Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 81Aug 25, 2013 6:35 am lol glad I didnt miss much. october not to much longer for you guys. ours has been set back one month to dec. but yours is two months behind- is that right? so im thinking mine might not be ready to jan. my street is just a mess lol yours is looking good on the other hand though. Site Start 11/3/14 Slab Pour 2/4/14 Framing Complete 8/4/14 Lock Up 1/5/14 Fixing Stage Complete 14/5/14 New Home Presentation 20/6/14 Handover 2/7/14 blog: http://firsthomebuilding.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 82Aug 25, 2013 8:47 am When we sign up for the land, it was originally supposed to title in August and then was pushed back to October because of the civil works on the intersection. I'm glad now that it happened because we have been able to save extra money! As long as it titles by November I will be happy, otherwise we have to go through ALL of the finance approval application process again because it expires after 6 months. Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 83Aug 25, 2013 9:24 am Hi guys, I am new to this forum and new to the process as well. I hope I can learn from everyone further along in the stage. My husband and I have just registered our interest with HBC pretty much because of the excellent reviews and the package/quality that they offer. We have just given HBC/Resolve our Finance Health Check forms and our New Homes Consultant just informed us that we are good to build a $350k - $370k house. We are supposed to meet him this coming Tues. We are first home owners and will take advantage of Deposit Assist as well. We plan to build the Monarch 23 in the Officer area. Since I'm all new to this stuff, I hope someone can answer some of my questions. a. What can I expect from the meeting and is this the part where I pay the deposit? b. What should I be asking/looking for during this meet? I am unsure what to expect. c. What is the difference between conditional and pre-approval? d. Do we have to pay the LMI and stamp duty out of pocket? e. When we went to their display houses, they said pretty much everything is standard except for the benchtop, doors, double vanity, downlights etc. Really? f. I know it is still early on, but does someone have a list of all the standard inclusions (not sure if the one on their website is complete) and upgrade costs? g. Will they give us the option at this stage to purchase a titled land or is that asking for too much? I am just sick of paying rent and very excited at the same time! h. Do we have the option to choose our broker if we avail of Deposit Assist? I am really sorry for all the questions but I will be very grateful for all your help! Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 84Aug 25, 2013 10:18 am Hi and welcome to the building journey!! I will do my best to answer your questions based on my experience...others may like to weigh in also because the experience with HBC can differ due to the deposit assist. a. What can I expect from the meeting and is this the part where I pay the deposit? ANSWER: No deposit required at this meeting. If this is your first face to face it will be a meet/greet with the home sales consultant, a selection of house design and location. You will also meet the Resolve Finance person. Just a friendly meeting really where you can discuss your wish list. b. What should I be asking/looking for during this meet? I am unsure what to expect. ANSWER: You may like to ask for the list of standard inclusions because they have just made some changes to flooring from vinyl to laminate. c. What is the difference between conditional and pre-approval? ANSWER: Pre-approval comes first and it's a good sign you are in your way to getting formal approval. I didn't think there was a different with "pre-approval and "conditional". My understanding is that it is the same thing. d. Do we have to pay the LMI and stamp duty out of pocket? ANSWER: No. This was included in the overall costs with Resolve with the loan and deposit assist. We have had to pay $1500 at the Preliminary Works Contract appointment (the next appointment) where the plans and structural selections are made). We then paid $264 for the valuation fee when we were going for our formal approval. That is all at this stage. e. When we went to their display houses, they said pretty much everything is standard except for the benchtop, doors, double vanity, downlights etc. Really? ANSWER: This is one thing I would be careful about as I have found that the consultants in the display home also do sales work for Boutique and can confuse the standards. The HBC display homes often have Boutique materials. In saying that though, the exceptions are what you wrote plus flooring (as the main items). f. I know it is still early on, but does someone have a list of all the standard inclusions (not sure if the one on their website is complete) and upgrade costs? ANSWER: the one on the website is pretty much correct apart from flooring. Upgrade costs- I didn't upgrade too many things but I will dig out the ones I did and send you an inbox message. g. Will they give us the option at this stage to purchase a titled land or is that asking for too much? I am just sick of paying rent and very excited at the same time! ANSWER: Pretty sure they will give you the option of both! It's the timeline that is tight. Check with the land office how much deposit they will require as this does come out of your pocket and is usually required during the first month if securing your block. Check the terms of how long you have to organise finance. h. Do we have the option to choose our broker if we avail of Deposit Assist? ANSWER: It depends on if you are contributing more than the $3000. Most people I have spoken to, including myself- NO we didn't. HBC have a relationship with Bluebay Finance for small deposit loans. The Resolve Brokers will still present your application to the 10 lenders though so yours might be different. Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 85Aug 25, 2013 10:29 am wow pooks you covered everything!! Site Start 11/3/14 Slab Pour 2/4/14 Framing Complete 8/4/14 Lock Up 1/5/14 Fixing Stage Complete 14/5/14 New Home Presentation 20/6/14 Handover 2/7/14 blog: http://firsthomebuilding.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 86Aug 25, 2013 10:37 am Wow, thank you so much pooks 83 for the detailed answers! Seriously, you are a good ad for HBC. This thread alone pretty much seals the deal for me (if we get finance of course!) I don't even want to consider any other builder at this point! By the way, is it extra for an alfresco/outdoor living? Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 87Aug 25, 2013 10:55 am Haha- thanks guys! I must admit I felt that communication was a bit poor with my situation at the beginning so I like to shed light on parts that were confusing for me. I forgot to mention that when you have the meeting to sign your preliminary works contract (PWC) that they will give you a folder with all of the selections in there so you can have a gander and select your items for your Prestart (colours and selections) appointment. Also, the idea of the $3000 is...$1500 to HBC and the other $1500 for your land holding deposit. Though if you want a bigger block of land you may need to pay more than $1500 which is what I was referring to before. Alfresco is included only if your house design shows it- your plan does. One thing you might like to think about with your plan that I did is getting an ensuite door (unless you don't mind that your ensuite is opposite your bedroom window) and also a sliding door in between your living area to hallway/retreat area to section off/help with aircon/heat. I did both of these things at my PWC appointment. It just made sense! Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 88Aug 25, 2013 12:00 pm That's so nice of you to share your knowledge despite the fact that it was vague for you! I honestly don't mind the open ensuite hahaha. But I will consider the sliding door between the living/retreat area. We are big movie buffs so that place will be used all the time! The one thing that I really want though is the glass splashback in the kitchen but not sure how it can be done with this plan. Oh well, just have to wait and see! Thanks to you pooks83, I have learned heaps more this morning! And nice blog by the way! Makes me all giddy and excited. Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 89Aug 25, 2013 3:35 pm Yeah thanks indeed Pooks, that cleared some things up for me too! I've gotta say, I've been so impressed with the whole HBC team so far. I had an out of hours appointment at Docklands this week, and I was waiting downstairs for my consultant to come back from a display site. It was right on staff knock off time, and every single staff member that was leaving stopped and asked if I was OK, could they help me with something etc. Every one of them, and I'm talking about a dozen different people! One girl even dragged me upstairs to wait inside because she insisted it was too cold haha! It's little things like that which really make a difference. A little bit goes a long way... Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 90Aug 28, 2013 9:13 am Ok guys, so we met with our New Homes Consultant yesterday and it was actually the PWC already. Maybe because we already knew what house we wanted and what area. We ended up with Indigo 22 in Potters Grove Estate. We have a corner lot (399m2), across the park. We had a read through everything and it seems fine, so call us crazy, we signed it. Yeah, my husband and I can be so naive!!! Is there anything that we should be wary of at this point? I'm a bit scared but at the same time, if we really did get screwed, then that experience will be worth $1500.00. Any advice? Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 91Aug 28, 2013 2:24 pm I signed on the spot as well and I was freeking out to about losing my deposit. suppose there is a risk of losing it but everyone on this forum so far hasn't been declined so they must be pretty good judge as to whether youl be excepted! good luck with pre approval!!!! Site Start 11/3/14 Slab Pour 2/4/14 Framing Complete 8/4/14 Lock Up 1/5/14 Fixing Stage Complete 14/5/14 New Home Presentation 20/6/14 Handover 2/7/14 blog: http://firsthomebuilding.