Prospective Home Builders - top 3 questions?

[TamRE]

Questions to ask a builder:
• How long has the builder been in business?
• Is the builder licensed and insured in the state and county you want to build in?
• What references/testimonials are available?
• Does the builder have a model home or completed home to view?
• Does the builder have homes in various stages of construction that can be
viewed?
• Do they have a design center?
• Do they have a web site with floor plans?
• Are they a custom builder?
• Does the builder do a feasibility study on a lot at no cost?
• Does the builder own some of their own lots instead of purchasing a separate
lot?
• Do they have a weekly method of communicating with customers once the
construction has begun and is there a specific contact person such as the
builder/owner or a construction manager?
• What is their warranty program?
• What is their average time to build?
• What specifications are standard and what features are extra?
• Does the builder have a comprehensive list of options?
• Do they have a preferred lender they work with?
• Can changes be made once the contract is signed or once construction has
begun?
• Does the buyer have to deed the lot to the builder?
• AC square footage cost versus Gross square footage cost?
• Are there any hidden costs or additional costs that may arise once a contract is
signed?
• What is your process for final walk through to address any matters that need to
be corrected prior to closing?

[Egun in PG]

Nice list, but:

[b]How about some COMMON SENSE ? Like:

Have you ever filed bankruptcy?

Has your surety bond ever been REVOKED?

Has your license ever been REVOKED in Florida or in any other state?

Do you have LIABILITY INSURANCE, with whom, can you provide proof?

Do you hire undocumented workers? Do you use E-Verify?

Do you have any sort of liens against you and/or your Company (including FEDERAL TAX LIENS, HOA's, County property)

Who are YOUR REFERENCES? including Bank references?

Have you ever been SUED in COURT by a Homeowner? in Florida or in any other location

Have you ever been SUED in COURT by any subcontractor? in Florida or in any other location?

Are there is unsatisfied JUDGMENTS against YOU and/or your Company?? in Florida or any other location?

Have you ever worked under a DIFFERENT COMPANY NAME? and in what other STATES?

Have you committed a felony at any time?




IF YOU DON'T ASK AND GET APPROPRIATE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS FOR SOME OF THESE 'LOCAL BUILDERS', YOU ARE CERTAINLY DUMB AS A BOX OF ROCKS - FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

BTW, ABOUT 2/3 OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT NECESSARILY A CONCERN WITH PUBLICLY TRADED NATIONAL BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS. YOUR DOWNSIDE IS SGINIFICANTLY REDUCED.

WATCH OUT

[CharlotteCo]

Well said!!!!!!!

[stank1964]

Originally Posted by Egun in PG

Nice list, but:

[b]How about some COMMON SENSE ? Like:

Have you ever filed bankruptcy?

Has your surety bond ever been REVOKED?

Has your license ever been REVOKED in Florida or in any other state?

Do you have LIABILITY INSURANCE, with whom, can you provide proof?

Do you hire undocumented workers? Do you use E-Verify?

Do you have any sort of liens against you and/or your Company (including FEDERAL TAX LIENS, HOA's, County property)

Who are YOUR REFERENCES? including Bank references?

Have you ever been SUED in COURT by a Homeowner? in Florida or in any other location

Have you ever been SUED in COURT by any subcontractor? in Florida or in any other location?

Are there is unsatisfied JUDGMENTS against YOU and/or your Company?? in Florida or any other location?

Have you ever worked under a DIFFERENT COMPANY NAME? and in what other STATES?

Have you committed a felony at any time?




IF YOU DON'T ASK AND GET APPROPRIATE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS FOR SOME OF THESE 'LOCAL BUILDERS', YOU ARE CERTAINLY DUMB AS A BOX OF ROCKS - FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

BTW, ABOUT 2/3 OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT NECESSARILY A CONCERN WITH PUBLICLY TRADED NATIONAL BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS. YOUR DOWNSIDE IS SGINIFICANTLY REDUCED.

WATCH OUT

Holy sheep snot! Great list, thank you.

Some of these questions would be great to ask the politicians...

[mr&mrssunshine]

Did some posts get deleted ???

I was going to say while I (naturally) didn't agree with Egun's post about everyone being the same (now lost in cyberworld I guess) the questions in his post #12 all have great validity.

[logybogy]

Those are good questions but kind of awkward to ask directly. They sound like an FBI interrogation and the builder will just as easily get annoyed or lie.

Better is to do an online background check yourself first and if you come across judgments or bad reviews to ask directly with the facts you found. Much harder for him to lie when you have a file with documents to ask him about.

[brrrinmass]

Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper

There are only 2 questions you need to ask. 1) "Pete, when can I buy you a beer and talk" 2) "Pete, when can you start?"

Harbor Hopper could you DM me your contact info? We might be in the market for a canal lot in SGC in the near future. We met recently with Pete while we were in the area and you are right he seems to be a great guy. He met with us for quite some time which we were impressed with. Very knowledgeable about the area.
We really enjoyed meeting with him. Thanks for any info you may provide.