When looking for the right builder for your custom home in Las Cruces, it’s crucial to find a contractor who understands your style, has extensive experience about it, knows how to communicate well, and boasts of a good reputation. Once you’ve found the right contractor for your custom home, it’s important to be open and honest with them from the onset.
Below are some common mistakes that homeowners usually make when hiring a custom home builder. Read on to be aware of the potential pitfalls, and to find out what you can do to avoid these mistakes.
Many custom home builders try to attract new clients by creating misleading advertisements. Some companies may make claims like “Make your dream home a reality for less than $100 per square foot!” The custom home builder’s transparency should be one of the things you consider when choosing your contractor. Builders who use these types of marketing ploys are only focused on securing a contract, and then reveal their more expensive actual pricing when you’ve signed the paper.
Custom homes are called such because they each have unique features and floor plans. For instance, a custom home with 2500 square feet and 3.5 baths will cost more to build than a home with 2500 square feet but with only 2.5 baths. A single-story ranch also doesn’t have the same building cost as a two-story colonial because of variables such as the size of the kitchen, garage, and other features.
In other words, a reputable contractor cannot make definite calculations about how much it will cost to build your custom home before they see the actual floor plan and blueprint of your Las Cruces custom home. Think twice about working with these contractors because attracting clients with a misleading statement is not the right way to begin the process of building your custom home.
When it comes to a project as big as custom home building, experience is essential. A builder’s references provide prospective clients with a glimpse into their past projects, at the same time giving you a chance to get an idea about their craftsmanship, business practices, problem-solving skills, and customer service. Beware of custom home builders who can provide you with only a few names of previous clients.
If they’re providing you the same name of clients over and over again, they’re not giving you the means to thoroughly get to know their company. This could indicate that they’re not considering the process you’re going through, or that they’re not proud of their other previous projects. Hire a custom builder who can provide you with several client references if you ask for them. Both old and recent references can be very helpful. Recent references can tell you about the current business practices of the builder, while older references can speak about how the homes they build can withstand the test of time.
When interviewing references, ask open-ended questions that can provide you with an extensive insight into the customer’s experience. Avoid questions that are answerable by a short yes or no because they are not too helpful. Ask the references questions that can tell you about the builder’s punctuality, communication styles, organization and cleanliness, and post-construction support.
Some questions you can ask are:
Hire a builder that you can envision working with on a long-term basis. Custom home building projects can take over a year, from the planning stage to post-construction support. During that whole time, you must feel comfortable communicating and working with your builder. When you’re talking to your builder, you must feel that they share your vision for your custom home. If you’re getting the sense that the builder is prioritizing their own design preferences over your own, that is already a red flag. Your contractor should be able to logically explain to you why he feels like an idea is not going to work out. Ideally, you must have a strong feeling about your builder’s trustworthiness, openness, transparency, and consideration for your needs before you start your custom home building project in Las Cruces.
During the process of building your Las Cruces custom home, nothing can be more frustrating than not hearing back from your custom home builder. If your builder takes a considerably long time to respond to your queries, they are likely not a good fit.
Builders should make sure they are available through their cell phone numbers when you need them for consultation, especially if you’re contacting them at a reasonable time. While a good builder is often busy and hard to reach through the phone, they should have a point person to communicate with their clients, and that person should be easy to reach and talk to.
If a prospective builder requires you to communicate through an intermediary, you are likely to experience communication problems that may affect the building process. Their point person should be someone who can address your needs directly.
When choosing a custom home builder in Las Cruces, always go for the highest value over the lowest price. Many homeowners make the mistake of hiring builders who give the lowest quote. However, the low price could be a misleading estimate, an inaccurate proposal, low-quality materials, or an indication of the builder’s lack of experience or low-quality work.
Choosing to hire a builder with an extra-low quotation could cost you more down the road as you try to fix your compromised custom home. Of course, you should always consider your budget when hiring a builder, but do not prioritize price over quality. If you cannot afford a quality builder at this time, it’s best to wait until you have enough money to hire the right person to do the job.
Custom home builders who have extensive experience have seen and heard it all. Many clients try not to disclose everything they want for their new Las Cruces custom homes when they start the project because they think they can live without it, but end up being tempted later midway through the process. Some clients also think that they don’t have to pay for the additional features if it is not listed on the contract. But if you really want these features in your home, it’s best to reveal all the details to your builder to save you time and money.
For more information about custom home building in Las Cruces, New Mexico, contact Sun and Earth Construction today! We are a top-rated sustainable custom home builder in Las Cruces, NM, and the surrounding area. Call us now at 619-571-4916, and let’s start building your custom home together!
