14 Sep 9 Questions to Ask Your Luxury Home Builder

Finding the right luxury home builder is almost as important as designing your new custom home.

With a good builder, you can be sure your vision for your new luxury home will be realized. With a less reputable builder, you may end up paying a lot for a home that doesn’t fit your personality or provide all the things that lead you to build a custom home.

When you select a group of home builders to talk to it will be important to ask all of your questions – and the same questions – of each builder to give you a clear picture or your options and allow you to choose the right fit for your luxury homebuilding project.

Sp what should you ask? If this is your first home building project, that can be a daunting process. You may be unsure what to ask and how to evaluate the response from the builder. With that in mind, here is our list of 9 questions you will want to ask every home builder before you pick the custom home builder who will bring your dream home to life.

While there may be a few more you’ll think of later, these are a great place to start:

1.) Are You Licensed and Insured in this Area?

You no doubt plan to hire a builder who is licensed and insured, but its important that you hire a builder who is licensed and insured in your state. Here in Florida we have different codes and requirements that in other states, as is generally the case. If you choose a builder from out of the area, they may not have the proper state building license and insurance. Will the home builder be offended if you ask this question. Not a reputable one. This is a routine question that builders expect anyone to ask.

The answer you are looking for should sound something like “Yes, let me show you my license and proof of insurance,” a sign this is a builder who is open, honest and you can trust to be safe.

By the way, you may also want to hire a builder with experience in your neighborhood if you have narrowed things down that far, as their are differing requirements in some neighborhoods and municipalities as well.

2.) Can you Give me a List of References from Recent Luxury Home Building Projects?

Any good luxury home builder should answer with a yes and provide a list of references. You will want to follow up on this list, calling to talk to the references. Find out how the home building process went, and if they felt comfortable with the builder and things went smoothly. Ask if they ended up with the home they wanted, at the price they agreed upon. View a portfolio of the builders work, and if possible visit some of these projects to get an idea of their work.

3.) How Many Luxury Homes Do You Have Under Construction?

Why is this important to ask? Depending on the builder and their resources, the more homes they are building the less attention you may get on your home building project. If you get a builder that is too busy, you may run into scheduling delays while they complete other projects. Yes, you want a custom home builder who is active, but make sure that they are not going to be too busy to build your dream home or you may find yourself stuck waiting for months – definitely a problem is you are trying to time the build with the sale of your existing home.

4.) Does the home builder offer a warranty? If so, what is and is not covered by the warranty?

People often forget that their new luxury home comes with a warranty, generally straight from the builder. This is an important question to ask your prospective custom home builders. You should ask to see what their warranty looks like and if they have it in writing. From there, go ahead and ask what’s covered, and what’s left out, until you feel you fully understand the warranty. Don’t wait until something breaks to find out if it’s covered, get ahead of the game, and make sure you know what steps they’ll take in the event that something covered does break.

5.) What standard features are included in your custom homes?

You will find that many custom home builders offer standard features with all homes that they build. This might include a number of things from amenities and features that are built in to hours with a designer to allowances for decorative fixtures, etc. Its good to know what each builder you talk to offers as this is where budget can really be impacted in your build. If you know the standard features, you can ask for upgrades that meet your  vision for your new home, and downgrades for items that you may not see as necessary, this saving a bit of money for those upgrades you have to have! Knowing if the builder will be flexible on these things is also important.

6.) Who will oversee the construction of your new custom home? Who should I call with questions or Issues that I may have?

In the midst of the construction of your new home, you may have questions about a part of the project. A quality custom home builder will have a project manager for your build that you can contact with any questions. You may also what to know who is responsible for overseeing your project so you know who to ask for when you visit the job site. In fact, be sure to ask if and when its okay for your to visit the job site. Most builders will be fine with this, but will want to know when you plan to be there to ensure proper safety while you are on the job site.

7.) When will I know the final price on my new home?

This is an important question to ask to avoid any price surprises down the road. Of course, there will be decisions you make along the way that may impact the final price, but you’ll want to know the final price as soon as you can be be sure your budget can manage it, or to find additional funds if needed. Some builders address this by setting up allowances. Ask your builder when you can expect this, how they would like to be paid, and how handle any unexpected additional costs that occur after the final price.

8.) When will my home be completed?

Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. While the builder will be challenged to answer this immediately, you should expect a ballpark range of when your project can be completed within their work schedule. You should also ask how they handle weather delays and other unanticipated setbacks. This may help you narrow your choices if you are having a difficult time making your builder decision.

9.) What is your process for inspection and final walkthrough of my new home?

In the end, you need to know that you have a reputable, conscientious builder who you can trust to follow the rules. You don’t want someone you cuts corners. A good builder will ensure that everything is perfect by their standards and meets state requirements and code before they give you the keys to your new luxury home. They will have the home inspected at several building states and will do a final walkthrough to be sure that everything is as it needs to be.

With these 9 Questions, you are ready to talk to luxury home builders

After asking these questions of all of your home building candidates, you should have a pretty good idea of who you want to hire, but if you have more questions, don’t be afraid to ask! This is the person you’re entrusting with the entire completion of your home, so it makes sense to be cautious, and to know for certain that you like the builder before you go ahead with the contract.

If you are beginning to put together your list of luxury custom home builders, Devonshire Custom Homes is regarded as among the finest in Florida. You can learn more about our custom home building process, standard features, our custom home building qualities and meet our team by clicking these links.

If you have more questions about interviewing home builders, or you would like to schedule an appointment with our team, use the handy button below to schedule an appointment with Devonshire Custom Homes or call us at (813) 831-1984