What Kind of Builder Are You Looking For?
What Kind of Builder Are You Looking For?
Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers thinking about new construction, the question "what kind of builder are you looking for" really comes down to two things: how much money do you want to spend, and what kind of service are you looking for?
Start with money and service
When it comes to new construction and building, Steve would say the builder question is really a money question and a service question.
What kind of money do you want to spend? And what kind of service do you want? Answer those two, and the builder type starts to answer itself.
The custom end
On one end is the custom builder. That is for you if you are looking for a fully customized house and you want the experience of a one-of-a-kind house.
Understand what comes with it, though: a longer process — a year to build, and a year of handling warranty issues. That is part of the custom experience, not a surprise on top of it.
The production end
On the full other scale is the production builder. They have a subdivision, and they are running through houses there. They have all the process figured out for how to select things.
That is the opposite experience from custom: a figured-out process, a subdivision, and selections made within a system.
Plenty of people in the middle
Those are your two major ones — custom on one end, production on the other. But there are plenty of people in the middle, including semi-custom builders who start from a plan and tweak it for you.
So do not feel boxed into two choices. Start with your budget and the service you want, and the right builder type follows from there.
Key takeaways
The builder question is really: how much do you want to spend, and what kind of service are you looking for?
A custom builder means a fully customized, one-of-a-kind house — and a longer process, including a year to build and a year of handling warranty issues.
A production builder means a subdivision and a figured-out selection process, run through house after house.
Those are the two major types, but there are plenty of builders in the middle, including semi-custom.
FAQ
How do I choose between a custom and a production builder?
Ask yourself two things: how much money do you want to spend, and what kind of service are you looking for? A one-of-a-kind house points to custom; a figured-out process points to production.
What does the custom builder experience involve?
A fully customized house, a year to build, and a year of handling warranty issues. That longer timeline is part of the custom experience.
What does a production builder offer instead?
A subdivision, houses built in a run, and a selection process that is already figured out — a much more systemized experience.
West Michigan New Construction FAQ Series
Financing a New Construction Home
Can You Build Some Yourself?
What Is a Semi-Custom Builder?
What Kind of Builder Are You Looking For? — you are here
What Is a Production Builder?
Finding Land
How to Interview a Builder
How Long Does It Take to Build a House?
Price Per Square Foot
Custom Builder
Watch me explain it
Here is an older video of me explaining the process. It might be older, but the info still rings true.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlawOKhy_ro
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Author: Steve Volkers, Associate Broker, Steve Volkers Group at Five Star Real Estate, Grand Rapids, MI — phone 616-717-2179, stevevolkersgroup.com
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