First Homebuyers, Building in Perth - Advice Sought

anonymousmoose · Feb 06, 2007 1:34 pm

We are first home buyers. We have been to a few builders, Impressions, Affordable Living, Homebuyers Centre and West Australian Housing centre.

My fiancé and I are very new at this. We have come across many pushy salesmen (homebuyers & affordable living) who say we must buy now or prices will go up. I know it’s a tactic they use and to tell the truth we won’t mind building with them if they can get us the best deal.

All seam to have good houses yet we don’t really know where to begin. We are doing as much research as possible.

We would love any advice we can get as to what to look for, questions to ask etc.

Thanks so much

First_Timer_Ray · Feb 06, 2007 2:06 pm

As a fellow first home buyer, we feel a bit out of our depth too. :shock:

Our situation was possibly a bit different in that we have our land, and as it is an unusual shape - it was more a case of which builder had a plan to fit - or would alter a plan. We found some flat out refused to change any plan in any way, some just couldn't be bothered trying ("oh, none of the plans will fit... except a 12sq unit" ... yeah right! :roll:

)
We went in knowing the approximate size we wanted (and knew would fit) and our stipulation (sp?) was that it have a formal lounge as well as a family room (due to kids), and a single story. Apart from that we were open to suggestion.
We also collected a lot of the "standard inclusions" sheets from different builders so we could comapre what different base prices included, and if we would be paying extra to upgrade things.
We are now at the stage where we are ready to start the whole process (about 50 display homes and 4 months later) and have decided on a plan (and builder). Our main concern is now $$$, but I'm quite confident that we will get quality, and if it takes a bit longer to pay off then so be it - we plan on being there 10+ years so want to do it right first time.
A suggestion that was made to us was that you look carefully at the finishes in the display homes. These are made to have the best of everything on show (including all the "extras") and if the paint looks *******, or the woodwork is sub-standard - as we saw in a couple, you can guarantee the job they do in your house will be no better!

All the best with your choice!

sneakersss · Feb 06, 2007 9:49 pm

There are SOOOO may houses to chose from these days that it can be overwhelming. I think it's important that you know what it is you want in a house so I suggest sitting down with the people who will be living in the house and list/note what you want and don't want. That way when you visit these display homes you can walk in and start to look at the layout of the house more so than the cosmetics (coz they do put the really nice stuff in the display homes) and see if it has what you want.

Of course there's also the budget. Stick to a budget so that you're not blown away by the end price. A rough size also helps. If you have a block in mind or already have one, that also helps. That way you know what will fit on the block or not. Knowing the building envelope and setbacks to the block will aid in you not picking a house that is 1m too long. Like what happened to us! Haha My friend bought a very narrow block and couldn't find a house to fit on it so they had to custom build.

But some people work the other way around. They find a house they like then they find a block that will fit that. Either or works.

Always ask lots of questions. What is standard, what is an upgrade, what is a promo? All those sorts of things. Don't let anybody rush you in making a decision with anything because buying a house is a big deal. And yes, research research, research. Most of the people on this forum are pretty helpful and have been there done that kinda people so you'll find a lot of useful information.

And collect/jot down/cut out pics of things you like - colours, themes, taps etc. as it helps when you eventually go to pick colours etc.

I hope this helps!