How To Find a Home Builder

There’s something special about building your dream home. Watching it get built from the ground up, making decisions on how it looks inside and out, and finally moving in when it’s completed, it’s an exciting time of your life and you should enjoy every minute of it.

In a perfect world, building a new home would be a breeze. Since we all live in the real world, though, it helps to not only know how to find a builder for a new home but how to find a GOOD home builder. 

We have a few tips and tricks below to help you find a high-quality home builder. But first things first, what does a home builder do?

What Does a Home Builder Do?

The short answer… a home builder builds homes. To dive deeper into this answer, though, a good home builder stays involved in the entire home-building process. From the initial designs to the construction, a home builder oversees every home project to completion.

As you build your home, you want a builder who will be with you every step of the way. Whether you’re building a custom home or going with a pre-designed floor plan, a good home builder can make all the difference.

Things to Look For in a Home Builder

How do you know if a home builder is good or not? There are several key factors you should look for in a good home builder. 

Third-Party Inspections

A quality home builder will have third-party companies perform inspections on their homes. We always recommend getting a home inspection done, even on a new home, to ensure there are no issues. And with a third-party inspection, you know you’ll get an honest assessment of the home.

How Long Have They Been in Business?

Experience is everything when it comes to a home builder. The longer they’ve been in business, the more confident you can feel in them building your dream home. It never hurts to do a little digging on Google or even ask the builder yourself! An honest, quality builder will have several years, if not decades, of experience.

Building Materials

A good home builder won’t sacrifice quality building material for cheaper builds. From the framing lumber to the paint, and everything in between, you want a home builder who will use good materials throughout the entire home-building process.

Hired Tradespeople

Since home builders hire out work to complete homes (like plumbers, carpenters, and electricians), it never hurts to ask who they use on their projects. A trusted builder will also hire out trusted tradespeople, so make sure you know who those people are. Look them up on Google. Compare them to other local tradespeople. The more you know about who will potentially build your home, the more confident you’ll feel about a job well done. 

Client Satisfaction Rate

If you really want to know how to find a custom home builder, you’ll want to look at their reviews. Reviews of previous clients will inform you about their experience working with that particular builder and can help you know whether you should work with that builder or not.

Home Builder Checklist

Another way to help you find a good home builder is by creating a checklist. What do you want out of your home-building experience? What do you expect from your home builder? By creating a checklist of things to find out about a potential home builder, you’ll save yourself from any potential problems later on in the home-building process. Here are several factors to consider while making your checklist:

• Choose between a custom home builder or a built-to-own builder
• Decide what your non-negotiable are, like floor plan or house exterior color
• Read reviews
• Check the builder’s licenses and credentials
• Check for home-building warranties 
• Tour model homes of the potential home builder
• Meet the builder in person to see how you interact

Building a home is no small feat, so you should find out everything you can about a home builder before you make your decision. 

Questions to Ask Your Home Builder

Along with your checklist of requirements you should have for your home builder, you should also ask questions to get to know them better. The right questions will help you determine whether or not they are fit to be your home builder. Here are a few common questions that are worth asking a potential builder:

• Will you provide references?
• How do you guarantee your work?
• Do you offer any warranties?
• Do you have permits?
• What materials are used (type of wood, copper, etc.)?
• Who do you hire to install the plumbing, electrical, etc.?
• Can I get that in writing?

The last question is especially important to make sure everything is documented. Keep written or printed documentation of finalized negotiations, like cost and completion date, to ensure your home gets done the way it was discussed.

The more you know about your potential home builder, the better your home-building experience will be. Now that you know how to choose a home builder, all that’s left is to find the right one to build your dream home! 

Your Builder Should Take Your Home to the Next Level

With years of experience building and selling hundreds of homes throughout Utah, Next Level Homes is the home builder you can trust. We build forever homes for families with quality materials and an eye for detail. 

Our modern home designs are as beautiful as they are spacious. You’ll quickly fall in love walking through any of our model homes. Whether you’re looking to move to Salt Lake City or further south on the Wasatch Front, you’ll find a gorgeous home built in a perfectly located neighborhood.

Let Next Level Homes build your forever home. With several open floorplans to choose from, along with customization to fit your personal style, you’ll get exactly what you want with a Next Level Home. Click the button below to work with one of our licensed professionals to help you get into your forever home.