You own a beautiful piece of South Carolina land. Now you’re ready to put a house on it! For most landowners, the process of building a home is a lot of fun sprinkled with a little stress. One way to minimize the overwhelming feelings you may be experiencing is to work with professional homebuilders in Columbia, SC. A builder can help you determine the home design that will best complement your land and your taste. How do you find the builder for your dream home? Use this checklist to help you hire the right builder to make your dream a reality!
1. Use Your Network
Building a home is the ideal time to ask for help from your network of family, friends, and any real estate professionals you know. Let people know you’re searching for affordable homebuilders. Talk to those you trust and ask for referrals. You likely know someone who either had a home built or has heard things about the homebuilders in your area. If your network falls flat, take your search to the internet. When you enter search terms, be specific. For example, try searching for modern homebuilders in Columbia, SC. Vague searches will return less than helpful information. Save the names of several experienced builders that have good reviews from previous customers. Now the fun begins!
2. Ask To Meet The Owners
For most people, purchasing or building a home is the biggest project in their life. With that in mind, it’s important to personally meet the people who will be in the weeds, working for you each and every day and communicating with their pros to make sure the project gets done right. Most home builders build their business from referrals, so making sure their customers are happy from start to finish should be their top priority, and doing this starts with personal and direct communication.
3. Research and Reach Out
For this part of your search, you’ll narrow your list of potential homebuilders to the top two or three choices. Start with a deep dig online where you research experience, strengths of their team, quality, values, and philosophy. Look at their portfolio. Take your research to the next level and reach out to each builder. You can call their office or use the “Contact Us” form found on most builders’ websites. Also see if they can offer referrals from previous satisfied customers that would be willing to talk to you about their experience.
4. First Impressions Matter
Although it’s time-consuming, your next step should include meeting with homebuilders. Schedule an in-person meeting with your top two or three choices. First impressions do matter, and they help you gauge whether you and the builder click. Even though you’re not interviewing for a new best friend, you will work with the builder and their team for several weeks—maybe even a few months—while they construct your dream home. Ask to visit a completed home as well as a current jobsite.
5. Bring Your Concept
You’ve likely imagined your new home, but have you drawn up your ideas? If you can bring the homebuilder your initial concept, it will help them understand your vision. Then they’ll know which designs to share with you, which ensures you don’t waste time looking at home styles that don’t fit with your ideas. You can find homebuilding tools online and use them to draw up what you have in mind. When you bring a basic drawing, you visually communicate what you want. It limits the opportunity for misunderstandings.
Finding the best homebuilders in Columbia, SC, means looking for a team that offers not only experience but exceptional customer service. Build on Your Land, LLC, brings both to every project! Contact us today, and let’s build your new home.
