Building a Home
It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot . . .it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it’s well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.” -John Ruskin (1819-1900)
Things to consider when selecting a builder:
* Find a qualified, knowledgeable, experienced builder with a reputation for honesty, like Rowland & Donnell. We’ve built beautifully for 36 years, and we also protect you as only a qualified builder would with these important things: Workman’s Compensation – so you are not liable for injuries, good subcontractors (most of ours have been with us 44 years), a ten year warranty backed by an insurance company. We stand behind our work.
* Decide what kind of home you want and the amount you want to spend.
* Find financing.
* Choose your lot carefully, considering house plans and location. Examine the lot with the builder to see if any problems might arise in preparing the lot for building.
* Have a preliminary house plan drawn. No builder can give an accurate bid from a drawing in a book. Create a worksheet that details everything you want in your home (a builder/realtor can help), and keep in mind that extras add up. No one can tell a customer what can be built per square foot unless a detailed list of everything that goes into the house is provided.
* Get a builder’s bid. If getting more than one bid, make sure builder’s are bidding on identical construction, allowances, windows, wallpaper, carpet, etc. Then, when a buyer accepts a bid, both buyer and builder should examine the builder’s worksheet to be sure there are no misunderstandings about exactly what that bid price pays for.