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Calgary14 · 09-11-2019, 07:44 PM

After having built new (different community, different builder) here are a few things I learnt:

1) as mentioned above the sales people don't know much about what goes into the home and are there to sell only, you'll get 10x more info and an unbiased opinion from asking trades people working on nearby homes for the builder you're considering. I did that and it was eye opening some of the things they said about different builders

2) if you're not sure about a particular layout and cant visualize what it will look like ask the builder if they have that same plan or similar nearby or in another neighbourhood. Odds are they do

3) if it's not clearly in writing, its not gonna happen. Period.

4) when the house is being built don't be afraid to check on it often. Its a ton of money and you'll want to know its being done correctly

5) negotiate hard. Regardless of what the sales people say they do have a bit of room to move on price and even more on extras, upgrades etc that would cost you a lot but not nearly as much for the builder

6) take builder rankings with a grain of salt; I noticed builders send out a customer satisfaction survey after one year. If your brand new home is falling apart after one year or has serious issues - huge red flag. 99% of cases after one year everything is still fine. I wish they sent out a survey at 5 or even 10 years.

7) Even if you think this is your forever home - think resale. I'd imagine a realtor might help with this and an interior designer definitely will

8) As mentioned above a builder is just a general contractor for a large group of different trades. Ask them who they use for the roof, painter, plumber, electrician etc and look up those companies

9) Appliances can and will cause issues early on. Lower end builders will use a company like The Brick (horrible to deal with) while higher end ones use Trail Appliances etc

10) Even though you won't be physically building the house, prepare for 300 appointments for things like flooring, walls, appliances, lighting, kitchen, colours etc and budget your time accordingly during the build process. Some appointments need to be done on a weekday only

11) Most builders don't include landscaping so budget for a fence, sod, trees etc

12) Shaw or Telus usually have a deal with the builder for a really good deal on phone/cable/internet for the first year so be sure to ask

13) Windows are nice but they all require window coverings which can be thousands of dollars so be sure to budget for them

14) IMO I'd use the builder's lawyer and save the legal fees. You base your decision on the reputation of the builder and if you think they may pull a fast one on some legal stuff I'd consider finding a new builder

15) Ask the neighbours their opinion on their builder, the street etc.

09-11-2019, 07:44 PM	#19
Calgary14 First Line Centre Join Date: Jan 2014 Exp:	After having built new (different community, different builder) here are a few things I learnt: 1) as mentioned above the sales people don't know much about what goes into the home and are there to sell only, you'll get 10x more info and an unbiased opinion from asking trades people working on nearby homes for the builder you're considering. I did that and it was eye opening some of the things they said about different builders 2) if you're not sure about a particular layout and cant visualize what it will look like ask the builder if they have that same plan or similar nearby or in another neighbourhood. Odds are they do 3) if it's not clearly in writing, its not gonna happen. Period. 4) when the house is being built don't be afraid to check on it often. Its a ton of money and you'll want to know its being done correctly 5) negotiate hard. Regardless of what the sales people say they do have a bit of room to move on price and even more on extras, upgrades etc that would cost you a lot but not nearly as much for the builder 6) take builder rankings with a grain of salt; I noticed builders send out a customer satisfaction survey after one year. If your brand new home is falling apart after one year or has serious issues - huge red flag. 99% of cases after one year everything is still fine. I wish they sent out a survey at 5 or even 10 years. 7) Even if you think this is your forever home - think resale. I'd imagine a realtor might help with this and an interior designer definitely will 8) As mentioned above a builder is just a general contractor for a large group of different trades. Ask them who they use for the roof, painter, plumber, electrician etc and look up those companies 9) Appliances can and will cause issues early on. Lower end builders will use a company like The Brick (horrible to deal with) while higher end ones use Trail Appliances etc 10) Even though you won't be physically building the house, prepare for 300 appointments for things like flooring, walls, appliances, lighting, kitchen, colours etc and budget your time accordingly during the build process. Some appointments need to be done on a weekday only 11) Most builders don't include landscaping so budget for a fence, sod, trees etc 12) Shaw or Telus usually have a deal with the builder for a really good deal on phone/cable/internet for the first year so be sure to ask 13) Windows are nice but they all require window coverings which can be thousands of dollars so be sure to budget for them 14) IMO I'd use the builder's lawyer and save the legal fees. You base your decision on the reputation of the builder and if you think they may pull a fast one on some legal stuff I'd consider finding a new builder 15) Ask the neighbours their opinion on their builder, the street etc.