Are you buying a new home? Are you planning on buying a new home in the near future?  Are you planning a major remodeling project in your home?  If you can answer yes to one of these questions, I would suspect you are full of excitement, anticipation, worry and down right overwhelmed at all the decisions that will be required of you! Building or remodeling a home can be a happy and wonderful experience, but it will probably include some stressful times as well, and can cause some friction with couples during the course of building. I would be remiss, in not preparing you for this reaction to the building procedure. It is normal and common for most couples to experience this. The best way to avoid the conflict and stress is to be as knowledgeable and prepared for the project as possible. The stress is usually generated from the realization of how much money this whole procedure is going to require. First, making the decisions on the perfect home, then what products, features, upgrades and color choices you need, can add to the anxiety. All of these choices are overwhelming enough, but can add financial expense to the home as well, thus causing disagreement and friction.

I can speak to all these emotions and feelings from first hand experience. For many years I managed a design firm for a large custom homebuilder in Florida where I have worked with hundreds upon hundreds of people and couples in this very situation. My personal experience along with my professional experience has given me great insight and understanding of the dilemmas and joys of building or remodeling.

In my personal homeowner experiences we have had a builder build for us twice, I have acted as my own contractor and built my own home and have purchased 3 homes over the years that required minimal to extensive remodeling. I’ve been through it all! I’m going to attempt to break down the expectations and decisions required of you, so you may be more prepared and confident through this building process.

As you are looking at new homes and models, narrowing your choices down to a few, it is important to research the background and integrity of the builder/contractor.

• Check with the Better Business Bureaus in you area.

• Talk to past customers, find out about time frames, professionalism of extended staff and operations. Ask about home service and attention, once the home is completed. Ask how changes were handled as the construction progressed. Determine the builder/contractors longevity in your area. What additional services does the builder offer? (Ex: draftsmen, interior design help etc.) Meet these staff members. The working relationship with them during the building process will be important and lengthy. Try to get a sense of your compatibility.

• Talk to the key subcontractors the builder uses. Ask them about their relationship with the builder, and payment history.

• Before you sign a contract try to get past the salesperson, and talk to the owner or head superintendent that would be overseeing your construction. This is whom you will be dealing with once construction has started. I believe it’s important to develop a mutual trust and relationship with them. Seldom are the salespeople seriously involved past the contract.