Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 26, 2014 11:43 pm So you are building your first or second home. How do you determine which building is providing value for money? Builders claim to give away promotions but are these really hidden costs? I am curious to no how people choose a home builder or could a service be provided to assist the home buyer which quote to proceed with? Re: Selecting a Home Builder? 2May 27, 2014 6:49 am There are no real giveaways just marketing dollars built in. (See http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2012/09/bui ... al-offers/) Generally all project builders are good value on amount of house/dollar 4 issues are important to me: A good standard design for the block i want Flexibility of builder to modify design to meet my requirements Unmodified standard contract Builders reputation As far as the service being provided. If you are having a custom house built your architect or building designer can help you. For project homes: I sell guidance books from my website (see link below), and can discuss issues through Google helpouts (Can only do face to face meetings around Melbourne) My new home coach is a poster here who may be able to help https://www.facebook.com/ournewhomecoach?fref=nf Independant Building Inspectors can be useful source of early advive (e.g. http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/) another poster on this forum. Some people say Building brokers but as they are normally paid by the builder I question how independant they are. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Selecting a Home Builder? 3Oct 02, 2014 2:21 pm Big question! Personally I would choose a building company were you can actually talk to the builder and not just sales staff. You can then ask all the questions you need to know and get the questions answered by an expert. Also ultimately the builder is the one responsible for the construction of your home so its common sense you speak to the person actually building your home. Re: Selecting a Home Builder? 4Oct 03, 2014 9:55 am Being able to find feedback from previous clients is very important. Being able to see their work is to. I would never take on a builder without personal recommendation. I would also check if they had any complaints/disputes against them (in Victoria VCAT) and do a very thorough internet search on the builder. I do not trust consumer review websites but negative comments about a builder would give me something to discuss with the builder (ie if people complain about completion dates). I have known people who never saw examples of their builder's work or spoke to any clients. They did not thoroughly research the builder. They now have defective homes and are dealing with a very difficult builder who will not repair or complete work. We already paid for somfy motors for the blinds. The quote above was purely for “pre-wiring” so the blinds company can install the motors and blinds. That’s why we… 5 8013 Yep, very good point. I’ll do more research and see what figures I get. Thank you! 8 2464 |