Ensuring Your New Home is a Good Investment

Kaila Sawlor-Dion, January 23, 2014 | Posted in Research; Tagged Builders, Testimonials

A new home is the single biggest investment most of us will make in our lifetime. It is very important to do everything we can to make sure it is a good investment, including selecting the right builder. 

How can you be sure you and your family are protected and have picked a suitable builder?

Spend time researching many local builders. Research any builders you’d like to quote on your home. All too often, a homeowner who hasn’t spent much time researching will select their builder based on the only information they have—price. This often results in an unhappy client and builder.

Referrals. Ask friends and family about their homebuilding experiences. It takes five to eight months to build a new home. There are dozens of people involved, working with many different trades and suppliers. Your builder has to control all of these people and personalities, and make sure your expectations have been exceeded. If a builder’s past clients have worked through this process and they can still enthusiastically recommend the builder they used, then that builder is the one for you! A good builder will make testimonials available to you, and will even offer you the chance to speak with a past client and possibly visit their home.

Licenses, insurance, and certifications. Some of the industry’s top associations and certifications include, but are not limited to: Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association (NSHBA), Atlantic Home Warranty (AHW), Better Business Bureau (BBB), Certified R-2000 Builder, and Certified Residential Builder. Some builders may offer to build your home “just like” R-2000 builds, but with “lots of savings” because they are not certified. 

Discuss changes during construction. Extra or unknown costs are a legitimate concern for those building a new home. You don’t want to sign off on one price, only to be stuck with a much different price in the end! To avoid this dilemma, carefully read over any documentation from your builder. You need to be aware that changes can take place during construction as well. A good builder will have a process in place to handle these changes, most often by way of a change order.

Kaila Sawlor-Dion

Kaila is the Marketing Manager of Sawlor Built Homes. She continuously updates our profile on Facebook, Instagram, Houzz, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, and is focused on all marketing initiatives.

A third generation family member of Sawlor Built Homes, Kaila joined the company in 2011. She is an active member of the Canadian Home Builder's Association - Nova Scotia Marketing Committee and she continues to update her education and training, intent on becoming an industry leader in new home marketing.