your life, you need to be certain that the home builder you’ve chosen is going to deliver the results they’ve promised. Figuring out if their reputable is as simple as checking out Tarion’s Ontario builder directory. Here you can find out all kinds of information, from how many claims there are against the builder’s homes to how many properties they’ve built during the life of the company. It’s a great way to know if a home builder in question is in fact reputable.
References
As quickly as your first conversation with a home builder, inquire about their references. They should have no problem with giving you a list of some of their more recent past customers. A reputable home builder will have nothing to hide; if you feel like the home builder is being dodgy with giving you a list, look elsewhere.
After you get a list, contact everyone. Ask them how they like the home after living in it for a while. Inquire about the process, how professional the builders were during the home building, and so on. Get a profile of the home builder to decide whether or not they are the builders for you.
Ask about looking at a model first
Whether the home builder has a model you can enter and browse or they merely have an exhaustive set of pictures showing what your home may look like, you need to know exactly what you’re getting before you commit to anything. Inform the builder that you want a list that details what’s going into the home, from materials used during construction to the plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems along with their manufacturers. Do some research; the materials used must be from a reputable manufacturer. The last thing you want is to use a home builder that is using cheap parts and supplies to build your dream home.
Get everything in writing!
If a home builder tells you that a verbal agreement will suffice, laugh in their face and walk away. Every step of the home building process must prove in writing that both you and the home builder agreed to certain things! Even if the home builder agrees to do something as small as changing the door knobs in your home, get it in writing. Of course, a reputable home builder will want to protect their bottom line as well so you probably won’t even have to ask them to sign a document stating of changes in the agreement. Still, just say, ‘no’ to verbal agreements!
If you are in the market for a new construction home, take a look at Dunpar’s Streetsville Centre in Mississauga and Lakeshore Village in Etobicoke. These collections of townhomes are the next step in Dunpar’s legacy of building quality homes.