When looking for the right builder for your custom home in Las Cruces, it’s crucial to find a contractor who understands your style, has extensive experience about it, knows how to communicate well, and boasts of a good reputation. Once you’ve found the right contractor for your custom home, it’s important to be open and honest with them from the onset.
Below are some common mistakes that homeowners usually make when hiring a custom home builder. Read on to be aware of the potential pitfalls, and to find out what you can do to avoid these mistakes.
Many custom home builders try to attract new clients by creating misleading advertisements. Some companies may make claims like “Make your dream home a reality for less than $100 per square foot!” The custom home builder’s transparency should be one of the things you consider when choosing your contractor. Builders who use these types of marketing ploys are only focused on securing a contract, and then reveal their more expensive actual pricing when you’ve signed the paper.
Custom homes are called such because they each have unique features and floor plans. For instance, a custom home with 2500 square feet and 3.5 baths will cost more to build than a home with 2500 square feet but with only 2.5 baths. A single-story ranch also doesn’t have the same building cost as a two-story colonial because of variables such as the size of the kitchen, garage, and other features.
In other words, a reputable contractor cannot make definite calculations about how much it will cost to build your custom home before they see the actual floor plan and blueprint of your Las Cruces custom home. Think twice about working with these contractors because attracting clients with a misleading statement is not the right way to begin the process of building your custom home.
When it comes to a project as big as custom home building, experience is essential. A builder’s references provide prospective clients with a glimpse into their past projects, at the same time giving you a chance to get an idea about their craftsmanship, business practices, problem-solving skills, and customer service. Beware of custom home builders who can provide you with only a few names of previous clients.
If they’re providing you the same name of clients over and over again, they’re not giving you the means to thoroughly get to know their company. This could indicate that they’re not considering the process you’re going through, or that they’re not proud of their other previous projects. Hire a custom builder who can provide you with several client references if you ask for them. Both old and recent references can be very helpful. Recent references can tell you about the current business practices of the builder, while older references can speak about how the homes they build can withstand the test of time.
When interviewing references, ask open-ended questions that can provide you with an extensive insight into the customer’s experience. Avoid questions that are answerable by a short yes or no because they are not too helpful. Ask the references questions that can tell you about the builder’s punctuality, communication styles, organization and cleanliness, and post-construction support.
Some questions you can ask are:
Hire a builder that you can envision working with on a long-term basis. Custom home building projects can take over a year, from the planning stage to post-construction support. During that whole time, you must feel comfortable communicating and working with your builder. When you’re talking to your builder, you must feel that they share your vision for your custom home. If you’re getting the sense that the builder is prioritizing their own design preferences over your own, that is already a red flag. Your contractor should be able to logically explain to you why he feels like an idea is not going to work out. Ideally, you must have a strong feeling about your builder’s trustworthiness, openness, transparency, and consideration for your needs before you start your custom home building project in Las Cruces.
During the process of building your Las Cruces custom home, nothing can be more frustrating than not hearing back from your custom home builder. If your builder takes a considerably long time to respond to your queries, they are likely not a good fit.
Builders should make sure they are available through their cell phone numbers when you need them for consultation, especially if you’re contacting them at a reasonable time. While a good builder is often busy and hard to reach through the phone, they should have a point person to communicate with their clients, and that person should be easy to reach and talk to.
If a prospective builder requires you to communicate through an intermediary, you are likely to experience communication problems that may affect the building process. Their point person should be someone who can address your needs directly.
When choosing a custom home builder in Las Cruces, always go for the highest value over the lowest price. Many homeowners make the mistake of hiring builders who give the lowest quote. However, the low price could be a misleading estimate, an inaccurate proposal, low-quality materials, or an indication of the builder’s lack of experience or low-quality work.
Choosing to hire a builder with an extra-low quotation could cost you more down the road as you try to fix your compromised custom home. Of course, you should always consider your budget when hiring a builder, but do not prioritize price over quality. If you cannot afford a quality builder at this time, it’s best to wait until you have enough money to hire the right person to do the job.
Custom home builders who have extensive experience have seen and heard it all. Many clients try not to disclose everything they want for their new Las Cruces custom homes when they start the project because they think they can live without it, but end up being tempted later midway through the process. Some clients also think that they don’t have to pay for the additional features if it is not listed on the contract. But if you really want these features in your home, it’s best to reveal all the details to your builder to save you time and money.
For more information about custom home building in Las Cruces, New Mexico, contact Sun and Earth Construction today! We are a top-rated sustainable custom home builder in Las Cruces, NM, and the surrounding area. Call us now at 619-571-4916, and let’s start building your custom home together!
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