One of the most important decisions you’ll make when building a home is choosing the *right* builder for your project. Your builder can make or break your entire home build experience and I want you to have a GREAT experience :). So I’m sharing eight crucial questions to ask potential home builders as you go through the interview process.
By asking each builder the SAME eight questions, you’ll get a gut feeling about which builder is the right fit for YOU. Plus, there’s a bonus ‘question’ that is actually the most important question of all.
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Before you can interview builders with the list of questions below, you’ll first need to create a list of potential local home builders that you would like to interview (if you haven’t already done this).
If you aren’t sure where to start with your list, ask local friends and family (who have built a home) for builder recommendations.
If you don’t know anyone locally who has built a home and you need more ideas of where to start with your list, read ‘How to Choose a Custom Home Builder’.
INTERVIEW ALL POTENTIAL BUILDERS
Once you’ve created your list of potential builders, interview ALL of them. Ask the same questions to each builder and write down their answers for later reference.
Simply meeting with each builder will give you a good sense of how you feel about them and how you think it would be to work with them.
Keep in mind that a good builder will be patient and take the time to answer ALL of your questions as thoroughly as possible. They won’t try to rush you or make you feel silly for asking questions.
8 CRUCIAL QUESTIONS TO ASK POTENTIAL HOME BUILDERS
There are MANY questions you can ask potential builders (and I include a lengthy list inside my ‘Before You Build’ program), but in this post, I’m just sharing eight questions that will be very helpful in getting you started.
- How many of your homes come in over budget? What about under budget?
- How many of your builds finish on time?
- What is a realistic timeframe for the completion of my [custom/production] home?
- Are there options in floor plans? Do you build custom floor plans? Do you build semi-custom floor plans? What type of floor plans do you specialize in?
- How will you determine the final price of my home? What is included (and not included) in the quote?
- Are you licensed and insured?
- What is your follow-up policy? Do you come back for the first year and fix items?
- Do you offer a warranty program?
THE ‘BONUS’ (+ MOST ESSENTIAL) QUESTION TO ASK
Can you give me references from recent clients?
A reputable home builder will have a solid list of references who are happy with their completed homes and will highly recommend the builder.
Make sure to contact each and every reference to learn about their personal experience working with the builder as well as the quality of their completed home.
Also, be sure to ask about the builder’s promptness, communication style, and how they addressed any issues or problems during (and after) the home build.
NEXT STEPS
Ok, now you have a list of 8 CRUCIAL questions to ask ALL potential home builders during your interviews.
Your next steps are pretty simple (but take it one step and one interview at a time to avoid overwhelm) … create a list of potential builders, schedule a meeting, and ask each builder the same 8 CRITICAL questions. Easy peasy!
We go into WAY more depth and detail on how to hire the *right* builder inside my private ‘Before You Build’ (BYB) Program. Click here to learn allll about the BYB Program :).
Dreaming of building a home and aren’t sure where to start? Download my *FREE* Custom Home Build Prep Guide and learn the crucial steps to prepare for a home build with less stress, more confidence in decision making, and a strategic plan to stick close to budget!
