iNest Newsletter

Vital Builder-Buyer Meetings Help Eliminate Uncertainties All Around

Dena Kouremetis
A veteran of the homebuilding industry, Dena Kouremetis is the foremost real estate columnist specializing in new home issues, trends, products and designs. Her columns appear in the New York Post as well as other newspapers throughout the U.S.

Committing to a new home purchase can be a tumultuous time, evoking a multitude of emotions, from keen anticipation to a succession of sleepless nights for many homebuyers. What if the house doesn't turn out the way you expected? What if the builder overlooks an option that you ordered, or misunderstood where you wanted your telephone outlets to go? And, once you've moved in, how can you find out how to maintain your new home and keep it looking as new as possible?

Take heart. Most homebuilders routinely offer their buyers a series of construction meetings, not only for their buyer's edification, but for the builder's as well. In other words, they are as concerned with covering their own collective posteriors and creating a satisfied customer as you are with getting what you originally asked for, keeping everything on track for a timely completion.

The first meeting usually takes place with the builder or superintendent of your new home community, even before dirt gets moved. You'll check out the home's placement on the home site, so you can plan the size of a backyard patio, a future pool, or a place for the boat you'll (hopefully) have the money to buy a few years down the road. Once you have initialed or signed off on this meeting, making a change to the plotting can and probably will cost your builder money, so be prepared to fess up the bucks for your indecisiveness or get turned down flat.

The next meeting is an extremely critical one, since the most costly and frustrating mistakes can be made at the pre-drywall stage, or "frame-walk", when you will be asked to confirm the architectural, electrical, and plumbing options you have chosen. It's important for both you and your builder to have a total understanding of what is about to take place. Those extra outlet locations must be verified; you may now realize that the house doesn't come with a gas outlet for your dryer, but you had forgotten to ask about it, and if you had wanted the plumbing in place for a jetted tub, it is now too late to add it. That's why getting these details straight ahead of time, at the blueprint stage, are so important. Changing your mind on some items at this point may be costly, since the builder will have already arrived at a cost analysis and scheduled its crews of sub-contractors.

What is called a "walk-through" in the used-home market might be lovingly referred to as a "new home orientation" by your homebuilder; the third and usually last meeting you'll have. Consider this meeting your "New Home 101" course for many reasons. It's not so much a witch-hunt for missing paint on window trim, or a smudged wall in the entry that will need to be cleaned - look at it as an opportunity to review warranty and maintenance information for all systems, appliances and surfaces, and pay attention to how and when to contact the builder for customer service calls.

While you have your superintendent captive, you'll learn the difference between a true homeowner emergency (when your quality of life is affected by something gone wrong) and a routine customer service call, an important distinction. The various milestones for customer service appointments will be explained; punch lists of remedial repairs will be drawn up. If you've got a tape recorder or video camera, you may want to make use of it for this all-important meeting, since your mind may be racing with thoughts of moving vans and utility hook-ups. If it's possible, leave the kids with grandma and tell your well-meaning friends and family members that they are welcome afterwards, so that you are not distracted.

Increasingly, new homebuyers are investing in the services of a professional home inspector for both the frame walk and to make an assessment of the finished product, just to be sure that the builder's materials and installations are what were promised. Although most builders will not refuse this inspection, keep in mind that you must coordinate and clear the potential visit of your home inspector with your homebuilder, getting the permission of the building superintendent ahead of time.

They say information is king, and this was never truer than in a new home purchase. Preparing yourself with questions at every turn and getting to know your builder with each meeting you're asked to attend will enable you to make confident decisions on how you want your house to be built--a prospect that makes things a lot easier on both you and your builder.