ᐅ Preliminary selection / Final selection / Initial consultation with the home builder
Created on: 12 Feb 2017 08:54
W
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...
RobsonMKK schrieb:
Why even get this deep into the project without having the scope of work beforehand?
Before our appointments, we always made sure to get the scope of work in advance, so we knew what to expect.Well, in 99% of scope of work documents, it usually just says something like 1 washbasin in the bathroom or 4 electrical outlets in the hallway, etc. That doesn’t help much except for a direct comparison of standard services.
But it doesn’t say anything about the extra costs if you want slightly more visually appealing items.
Of our 5 preferred construction companies, only one offered us a preliminary selection appointment before signing the contract; another had advertised that if we provided the product number, they would handle the quote and ordering.
I’m not sure if this depends on the salesperson, but he was under pressure since we had basically made our decision.
It was definitely the right move—he even accompanied us to the selection center and was able to give us approximate prices.
That was also an advantage for us with the bank, as we knew exactly what extras we wanted.
"according to their website"
At our 3 selection centers, you can design your dream home. Our experts advise you and plan every detail. You can visit our selection centers even before signing the contract—just arrange an appointment with your building consultant.
P.S. We already had the plot of land, and in the show-home communities, that was always the first question. That annoyed me because it really felt like you only mattered if you already had a plot in sight.
T
Traumfaenger12 Feb 2017 23:43If it’s a small provider building only about 50 houses per year, they probably won’t have an impressive selection center. To keep it up to date, suppliers would need to regularly visit and replace the samples. Whether that is worth it for such small quantities is questionable. That might be one reason for their reluctance regarding selections.
You definitely should do that. We had several providers include all individual prices bindingly in the offers, whether it was a single window, a specific flooring, a staircase in a certain design, the color of the exterior plaster, a fixed price for 50 additional power outlets, or anything else. They all did that without any problems!
Absolutely. Especially since well-known brands often have their budget lines. Perfect for advertising: I have a sanitary unit from XY!!! … PS: Unfortunately, only the cheapest line they offer. It pays off to look closely at what exactly is being offered.
As mentioned above, you should have all surcharges and options with prices fixed in writing! This includes detailed costs for a single window, alternative floor coverings per square meter, a burglar protection standard RC X, and so on. This is not a challenge for the providers if they design the house with software that automatically calculates the price of the features in the background... They can do it, they just have to want to ;-)
Winniefred schrieb:
The main thing is that I can get an idea before signing whether the standard is sufficient and, if not, roughly what the extras cost.
You definitely should do that. We had several providers include all individual prices bindingly in the offers, whether it was a single window, a specific flooring, a staircase in a certain design, the color of the exterior plaster, a fixed price for 50 additional power outlets, or anything else. They all did that without any problems!
ypg schrieb:
Besides, if I were you, I would request all prices or brand names of installed items.
Absolutely. Especially since well-known brands often have their budget lines. Perfect for advertising: I have a sanitary unit from XY!!! … PS: Unfortunately, only the cheapest line they offer. It pays off to look closely at what exactly is being offered.
Winniefred schrieb:
Yes, I hope so too. Thanks for the advice about prices. For example, he already said yesterday that a price up to €25/m² (approximately $25/sq ft) for tiles is included. And he also named some prices from the list—for example, what the solar system or the chimney would cost, etc.
As mentioned above, you should have all surcharges and options with prices fixed in writing! This includes detailed costs for a single window, alternative floor coverings per square meter, a burglar protection standard RC X, and so on. This is not a challenge for the providers if they design the house with software that automatically calculates the price of the features in the background... They can do it, they just have to want to ;-)
Ah, I overlooked that this is a company building 50 houses per year.
They usually offer all kinds of standard options on a small scale, such as doors, window frames, interior doors, handles, bricks, etc.
With our general contractor, everything fit into a 20 sq m (215 sq ft) space; otherwise, you need to schedule appointments with the tradespeople.
The rest, as long as it’s changed from the construction scope of services, is arranged directly with the respective trades companies.
For example, €25/sq m (approx. $27/sq ft) for tiles up to 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) included; sampling is done at specialized stores; any extra costs for stainless steel rails and others are settled with the tiler; extra charge for sockets, for example €40 (approximately $43), or €30 (about $32) if done by the electrician... Smaller general contractors usually aren’t interested in dealing with these “minor details”: either steep surcharges or subcontracting.
