The Savvy Homebuyer:
Understanding your Builder
Let's face it:
Homebuilders don't always have the best reputations. The prospect of
building a new home can cause a lot of anxiety, stemming from a
combination of mystery, misperceptions, myths, and illusions most
people have about the homebuilding profession. While
some builders earn that reputation, the professional builder
successfully exposes any preconceived notions a prospective buyer
might
have about the building business and the construction process. They
work hard to clarify their motivations and approach to construction.
They seek to view the project from the client's perspective and meet
their needs and desires. Getting
to know a builder can foster a greater respect and a higher level of
confidence for a company's ability to deliver a high-quality new
home. First,
it is important to understand that professional builders are
business
people. They build homes because it's their chosen profession. Of
course, like anyone, they are interested in making money; a
professional builder, however, makes money honestly, and seeks to
earn
a reasonable profit. Like
other successful builders, we constantly refine our approach to
business, adhere to predetermined building schedules, and establish
reliable and lasting partnerships with building products suppliers,
financial institutions, and specialty trade contractors. We live in
the
areas where we build and are active in our communities. We rely on a
strong local reputation to continue to build our
business. Some
builders, though, lack the business and communication skills to be
successful, resulting in dissatisfied customers and ruined
reputations
that often blanket the entire industry. This is not an industry-wide
scheme to separate homebuyers from their money. Rather, it's just an
unfortunate slice of society that both buyers and professional
builders
have to endure. Unlike
almost any other industry, a builder's work is exposed to the
public;
while cars and washing machines are assembled in factories and seen
only on the showroom floor, a house is on display from foundation to
finish. This can lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings
between a builder and a homebuyer. Often, however, what looks to be
incomplete or irregular during one stage of construction is quite
different from the eventual finished product. Given
those circumstances it is also important to understand that builders
are engaged in the home building process every day and over many
years.
They gain experience and have a unique perspective. They have a
vision
of a home's progress that extends well beyond daily progress, one
that
few owners can truly share or comprehend. As
a result of that perspective, a builder may occasionally appear
unconcerned or take a casual approach to what a nervous homebuyer
perceives to be a problem on the job site. Simply, the builder has
likely seen or heard about it a million times during his career,
knows
implicitly how he'll deal with it (assuming it needs to be dealt
with),
and has significantly less emotion invested in a home than a client
does. Successful
builders listen closely to their buyers' concerns, respect an
owner's
questions and patiently communicate solutions. They understand that
building a house is a considerable emotional investment, a potential
source of anxiety, and a financial risk, and work to ease those
burdens. By
the same token, an informed and understanding homebuyer recognizes
that
the construction process is second nature to a professional builder.
When both a homeowner and a builder respect each other's roles and
approaches to the business of homebuilding, it fosters better and
more
open communication, the opportunity to develop trust, and the
prospect
of achieving a successful and satisfying project.
 Sunwood Development
Corp
273 North Colony Street, Suite 2
Wallingford, CT 06492
203.269.0325 - Phone
203.265.3676 - Fax
Amy@SunwoodDevelopment.com
www.sunwooddevelopment.com
c.
2009 All rights reserved.
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