Builders in Tampa Bay are building homes as fast as they can and still they cannot keep up with the demand of new home buyers. You've been thinking of building the home of your dreams and all of a sudden you hear from a friend who tells you their nightmares. You pick up the Sunday newspaper to read about shortage of skilled labor and poor quality of workmanship. There is a right way and a wrong way to approach this process. It is very possible to build the home of your dreams. I'll concentrate on the right way to do so.

If you can remember only one thing here, is don't go it alone. Having an experienced Realtor along your side usually costs you absolutely nothing and returns you huge benefits.

What many home buyers do not realize is knowing who the builder represents. Going it alone, the builder only has their best interests at heart and will sell you however they will. Most builders cooperate with real estate agents and have already built into their annual advertising budgets a professional fee dollar amount which usually cannot be negotiated in the final price of the home. If you don't use a Realtor then that money is kept in the builders pockets or builder representatives pockets and you give up your right to personal professional representation. On the other hand, using a good Realtor assures you representation on a number of fronts. When I go into a new construction site with a client, every thought I think is will this be a good future investment. Since most people only live in one place for 5 to 7 years, I consult my clients to consider a host of factors before choosing a builder, a subdivision and a lot.

When you go down the road to building a new home, there are many factors facing you and you need to know them to build intelegentily. From choosing the right builder out of 100's, shopping for the right mortgage financing, choosing a good subdivision or lot, negotiating the best price and terms, and monitoring the process, you'll find that I can add much to your benefit.

If you are making a decision to go with a builder because of a rebate, be sure to ask me how that process works because it is in your best interest. Seeing hundreds of builds a year gives me great insight into the process and when work begins on your home, you need to make sure the builder is doing what they promised.

There are many things to consider when monitoring a builder and I can show you ways to make sure that the builder completes all work at the highest quality standards. From the time the land is graded for site prep to making sure the finish work is perfect at the end, rest assured there is a right way to go about it.

Most builders in our Tampa Bay area build a very fine home although many times items can be missed. There is a shortage of skilled labor here and you need to know how to protect yourself if something is missed. Some of these items could have a large impact on the overall quality of your home. Here is a beginning list of items to watch for as construction begins.

Site work completed, pre-foundation work, footing poured (stem wall), foundation wall / piers complete (stem wall), monolithic foundation prepped, rough plumbing under slab complete, slab prep work complete including soil treatments, copies of building permit, plans and paperwork on site, concrete slab poured and finished, exterior walls enclosed, roof trusses installed, partition walls complete, roof sheathing installed, roof dried in, interior framing complete, rough plumbing complete including tub set, rough electrical complete, rough HVAC complete.

The above list is only the first few fazes of construction. Imagine all of the other fazes to come and making sure the builder does what they promised.

There is a great way to make sure your dream home is built the right way. Obviously, we've discussed having a good Realtor by your side is instrumental. With all my clients, I visit a building site at least once a week and many times several times a week. You should also visit the site as often as you can. You should also get to know the site superintendent and make him your friend. He is truly the watch dog of the different trades that will be working on your home.

Lastly and probably most importantly you should use a professional home inspector to monitor the process. My recomendation is to spend the extra money and have an inspector inspect during at least three fazes of the new build. Believe me I would. I know of several professional inspectors in the area who are excellent choices and very instrumental as I'm sure you might now better understand.

To Your Future!
Dave Maks