So you’ve scoured your local marketing, came up short, and decided you’d rather call off the search and build your own custom home . . . Great! Now comes the tricky part: Who should you put incharge of actually building that home?
When it comes to choosing a custom homebuilder, there are a variety of factors you should take into consideration.From your early planning stages to completion and cleanup, these simple tips can help ensure that you’re working with the best custom home builder for your project.
1. Communication Matters
When you’re first contacting potential home builders, pay attention to how they communicate with you. If a home builder is slow to respond, unhelpful, or just doesn’t seem like a great fit in your early conversations, you can expect for those same communication issues to continue (or worsen) after you’ve signed on the dotted line. Choose a home builder who is immediately helpful, communicative, and transparent with you.
2. Consider the Full Scope of Your Project
Are you specifically looking for someone to physically build a home you’ve previously had designed? Or do you need someone to help you through the entire process of designing and building your custom home? Look for a builder who can meet all of your needs.Here at JC Smith, we walk our clients through the process of building their custom homes step by step. Our team can help with everything from lot selection and purchase, to construction, to putting on the finishing touches and handing over the keys. Not all home builders are able to provide that full range of service though, so be sure to get clear on what services your home builder will provide.
3. Begin With the End in Mind
Yes, the actual construction and completion of the house is the most important part of this equation, but your home builder’s work shouldn’t end when that last brick is laid. Ask custom home builders whattheir policies are around project clean up, and whether you should expect any additional fees around clean up or completion. You should also inquire about warranties—does your custom home builder stand behind their services and their products? At JC Smith, all our products are backed by a one-year warranty, so our clients can move into their new custom homes with total peace of mind.
4. Advocate for Your Budget—But Don’t Pick On Price Alone
Don’t get us wrong: We understand the importance of staying on budget. However, it’s important that you don’t choose your custom home builder based on cost alone. Most of the time, if a reputable builder comes with a higher price tag, it’s because that builder has gone out of their way to license their staff, use high quality building materials,secure all the correct permits, hire an expert team, and/or provide important warranties. If you’re unsure about why one home builder’s quote is more or less than another’s, you can always ask; like we mentioned in the first tip, yourbuilder’s willingness to be transparent and communicative with you will speak volumes.
Looking for a custom home builder in West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, or Pennsylvania
We’d love to talk to you! At JC Smith, we’re committed to providing the most comprehensive, most excellent custom home building service possible—with total integrity, transparency, and honesty along the way. We love helping our clients prepare for, create, and build custom homes around the tri-state area. Get in touch with us for more information!
For additional information on selecting a custom home builder, check out this great
article from the National Association of Home Builders.
