24 Aug Finding the Right Custom Home Builder
You’ve spent years dreaming about living in a new custom home: collecting magazine pictures, touring model homes, fleshing out designs, and scoping out the perfect site with a view. Now you’re ready to find the right custom home builder who can transform your dream into reality.
While we certainly hope Robare Custom Homes will be your ultimate builder of choice, what should you look for when choosing your custom homebuilder?
Building a new custom home is a significant investment, and you’ll want to take the time to find a reputable, experienced builder. The task may seem daunting, but with careful research you should be able to find the custom builder who matches your needs—and one you like. Ultimately, you’re looking for a homebuilder who will be a true partner with you throughout the process. Following are some things you’ll want to look for.
Licensures, Credentials, and Insurance
While policies on builders’ licensures (or contractor licenses) will vary from state to state, you’ll want to make sure the prospective home builder holds the proper credentials for the state where your building site is located. You can check the listings on your state’s home builders licensure board website to make sure he or she holds a valid license. Some licenses include certain limitations or restrictions. Make sure the builder is credentialed for the full scope of your project.
Before signing a contract with any custom home builder it’s also important to make sure he or she is properly insured with general liability and worker’s compensation. Otherwise, you could be liable for any injuries or damages that occur on your property. Ask prospective builders to show you a copy of their insurance information. By doing that, you’ll have peace of mind that you’re not going to get caught responsible if someone gets hurt on your job site.
The Better Business Bureau or your local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to investigate a potential builder’s reputation and financial stability. To review the Robare Custom Homes BBB reputation rating, click here.
Commitment to Professionalism
When it comes to finding the right person to transform your vision into reality, you’ll want an experienced custom home professional with a proven commitment to quality and customer service. While membership in trade organizations (such as the National Association of Home Builders) doesn’t have to be a make-or-break factor in your search for the right builder, these professional associations give builders a competitive edge. Affiliation with a professional group is a good indicator of a builder’s commitment to the highest standards and to keeping up to date with the latest developments in the industry. To review the Robare Custom Homes Affiliations, click here.
It says a lot about a home builder’s credibility and character if they want to be involved and to be educated to be a better contractor or builder in their specific discipline. The builder who’s involved with a trade organization is keeping up to date with issues that are coming down the pipeline that are going to affect their businesses and how they construct their homes. Mike Robare, the owner of Robare Custom Homes, spends time continually learning the latest and great in technology in the building industry. In 2008 Mike achieved the most prestigious and highest level of builder certification that the National Association of Home Builders offers and one of a select few in the United States, Graduate Master Builder.
Check References
As you begin interviewing builders, be sure to ask for a list of past customers who are willing to provide references. You’ll want to ask these previous clients if the builder was trustworthy, if he or she delivered what was promised, and if they were satisfied with the final product. You’ll also want to find out how the custom home builder responded to difficulties, because few building projects are completed without any snags.
Custom Builders are problem solvers. They take hundreds of thousands of pieces and all these people, and they coordinate them to get your custom home built. So they’re solving issues, and when things come up, you’ll want to know if the homeowners were happy with the way the builder handled it.
The real credentials come down to experience when looking at a prospective custom home builder. Look at the number of projects they’ve completed successfully. To view a smaple of the projects completed by Robare Custom Homes, click here to view our Portfolio.
Chemistry Counts
During the search for the right custom home builder, you may find several excellent candidates who have the technical know-how and credentials to get the job done. But none of that matters if you aren’t comfortable communicating with your homebuilder about every aspect of the project. You’ll spend lots of time with your builder, so find someone you like.
Personality is huge. It will save so many headaches throughout the process if the homeowner and builder like each other and get along. The homebuilder can be top-notch, but if you clash personality-wise, it’s so much rougher to deal with.
In the long run, doing a thorough search for a custom home builder means you’ll have a smooth homebuilding process. If you deal with everything on the front end, you don’t have to deal with it on the back end. By doing your homework, you might eliminate problems through foresight.