Sending your Plan out to BID

Finding a Home Builder

Now that you have your house plans, you are ready to send your plan out to bid. You may already have your home builder selected. If this is the case then you probably already know that you can trust this builder and you know you are getting a great value with them.
If you have yet to find a home builder and arent' even sure where to begin in finding one here are a couple tips.

Ask around. Ask your architect who they might suggest, ask people who you know have built their homes what thier experience was like and who they worked with.

Go to Home Shows. Utah has an extensive home show every year. The Utah Parade of Homes ranges all across Utah, divided into regions. Going to homes shows is a great way of finding a home builder. You can get a good idea what type of builder you may be looking for, judging by the scale and quality of the home. Walking through homes is also a wonderful way to get some ideas for the finishes for your new home.

Look for New Construction. Load up the kids and spouse and go for a drive. Drive around the area you are building and look for homes under construction or ones that have just been completed. Many times builders will put thier signs out in front.

Create a list of builders you feel might fit into the type of home you are looking to build. Once you have your list of Home Builders, start making the calls. Introduce yourself and let the builder know where you are looking to build and the type of home you want to be built. The builder will most likely want to meet with you right away to go over your house plan.

Although you may have felt like to tried to be very specific in your house plans, there is always room for interpretation. Take the time to sit down with your spouse and go over the items you want in your house. From the size of the furnace to the size of your chandlier in the entry.

Once you have a good idea of what you want in your home, you are now ready to compare apples to apples. Remember the more specific you are on this list the more accurate you will be able to compare bids from your home builders.

HOT TIP: Remember all those picutures you saved when design your house plan, well now is a great time to add to that folder. Pictures are an extremly effective way to let the builder know what you are looking for, this also assures that you will get a more accurate bid.

When you meet with the home builders on your list, keep in mind that this is also an interview process. Don't be afraid to ask questions about how they got started? How long they have been doing this? If there are any home they have built that you could walk through? Be sure to ask for several references.

What We Found
We put our home plans out to bid to ten different home builders. We found that people were more than willing to bid our plan. There are a lot of builders out there looking for work right now and eager to get a paycheck.

HOT TIP: Be Careful. Before you give any body any money, be sure you have a contract, be sure you can trust this person. Know the dangers and risks of building.