🏡 New Listing of the Week! 🌞

List: $589,900

📜 Tips of the Week 🔍 

🚧🌞🔨🌻 📐 🚛

Are you thinking about a new construction build with a local Boise builder? Call me if you would like some introductions or a list of local builders that could be a good match for your needs and wants. The "pre-construction" phase of your build has a major impact on your outcome.

Here are a few pointers and recommendations to consider before making your final decision on which builder to hire:

1: Communication: How is the builder's communication, promptness and professionalism? You are about to enter into a relationship that will span many months and sometimes over a year or more during design and construction and then well into the future with your builder's warranty department. Is the builder you are considering easy to communicate with? Do they answer your questions in a clear professional way? Do they have a good reputation? Is this someone you can imagine being in a working relationship for the next 12-24+ months?

2: Construction Financing: Will you be financing construction through traditional institutional financing with a bank or credit union, or self financing with personal funds? During construction, the funds normally flow through an escrow company. If you are self financing, you would have funds on deposit with the escrow company and the escrow company releases funds upon written request from the builder, called a "draw request", signed off and authorized by you, the client, and then released to the builder. If financing through a bank, the process is similar, the only difference being that the bank is the party releasing the funds to the builder following your authorization.

3: Change Orders: What is the builder's policy on change orders? In some cases there will be a change order fee and in most cases there will be a point in time where the builder will not allow any more changes. Be sure to discuss this with the builder to gain a clear understanding of their policies.

4: Home Inspection: GET A HOME INSPECTION...100% of the time. Yes, even on new construction and even when the builder provides a 12 month builder warranty. After 19+ years in the business, I still hear horror stories of folks who have opted to not have a home inspection on new construction because they (incorrectly) assume that just because the home is brand new, that there won't be any issues. Hey, it's new, right? A neutral third party, professional home inspection is critically important on ALL home purchases, new construction and existing homes. A story that stands out regarding the priceless value of a new construction home inspection is one where the plumber forgot to reconnect the main drain in the crawl space below the bathtub. This could have gone on for weeks or months before anyone ever noticed and caused an extraordinary level of damage. This issue was caught during the home inspection and everyone involved breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness for home inspections!"

5: Builder Warranty: Request a copy of the builder's Home Warranty booklet to clearly understand what is and is not covered under warranty. Also, find out what the builder's process is for handling warranty calls. Does the builder team handle warranty calls directly? Or do they source it out to a third party servicer? In our experience, the more direct the connection is with the builder during the warranty period, the better.

🏡 🌞