Building houses require a huge amount of money, especially if you want your home to be sturdy and safe for the occupants. Hence, the reason why it is considered a large investment for any individual. The person who is planning to build a home must have the budget to get the project done from start to finish. To know how much you would be spending for such a project, it is important for you to hire custom home builders and ask for an estimated price so that you can allocate a budget for that. However, looking for the perfect custom homes in St. Augustine builders that have the capability to see the project through is not easy.
One of the many things you need to protect yourself is hiring custom homes in St. Augustine builders that are just after your money. To know what to avoid when hiring home builders, here are some obvious “red flags” that you should watch out for.
• Watch out for custom homes in St. Augustine builders that ask for a large amount of money as a down payment or deposits before the project has even started. There are some companies that once they have received at least 50% of the total amount for the project, they only manage to get 25% of the work done, before they completely vanish and not show-up to work as often as they can. What you can do is insist on a down payment of at least 10%. After the plumbing and the electrical wirings are fully installed, give them another 25%. The next 25% percent will be after the windows, cabinets, doors, and the like are finished. After that, another 25% when the flooring and the painting is all done. Before you give the remaining 15%, see to it that your home is in perfect order and the systems applied to it are working accordingly. You can wait for at least a month before giving the full payment. That will serve as your guarantee just in case there will be problems once the project is supposedly finished.
• Before you fully commit to hiring a custom homes in St. Augustine builder, make sure that the home builders have created a contract. The contract must not be poorly made and must show that it is favorable on both sides; for the home builders and the homeowners. If possible, you can refer that contract to an attorney and ask for advice on whether the contract created by the builder is a scam. The contract should have stipulations regarding fair payment plans, retainage, and when settling disputes.
• If the home builder has an unclear work history, don’t bother hiring them. The fact that they do not have positive results in their projects means that they are not highly trusted in getting the job done correctly.
• The builders must have a certificate of Insurance for General Liability or worker’s compensation. If they cannot provide such evidence, avoid getting into contracts with them.
With these obvious red flags, you will be able to avoid hiring incompetent builders for your custom homes in St. Augustine project.
