Do you want a sinking hole in your stomach after writing a huge check? Do you want to lose sleep
because you are regretting the largest purchase in your life? I didn’t think so. As a 10-year real estate
sales vet, I can tell you this: buyer’s remorse is real. When a buyer backs out for reasons not involving
financing, the sentiment is the same: missed expectations. This post will give you the three most
important questions to ask your builder before busting out that check book so that you don’t have those
rumbles of remorse and you can trust your decision to build your new home.
Can I Make Changes to This Home During Construction?
One appealing benefit to building a new home is customizing that home to fit your functional needs and
taste of style. Buyers inexperienced in the new build process often assume that they can still make
changes to the home because the home is still under construction; that is usually not the case due to a
couple of reasons: permitting and lead time for material delivery.
Just because the home is under construction, doesn’t mean you can change it
When a builder starts a new home, they must submit for a building permit with the municipality that
home is being constructed. Within that submission plan, the structural layout of the home is detailed.
Think bedroom count, patio options, garage options, window placement, the orientation of the home on
the lot, etc. Once the specific structural options for the home have been approved, it can be costly and
time consuming to have those plans resubmitted and re-inspected, blowing up the timeframe and profit
margin for the builder. Because of that, a builder will not allow a buyer to make structural changes to a
home once the home has started.
Builders must account for delays and long lead times, making it extremely difficult to make changes to
selections
Some buyers assume that since tile and flooring selections are not installed into the home that they can
still make those choices. Again, with most builders that is the wrong assumption to make because of
how long it takes for certain materials to arrive once ordered. For example, the lead time for cabinets
can be anywhere from 8-16 weeks from the time the order is placed. In other words, it could take up to
120 days (or longer) for the cabinets to arrive on site from the moment the order is placed! The same
can go for flooring, tile, countertops, and appliances. Not to mention material shortages, backorders,
shipping delays, and several other hurdles that can affect the timing of the home.
Understand what is important to you and communicate that with your salesperson
If putting personal preferences into a new home is important to you, have your salesperson show you homes that have customization opportunities. Homes that have options for buyers to customize usually
have a longer timeframe to completion, meaning you will have to wait longer to move in.
How Do You Address Problems/Mistakes During Construction?
In the age of automation and Amazon Prime, building a new home can feel archaic. It takes a long time
and a massive amount of coordination every step of the way. New construction requires tremendous
effort from human hands and acute attention from human minds and as we all know, human hands and
minds can make mistakes from time to time.
The right expectations are key for a smooth ride
As a new home buyer, expecting a 100% perfect construction experience will put you on a speeding bus
to Regretsville; things might not be done correctly the first time and that is normal! For many buyers,
those items are relatively minor can be easily corrected. For major issues that might come up (which is
rare), it is perfectly acceptable to ask your salesperson how those problems are addressed and how you
will be assured that the problem is handled.
In-depth research up front will save you from stress on the back end
Ask your salesperson if you can speak with the construction manager to get an understanding of the
building process before buying. Any great on-site team will welcome that opportunity because it signals
that you are seriously considering purchasing a home with them. They will be more than happy to detail
their warranty program and what to expect once you move into the home.
If you sense any hesitation or reluctance to having a meeting with a member of the construction team
before purchasing, that could be a sign to do more due diligence and at worst, a red flag to move your
search to another company.
Have There Been Any Changes to This Floorplan Compared to the Model?
“Every home is a snowflake.”
-Joe
One of my favorite construction managers has a great saying when it comes to building, “every home is
a snowflake”. One thing I have learned in my career is that no two homes will be built 100% the same.
Even if the same home is built several times in the same community, there will be slight differences in
the construction of each home.
As the crews get more familiar and efficient with building, a better way of building will be uncovered
which can slightly change the layout of later homes compared to ones built earlier in the project.
Improvements on the plan typically are not addressed in homes previously built and should be called
out on plans going forward. The real-life situation that happened to me below perfectly paints how a
small detail can rip expectations apart and ripple through an entire organization.
The dishwasher swap from Hell
In one plan we offered early in my career with a different builder, our trades were running into issues
with the plumbing in the kitchen island due to the placement of the beams below the flooring. After
investigating the problem, the team discovered the issue could be resolved by moving the dishwasher to
the other side of the sink, which was also in the island. The construction team decided to make the change moving forward.
However, the change did not make it to the marketing department to update the floorplans to show the new layout.
Of course, I met a buyer who fell in love with the plan, decided to purchase, and after 6 months of being
under contract, she had a complete meltdown when the dishwasher was not on the side she expected.
It was a nightmare. Management had to get involved. The buyer, the construction manager, the
plumber, and the VP of construction met on site to stare at a half-built kitchen trying to explain why the
change was necessary, to no avail. After agonizingly long phone calls, novel-sized emails, and painfully
awkward visits to the sales office while other prospects were present, the buyer backed out.
Should the builder have updated the marketing materials to reflect the change? Absolutely. Looking
back at the situation, if I had simply set the expectation that the plan had slightly changed to improve
the quality of the construction, I know there would have been no issues and the buyer would have lived
happily ever after.
Experience is the best teacher, but what if this is your first experience building?
I have improved my process from that experience and most experienced salespeople will be alert to red
flags like that. But there are many salespeople out there that are not. They might give you an
expectation that is not correct and not realize it. Take it upon yourself; prompt your builder to disclose
any changes that might have occurred that wouldn’t be obvious up front. Chances are, you will uncover
something different than what you are originally presented, and it could be a deal breaker. Most of the
time it is not a big deal, but nice to know.
Conclusion
Having the opportunity to build a new home is fun and rewarding. Where you live and how you live in
your home can reflect a large part of your identity. The questions outlined above are only the tip of the
spear when it comes to the questions you will ask your builder along the way; my goal with sharing
these tips is to help guide your search so that any conflicts in expectation can be addressed and you
have the best knowledge available to make the best decision. Are there any other questions you would
ask before buying?
Leave your best comments below. Thank you for reading and happy building!