Want to see your custom dream home become a reality? Learning how to choose a home builder who can achieve your vision is key. You’re not just building a house together — you’re designing and creating the spaces where your family’s lives will happen.
Deciding which home builder is the best for your needs may seem overwhelming. A quick internet search generates hundreds of thousands of options promising to deliver top-quality construction and custom designs. How can you know which one you can trust to understand and implement your ideas with dependability and honesty?
Weaver Custom Homes is here to help. We reflected on our 40-plus years of experience helping families call the greater Northeast Ohio area home, then compiled these tips for how to select a home builder you can count on.
Trusted Home Builder Qualities
Every home builder worth your time and money shares several qualities:
- Experience
- Professionalism
- Creativity
- Reliability
- Honesty
Keep these qualities in mind as you hunt for a custom home builder, and use all means to find one that exemplifies each! Ask neighbors and friends who’ve had homes built about their experiences. Search online extensively, being sure to read customer reviews. Drive through newer developments with aesthetics you like — then get out of the car and talk to homeowners who are out doing yard work about their builders. While you’re doing this, develop a list of questions for home builders you’re considering. Here are a few of the most important things to ask:
Do You Have Financing Plans Available?
Figuring out your budget and financing options is square one in the new home journey. Part of deciding who is the best quality home builder for your needs may include whether they can help you finance the cost. Most reputable custom home builders have a relationship with local lenders who can help you arrange construction financing. They’ll also establish a clear schedule of payments for the various stages of the project and advise you on whether you need to obtain a Homeowner Risk Insurance Policy before construction begins.
What Types of Customization Can You Accommodate?
It may sound obvious, but a custom home builder should offer you more than a few cookie-cutter templates to choose from. After all, this is your custom home — right? You should be able to choose from types of custom homes in various architectural styles, then have lots of leeway with floorplans and finishes. Weaver Custom Homes invites clients to our award-winning Design Center in Wooster, Ohio, where you’ll work with an expert to swap out rooms, rearrange layouts, add amenities and eliminate unwanted options until you achieve custom home perfection.
What is Your Custom Home Warranty?
A clear signal that you’ve found a home builder with integrity is their offer of a custom home warranty as a commitment to your long-term peace of mind. Rather than toss you the keys and bid farewell, the best home builders offer an orientation walk-through of all your home’s features, provide you with manufacturer’s warranties for the products you selected and cover the structural elements of the house with a limited warranty. You know a home builder is the best of the best when they keep the lines of communication open during your first full year of occupying your custom home and address any issues quickly and effectively.
Where Are You Able to Build?
Whether you’ve already purchased a lot for your new home or you’re interested in a particular development, your choice of location will largely dictate which home builder is the best choice for you. It will do you no good in Indiana to choose a Florida-based custom home builder. Ohio residents and those looking to relocate to some of the finest communities in the state can count Weaver Custom Homes among their resources. We’re eager to help you find the perfect site for your family’s next chapter.
How Do Other Homeowners Review Your Work?
If you’re not a custom home builder, the process of constructing a house from scratch may seem completely foreign and overwhelming. Seasoned builders will have a trove of customer reviews that can help you know what to expect along the way. The experiences of other homeowners provide unbeatable insight into how to choose a home builder who listens to your needs, responds quickly, offers knowledgeable guidance and delivers superior workmanship and quality.
Preventing Home Builder Issues
Now that you have a list of questions and a strategy for how to choose a home builder with confidence, let’s take a moment to learn from past fumbles. We’ve been building custom homes for a long time, and we’ve seen some common mistakes homeowners make with custom home projects that you can easily avoid.
Don’t Trust a Home Builder Without References
Even if they’re your brother’s best friend’s cousin’s college roommate who really, really knows what he’s doing because he helped drywall somebody’s basement — don’t hire a custom home builder who doesn’t have written references from real, paying customers who are happy in their new homes.
Don’t Accept Vague Promises Without a Clear Plan in Place
Your parents were spot on when they said, “Get it in writing.” Make sure you understand exactly how the custom home building project will go during every stage, with all the details, including a plan for steps and payment plan dates, in a hard-copy contract that you and your custom builder both sign.
Don’t Give In to Pressure to Decide Quickly
Building your dream home is a big deal. Take all the time you need to decide which home builder is the best choice for your situation. If a potential builder pressures you to sign papers quickly, that’s a red flag. The choices you make today — for the location, layout, floorplan and finishes of your custom home — will affect your family for decades into the future.
Building Your Custom Home in Ohio
Ready to see if Weaver Custom Homes is a good fit for your custom home builder needs? Contact us today to start bringing your dream home into real life.
