There are several benefits to buying a newly constructed home. For example, new builds allow you more opportunities to customize your home. Plus, most newly constructed homes have less maintenance costs over the first few years.
To ensure the best possible experience when watching your new home come to life, keep these important tips in mind!
Key takeaways
- Research the builder and their past projects to ensure reputation and quality.
- Maintain clear communication with your builder to prevent misunderstandings.
- Visit the construction site often to catch any potential issues and take pictures for reference.
- Understand your construction timeline and possible delays.
- Have your new home inspected by a professional to ensure quality and address any issues.
Research the builder
Choosing a reputable builder is crucial to a well-constructed home. Make sure to research the builder’s reviews. And you can even drive by their previous projects to get an idea of their quality of work. Looking at the builder’s past projects can give you more insight into their experience and reputation.
Other questions to ask when researching your builder:
- How often will a superintendent visit the construction site?
- Which features are included in the build, and which features are upgrades?
- How often can I visit the construction site?
- How many properties have you sold so far?
There are certain red flags to look for when researching your builder. Obviously, several bad reviews from past clients can raise major concerns. Also, if a builder, superintendent, or project manager seems hesitant to answer your questions, this could reflect poorly on their experience.
Another thing to keep in mind, if you visit their other construction sites, and they seem disorganized, this could impact the quality of their work.
Maintain a clear line of communication
It’s also important to stay in contact with your builder. The better you communicate, the less likely you’ll have to deal with misunderstandings down the road. A great way to establish a line of communication is to start with a pre-construction meeting.
In this meeting, you will go over the construction details with your project manager. And you can also set certain expectations such as, how often will the builder give you progress updates? Is it ok for you to call or text the builder and if so, how often?
Visit the construction site
Stopping by the construction site is a great way to prevent any miscommunication in the building process. Not to mention, watching your dream home come to life from the ground up is a fun and rewarding experience!
When you visit the site often, you’ll be more likely to notice small details that the builder may have overlooked. Also, make sure to take pictures! Having plenty of pictures can help you later when you need to know the exact location of a certain pipe or electrical connection. It’s best to take pictures of these features before they’re covered up with drywall.
Understand your construction timeline
Generally, new construction can take about 7 to 12 months to complete. However, many factors can cause delays such as weather conditions, or waiting on materials to be delivered. Many unexpected changes can push back the construction timeline. For this reason, most builders add a one to two-week buffer into their timelines. If you’re in the process of selling your current home or ending a leasing agreement, keep these possible delays in mind, so you’re not in between homes for a few weeks.
Have your new home inspected
Even newly constructed homes may have structural issues. Hiring a professional and licensed inspector can put your mind at ease when it comes to the quality of the build. Depending on your preference, there should be 1-3 inspections of your new home: the foundation inspection, the pre-drywall inspection, and the final inspection.
If there are any problems in the quality of construction, the inspector will take note of these issues in the report, while also suggesting a solution. Once you have this information, you’ll be able to address your concerns with the builder and negotiate a solution.
