Prospective Homebuyers
You are considering one of the most important financial decisions you are likely to make, one with implications for the comfort, happiness, and welfare of your entire family.
New kitchens, bathrooms, family rooms, decks and appliances are attractive and exciting for family members, but research indicates savvy American homebuyers consider three priority issues in choosing a home builder:
- The quality of a builder’s homes.
- The quality of service a builder provides to buyers prior to and following the sale.
- The quality of a builder’s warranty should a problem arise after the sale.
Homebuyers can gather information on quality of homes and customer service from homeowners who have purchased from the builder in the past. Quality home builders are happy to share the names of homeowners you can contact to get feedback.
Savvy homebuyers also want to see how one builder’s warranty program stacks up against warranties offered by other builders. Specifically, they may want to ask these questions: - Is their builder’s warranty administered by a warranty company with a reputation for quality service?
- Is it written in clear, concise language easily understood by homebuyers?
- Does it contain a deductible? Why pay for a deductible if there is a defect in the product?
- Is there a process for arbitrating any issues that the homebuyers and builder can’t resolve?
- Is the arbitration process easy to access with a reasonable cost for parties requesting it?
- Does the process result in a fair and timely response?
- Does the warranty cover structural problems that can be costly to repair and may not become apparent for many years after they purchase the home?
Frequently Asked Questions