So I’m surprised that this general contractor even has a sampling center...
Like Viebrockhaus, for example: you can walk around in a hall, and everywhere there are prices listed for bathroom standard plus or excluding extras...
For bricks, there’s a wall with different bricks and all their surcharges.
Others do it by giving you a CD showing 20 different tiles...
I wouldn’t want that at all; it’s pure paternalism, forcing conformity to the standard mainstream.
Regards, Yvonne
They usually offer all kinds of standard options on a small scale, such as doors, window frames, interior doors, handles, bricks, etc.
With our general contractor, everything fit into a 20 sq m (215 sq ft) space; otherwise, you need to schedule appointments with the tradespeople.
The rest, as long as it’s changed from the construction scope of services, is arranged directly with the respective trades companies.
For example, €25/sq m (approx. $27/sq ft) for tiles up to 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) included; sampling is done at specialized stores; any extra costs for stainless steel rails and others are settled with the tiler; extra charge for sockets, for example €40 (approximately $43), or €30 (about $32) if done by the electrician... Smaller general contractors usually aren’t interested in dealing with these “minor details”: either steep surcharges or subcontracting.
So I’m surprised that this general contractor even has a sampling center...
Like Viebrockhaus, for example: you can walk around in a hall, and everywhere there are prices listed for bathroom standard plus or excluding extras...
For bricks, there’s a wall with different bricks and all their surcharges.
Others do it by giving you a CD showing 20 different tiles...
I wouldn’t want that at all; it’s pure paternalism, forcing conformity to the standard mainstream.
Regards, Yvonne
tomtom79 schrieb:
ps. we already had the plot, and that was always the first question in the model housing developments... it annoyed me because it really felt like you only matter if you already have a plot in sight. I think that’s a misunderstanding. It may be true that some providers ask if you already have a plot to somewhat filter serious buyers from dreamers or just browsers. But mostly, having an existing plot means knowing the framework within which the house can be built, whereas plots offered by the provider have already been checked for suitability with the models they offer. And by the way, asking “Will there also be an apple turnover (uh, a plot) coming?” can mean whether there’s a chance to make a profit on the plot as well.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Winniefred7 Mar 2017 18:03Thank you for your recent replies! I didn’t receive any notification about them and only came across them by chance just now.
We are generally satisfied with standard options. However, I would still like to know in advance and possibly be informed about any additional costs if we want to deviate from the standard. How much those might be obviously depends on the overall cost of the house. We don’t want to exceed the total budget; if necessary, we’d rather make the house a bit smaller. We are definitely not the type of people who need everything to be extra large or extravagant. We currently live in a 98m2 (1055 sq ft) space of pure living area and don’t have any issues with space. Our original fittings were also quite standard after moving in, which suits us perfectly—and it would be the same for the new house.
At the moment, we’re in talks with Rensch-Haus. The consultant is very open, seems knowledgeable, and a pre-selection of materials—even together with her, or even traveling with her (3h one way)—is absolutely no problem.
Discussions with three other providers (Bien-Zenker, Schwörerhaus, Finger) are scheduled; we’ll see how these go.
All in all, the overall impression and price transparency with Rensch-Haus is a huge difference compared to the other provider. We left the first meeting with a really good feeling. No “sales talk,” just structured, competent advice with many practical suggestions and thorough consultation.
We are generally satisfied with standard options. However, I would still like to know in advance and possibly be informed about any additional costs if we want to deviate from the standard. How much those might be obviously depends on the overall cost of the house. We don’t want to exceed the total budget; if necessary, we’d rather make the house a bit smaller. We are definitely not the type of people who need everything to be extra large or extravagant. We currently live in a 98m2 (1055 sq ft) space of pure living area and don’t have any issues with space. Our original fittings were also quite standard after moving in, which suits us perfectly—and it would be the same for the new house.
At the moment, we’re in talks with Rensch-Haus. The consultant is very open, seems knowledgeable, and a pre-selection of materials—even together with her, or even traveling with her (3h one way)—is absolutely no problem.
Discussions with three other providers (Bien-Zenker, Schwörerhaus, Finger) are scheduled; we’ll see how these go.
All in all, the overall impression and price transparency with Rensch-Haus is a huge difference compared to the other provider. We left the first meeting with a really good feeling. No “sales talk,” just structured, competent advice with many practical suggestions and thorough consultation.
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