Building A New Home: Dos and Don’ts When Visiting Display Homes
Are you planning to buy your first-ever house? It can be overwhelming at first, so you need to make sure you’re prepared. In preparation for this huge investment, you need to check every possible way to get inspiration for your house.
For some homeowners, visiting display homes gives them a lot of choices, especially when it’s to modern design. Furthermore, they can also choose the right builders since they can examine the entire house.
In your case, since it’s your first house, there are a lot of things you should keep in mind when visiting display homes. One of the reasons why you should visit display homes is to make sure of the quality of work the builders can provide.
If it’s your first time visiting display homes, here are the top dos and don’ts you should keep in mind.
Do…
1. Plan your day ahead
Before anything else, take some time to research online. Know the details about the builders, and see if there are reviews from their past clients. In addition, you also need to check the neighbourhood, especially if your kids will accompany you on your visit.
Next, plan the day of your visit, and contact the real estate agent or consultant days before your visit. You can ask a few questions about their rules when visiting their display homes.
Once you’ve scheduled your visit, you can make a list of the things you should look for while having a tour. Moreover, you can also craft some questions that you’ll ask later on.
2. Check the quality
One of the main importance of visiting display homes is to check the quality of the house. The quality of the house will help you decide whether it’s best to hire the builders or not. Furthermore, you can identify if they can turn your dream house into reality.
A great way to compare, whether the builders did a great job or not, is to look at the floor plan. Once you look at it, you can easily tell if every part of the house is functional and if they followed what the “client” wanted.
Usually, if the builders are great, there’ll be a least some parts of the house that will make you feel excited about having a new house. If not, then maybe you should keep looking.
3. Talk and interact with the experts
Visiting display homes is not just about looking at a ready-made home. Instead, it’s about consulting and interacting with the experts. Remember the list of questions you prepared earlier? This is your chance to get the right answers.
During the house tour, you can list the things you notice or ask them right away. However, if the guide doesn’t know the answer, you can ask the right expert later on.
Interacting with the experts is a great idea, especially if you feel like there’s a possibility of hiring them. Since it’s a more casual encounter than discussing contracts and stuff, you can relax and go with your instinct.
Don’t…
1. Forget to check the tiny details
You may be amazed by the overall design of the interior and exterior of the house. However, you shouldn’t forget to check the tiny details. As you may know, these details can make or break your trust in the builders.
If at first, the house looks stunning, don’t be fooled by the cover-ups made by paint, wallpapers, and furniture. Instead, it’s best to have a closer look at every inch of the house. It’s like you’re going to be a house inspector, but with a different agenda.
Where are the electric wires located? Are the water pipes safe from being accidentally broken? These are just some questions you can confirm to check the other details of the house.
2. Forget about your budget
Before you visit display homes or even if you’re having house tours, never forget about your budget. The breathtaking view of display homes can distract you, so be prepared.
During discussions or even when you’re still doing the house tour, you can mention your budget to the consultant. It’s necessary so you won’t find it hard to say no when they offer something additional to your budget.
Besides, being on a budget will make things easier for you. So if you ever find builders that can guarantee a no additional payments policy, you should try to hold on to them. However, you should still look for other criteria, like the quality of work, before hiring them.
3. Decide right away
Since you’re going to be the owner of the house, you shouldn’t feel pressured when deciding. Does visiting display homes made you realise that you need a nice house soon? Although you feel excited about owning one, take some time to decide on the design and the builders before signing anything.
In addition, even though you’ve already visited the display home, it’s not necessary to contact the builders right away. Who knows, maybe you’re just in the first phase of finalising your dream home.
Now that you have some ideas about the dos and don’ts when visiting a display home, make sure you’re all prepared before your visit. Don’t forget to share your thoughts about this by leaving a comment below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Aliana Baraquio writes for Worthington Homes, the new Home Builder in Sydney NSW who makes major life milestones happen, and stays with you through thick and thin. You can also find her trying out new recipes for barbeque and other grilled meals in her free time.