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 92Aug 28, 2013 5:26 pm ruby123 I signed on the spot as well and I was freeking out to about losing my deposit. suppose there is a risk of losing it but everyone on this forum so far hasn't been declined so they must be pretty good judge as to whether youl be excepted! good luck with pre approval!!!! Thanks ruby123! I'm glad we are not the only ones who signed on the spot. Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 93Aug 28, 2013 6:18 pm I signed on the spot too! Although risking $1500, it seemee pretty straight forward its the next contract, the HIA Builders Contract that you want to take to take your time with. The good thing is that they mail that out to you so you have a fair bit of time to read over it and sign. Good luck on the next phase _chylatte_!! Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 94Aug 28, 2013 6:42 pm pooks83 I signed on the spot too! Although risking $1500, it seemee pretty straight forward its the next contract, the HIA Builders Contract that you want to take to take your time with. The good thing is that they mail that out to you so you have a fair bit of time to read over it and sign. Good luck on the next phase _chylatte_!! Thanks pooks! Getting really anxious now for the approval. Anyway, our new homes consultant highly discouraged upgrades so we won't be stuck when the time for valuation comes. We didn't do any structural changes but I am really keen to upgrade to stone benchtop, glass splashback and rendered facade. Can you let me know if it's better to do it post handover or are their costs worth upgrading now? How much did it cost you? Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 96Aug 28, 2013 7:40 pm We were the same- being discouraged from doing too much because of valuation. It's because the banks see it as over-capitalisation, that too much won't add value to the house at all so it's frowned upon! Our sales consultant got us a deal on kitchen upgrades $950 for caesarstone bench tops, 900ml oven/stovetop/rangehood and overhead cupboards. We also got the glass splash back- that was $850 and an undermount kitchen sink which was $685. We did a couple of other upgrades (small things) at our selections appointment and paid for it on the day. Our total was $3763 in upgrades. I would recommend doing those sorts of things through HBC because you might have issues of them not allowing you to complete handover without necessities such as ovens/flooring etc. Pretty sure they have to supply it. Electrical is WAY overpriced to do it through the builder though. A PowerPoint costs $55 if you want an extra one. In Bunnings they are $6 so we didn't touch electrical but we have friend who is an electrician who will complete extras for us after handover eg.downlights, extra fittings, aircon. Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 97Aug 28, 2013 7:53 pm ez85- fingers and toes are crossed for your pre-approval! I don't think yours will take anywhere near as long as mine...I think I got lost in the banks system for a while because the assessor went on leave! Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 98Aug 28, 2013 8:48 pm Wow, I soooo envy you pooks! That is such a good deal. I asked for a glass splashback and the agent said that he will put in a variation in our PWC of $2000 to do this. He said they can credit it back to us if we are not going to use it. I am afraid that it will just be a huge amount added again if I also ask for a stone benchtop. Anyway, we spoke with our uncle and he confirmed that he was going to give us money. With this, we have spoken to a broker we trust and have decided not to go with Resolve for Finance. Hopefully, there won't be any dramas. Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 99Aug 28, 2013 9:01 pm Excellent! Yeah the $2000 allowance in the PWC is good for selections day, we had that too, that's what the $950 came off. From memory I think the ceaserstone bench tops are $1000- round about that! It will be good to hear how it works going with a different finance company. I wish we had that as an option! Not that I'm not happy with Resolve, but I think there would be more flexibility getting a good deal on interest rates elsewhere. How exciting for you! Build Permit-17/12/13 Earthworks-13/1/14 Slab-30/1/14 Frame-10/2/14 Lock Up-7/3/14 Fixing Stage Complete-20/3/14 New Home Presentation-6/5/14 Moved in 17/5/14! Blog: http://dandesbuild.blogspot.com.au Re: Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA? 100Aug 28, 2013 9:56 pm Hmmmm... I told our consultant this and he said that we would now need to pay 5% for the land instead of $1500 if we don't through Resolve. But I am scared to do that since we don't even have pre-approval or formal approval yet....Oh man... Indigo 22 Potters Grove, Officer, Vic Aug '13 - Signed PWC Oct '13 - Conditional Approval Dec '13 - Formal Approval Apr '14 - Land Settlement Jun '14 - Site Start Oct '14 - Keys I havent, and i havent looked to much into it, but on face value its not the saviour its trying to make out to be. Shared equity in your home is never a good idea. The… 1 3973 Hi, have purchased a house with 2 single garage doors. The Centre pillar one side sits proud to the other. Can I change 2 doors into one. Please see picture. 0 6336 For reference, this is the Austlii reference. My take on this is, that they would be breaking the law denying access to a homeowner in Victoria, or their agent from having… 1 9082 |