ᐅ Preliminary selection / Final selection / Initial consultation with the home builder
Created on: 12 Feb 2017 08:54
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Winniefred
Hello!
We are still in the early stages of planning our house. Yesterday, we had our first meeting with the prospective home builder. It went fairly well. We like the system they offer, and the price is still within a reasonable range (based on initial estimates^^).
However, the topic of preliminary selections came up. This builder is local, so their selection center is only about 45 minutes away. The advisor, however, firmly insisted that no home builder offers preliminary selections and that they don’t do it either (because then lots of people who aren’t even customers would walk through the selection center, etc.). Only after signing the contract. Even though I voiced my concerns, he was not willing to discuss it. That really upset me. Overall, the advisor seemed like a typical salesperson, in a negative way. He named a few extra costs from the list, for example for solar panels, etc. If I order a new car at a dealership, I don’t sign first and then find out what the standard features are and what the extras cost.
Since I’ve been reading this forum for some time, I know from a reliable source that many builders do offer preliminary selections. Should we now rather walk away from this builder? He pretty much lied to our face—who knows what else he might be hiding?
Of course, we will get several quotes from other builders; we’re not in a rush. We hope to build in 2019 if everything fits. But the system was really our favorite, and it still would be regardless of the advisor—if it weren’t for the issue of no preliminary selections.
What are your experiences? Who has bought without any preliminary selections? Is it maybe possible to skip this advisor and discuss it with someone else at the company?
I have serious concerns. In retrospect, we would have no “leverage,” no basis for negotiation, and probably who knows how high extra selection costs...
We are still in the early stages of planning our house. Yesterday, we had our first meeting with the prospective home builder. It went fairly well. We like the system they offer, and the price is still within a reasonable range (based on initial estimates^^).
However, the topic of preliminary selections came up. This builder is local, so their selection center is only about 45 minutes away. The advisor, however, firmly insisted that no home builder offers preliminary selections and that they don’t do it either (because then lots of people who aren’t even customers would walk through the selection center, etc.). Only after signing the contract. Even though I voiced my concerns, he was not willing to discuss it. That really upset me. Overall, the advisor seemed like a typical salesperson, in a negative way. He named a few extra costs from the list, for example for solar panels, etc. If I order a new car at a dealership, I don’t sign first and then find out what the standard features are and what the extras cost.
Since I’ve been reading this forum for some time, I know from a reliable source that many builders do offer preliminary selections. Should we now rather walk away from this builder? He pretty much lied to our face—who knows what else he might be hiding?
Of course, we will get several quotes from other builders; we’re not in a rush. We hope to build in 2019 if everything fits. But the system was really our favorite, and it still would be regardless of the advisor—if it weren’t for the issue of no preliminary selections.
What are your experiences? Who has bought without any preliminary selections? Is it maybe possible to skip this advisor and discuss it with someone else at the company?
I have serious concerns. In retrospect, we would have no “leverage,” no basis for negotiation, and probably who knows how high extra selection costs...
Winniefred12 Feb 2017 10:13Well, I will be in debt for many years because of this, so I want to know exactly what I am buying beforehand. From a reliable source: meaning from other homeowners we know. I have also read quite a bit here, but not only in this forum.
When I buy a new car, I have the brochure in front of me and can configure the car. I know what it will cost in the end with the options I want. It is absolutely clear that additional incidental costs will arise in a house build, which no one could estimate in advance. I also understand that an exact, cent-precise calculation is impossible, no matter which provider you choose. But questions that can be calculated roughly in advance, such as whether I am satisfied with the standard bathtub or if I want the one with a $300 upgrade, should be decided before. And that is exactly what I want to clarify beforehand. Even just that alone would be enough for me in advance. I don’t need to physically check everything beforehand (I understand they don’t offer a full two-day in-person selection process for people who are not yet customers), but at least a general range, yes. I think mistrust at this point is justified. Or let's say healthy skepticism.
We were genuinely interested up to the point of the selection process, but less so afterward. The detailed prices and what exactly the standard includes (specifically: these are our 10 exterior plaster colors, these are the 5 interior doors, etc.) are not made available before signing the contract.
We will wait for the scope of work specification and then see how things develop. Maybe we can still come to an agreement. But to be honest, otherwise, they will simply be out of the running.
When I buy a new car, I have the brochure in front of me and can configure the car. I know what it will cost in the end with the options I want. It is absolutely clear that additional incidental costs will arise in a house build, which no one could estimate in advance. I also understand that an exact, cent-precise calculation is impossible, no matter which provider you choose. But questions that can be calculated roughly in advance, such as whether I am satisfied with the standard bathtub or if I want the one with a $300 upgrade, should be decided before. And that is exactly what I want to clarify beforehand. Even just that alone would be enough for me in advance. I don’t need to physically check everything beforehand (I understand they don’t offer a full two-day in-person selection process for people who are not yet customers), but at least a general range, yes. I think mistrust at this point is justified. Or let's say healthy skepticism.
We were genuinely interested up to the point of the selection process, but less so afterward. The detailed prices and what exactly the standard includes (specifically: these are our 10 exterior plaster colors, these are the 5 interior doors, etc.) are not made available before signing the contract.
We will wait for the scope of work specification and then see how things develop. Maybe we can still come to an agreement. But to be honest, otherwise, they will simply be out of the running.
Winniefred12 Feb 2017 10:16The plot is already owned, and we had the documents with us. The construction should take place by 2019 at the latest, but it could happen sooner. Planning simply takes time. I wouldn’t start gathering quotes as late as February 2017 if I want to be in the house by April 2018.
I prefer not to mention who we are talking about, as I don’t want to risk a lawsuit for defamation or anything like that. It is a local company that, according to the consultant, builds around 50 houses per year.
I prefer not to mention who we are talking about, as I don’t want to risk a lawsuit for defamation or anything like that. It is a local company that, according to the consultant, builds around 50 houses per year.
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daniels8712 Feb 2017 10:24Just choose a different construction company. For me, that would have been the end of the discussion. During the planning phase, two companies were already eliminated in advance. They were "catalog companies" with— as you said—salespeople who didn’t really know anything about the subject itself.
This was our experience: The seller was able to provide us with an estimated price for almost every detail we considered important. The standard product was usually the simplest option from a well-known brand—nothing cheap, but no gold-plated faucets either. If we wanted something different, we could immediately see how much more it would cost based on the price. The difference was especially noticeable with the tiles and the staircase. The other upgrades were more expensive as well, but those didn’t really blow us away.
Maybe this could be an option?
Maybe this could be an option?
Winniefred12 Feb 2017 10:43As I said, we will talk to them again. Mainly because my husband is very confident in them. I am also fine with information about individual suppliers they work with and where it is possible to visit and take a look. The main thing is that I can get an idea before signing whether I am satisfied with the standard and, if not, roughly how much the extras would cost. I don’t really mind whether this happens through an initial sample showing or a very detailed construction specification (based on which I can get an idea at a specialist store). Only yesterday, the consultant gave the impression that this was practically not possible. Maybe we talked past each other. But he definitely claimed that initial sample showings do not exist anywhere, which is simply not true and he must know that. Just in the model home park we visited yesterday, there are several companies offering this, who are his direct competitors and whom he surely is aware of. And that immediately leaves a bad taste for me, which then leads to distrust.