Watch Out! 7 Mistakes People Make When Building a Home
You’re about to build your dream home and you’ve thought everything through…or so you thought.
Even though you’ve thought about exactly what you want in your home, have you thought about what you don’t want? Have you really thought the whole thing through? Have you thought about what will happen if things go over budget?
Budgets that are too small and poor planning can quickly lead to some disastrous mistakes.
When you’re building a home, you need to look at it from all angles. If you don’t, your dream home can quickly turn into your disaster home.
So, what exactly do you need to watch out for and keep in mind?
Read on to learn the top mistakes to avoid when building a home.
Being Too Laid Back About Decision Making
Your home is one of the biggest investments you will make in your life. Therefore, it’s very important to not be passive and instead be present when it comes time for decision making.
Do not rush through the design process. Take time to thouroughly review your plans so you minimize changes once construction has started. Changes can be made during construction but changes usually increase cost.
Confusing the Base Price With the Actual Price
When you are given a quote for your home make sure you have a detailed budget and specifications. Builders will often give an “allowance” for finishes vs a detailed description. Verify that the allowance given is in line with they type and quality your are expecting. The builder should be able to direct you to suppliers that will help you match your allowance to a specific product. For example if there is an appliance allowance of $5,000 you should be able to determine by doing a little research what that you can purchase for that amount. If you spend more than the allowance the additional funds will have to come “out of pocket” vs from the construction loan.
Therefore, make sure you don’t sign anything before you know how much you’re paying.
Choosing a Poor Location
Sure, it’s convenient to live near a grocery store and a laundromat, but, there’s a lot more you need to consider than just a 5-minute walk to the grocery store when choosing your location.
Oftentimes, while these locations look great at first sight, you’ll quickly realize the most appealing homes are not ones that are directly next to areas like these. This is because busy stores and streets are not quiet nor are they family friendly.
In addition to the surroundings, you’ll also want to keep things in mind like water table, terrain, and slope. All of these factors can greatly affect the resale value of your home.
Expecting Everything to Go Smoothly
Here’s a quick reality check: no home building project ever goes off without a hitch from start to finish.
No matter how great your builder is or how meticulously you’ve planned, you can pretty much guarantee that something will go wrong at some point or another.
It’s very important that you keep in mind that some hiccups will happen along the way, as this will help prevent you from getting frustrated.
That being said, you still should do what you can to keep these hiccups to a minimum. During the construction phase, visit the home as often as you can. Make sure that everything is going as planned, and don’t be afraid to speak up if you see something out of place.
Don’t be afraid to take out a tape measure and check that all of the rooms and cabinets are the right size and that everything is in the right place.
Planning for the now and the future
How you utiilze your home will change over time so give some thought to how you may live in your home five, ten or twenty years down the road. Consider how you will utilize your home when the kids move out or a older parent comes to stay. Will climbing stairs be an issue later in life? Should the HVAC system have a couple of zones to help lower costs for unused space in the home?
Cutting Corners On the Budget
If you find a builder who can build your dream home for $40,000 cheaper than all the other builders can, and can do it in half the time, you’ll want to run for the hills.
Most often, this “great” deal means the builder has something to hide. Usually, the builder is trying to lowball you in order to get your business, and then they’ll try to tack on a bunch of prices in the end.
Even if extra fees aren’t tacked on at the end, you still want to be wary of builders who offer a too-good-to-be-true kind of a deal. This is because a significant difference in price also tends to mean a significant difference in materials.
Choosing the Wrong Home Builder
Last but not least, choosing the wrong builder is one of the biggest mistakes people make.
Make sure to ask around about different builders before you settle on one. Read reviews online and from the Better Business Bureau, and be sure to meet with the builder ahead of time to ask them questions and check out their portfolio.
If you choose the wrong home builder, the whole process can quickly derail, so make sure to put in the time to choose the right one.
Building a Home: Are You Ready to Start?
As you can see, there are many mistakes you can make when building a home. But, now that you know what they are, the building process is sure to go smoothly.
If you have any questions about the home building process, be sure to drop us a comment below.
And, get in touch with us when you’re ready to start building the home of your dreams.