Selecting a Builder
• Get pre-qualified so you know your budget
• Ask friends and coworkers who have purchased a new home if they are satisfied with it.
• Check the ads in real estate magazines and make a list of builders who seem to offer the kind of homes you are interested in within your price range.
• Telephone the builder's office and ask where to see examples of finished homes and homes in various stages of construction. (It's safest to visit homes under construction after working hours or on Sundays.)
• Spend some time looking not only at model homes, but at homes that are unfinished. Focus on the quality of materials and workmanship that are going into them, not just the specific floor plan or finishes in one particular home.
• If you are working with a Realtor ask him (her) to show you homes by builders who interest you.
• Make appointments to talk with the builders whose products you are considering, or ask your Realtor to do this. Find out exactly what would be included in each builder's price, and what choices he offers to personalize your home.
• Ask for references from people who have purchased homes from your favorite candidate in the past, then contact those references and ask them about their homes and the builder's responsiveness to any problems they had during the construction or warranty period.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are complaints on record that have not been resolved.
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