Selecting from Multiple Home Builders in the Rio Grande Valley

10.12.2020

Selecting a home builder can be challenging. You want to ensure you pick someone who will get the job done on time, without sacrificing construction details and compliance requirements. Homebuilders in Rio Grande Valley are abundant, but not all have a good reputation. You want someone who has a good track record for meeting their client’s expectations, but also who will listen to what you want and be able to execute it successfully.

Where Do I Start?

Before you start contacting home builders in RGV, sit down and determine what you want in a home.

• Do you want a small one-story ranch or a large colonial?
• How many bedrooms do you want to be included?
• How many bathrooms?
• What other finished rooms do you want in the house?
• Do you want a finished basement or a bonus room?
• Will you need a garage? Do you want it attached or detached from the house?
• Do you like to entertain? Will you need an open floor plan?
• Do you want a patio, porch, or deck?
• Do you want a stick-built house or a modular?

From there, you need to decide where you want to live. Do you own a piece of property already, or will you need to purchase some?

Contacting Builders

It is always best to contact a few builders to find someone that you feel comfortable with and can endure having a long-term relationship. Ideally, you will be working with a builder for three months to a year, so you need to find someone that you have a good rapport with and can have open and honest conversations.

Ask your friends who they used and recommend. Check review websites such as Yelp, Manta, BBB and the Department of Consumer Protection to see if there are any complaints against your top choices. Look on the Judicial websites to see if any lawsuits have been filed against the builders you are considering.

If there are new houses built in the area where you are looking to live, say in a subdivision, ask your soon to be neighbors who built their house and if they were good to work with; would they use them again or was the process a nightmare?

Find out if there were any issues with closing on the property or after closing, digging a well or septic system, wetlands issues, etc.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing the Builders

Some important details you want to ask RGV builders are:

• How long have they been in business?
• What are the most common hurdles they need to overcome during construction?
• What supplies they use, and who are their suppliers?
• Do they install add-on products, such as security systems, alternative electricity sources, swimming pools, landscaping options, etc.?
• What do they do when they run into an issue? How is it managed?
• What has been their biggest issue when building in the Rio Grande Valley?
• Do they have a bank they prefer to work with for a construction loan, or do they leave that up to their clients?
• Do they utilize any home building software so you can see what your house will look like before construction begins?
• How long is the home warranted for, and are there any extension options? Who would you contact if there is a problem, and who would do the work?
• Are they licensed and insured? If they are not, walk away quickly!
• If you are looking in a subdivision, will the land price be included in the financing?
• Are appliances included?

These questions are only the tip of the iceberg but will help you to get a better idea of the type of person you are essentially handing your hard-earned money over to, with the expectation of having a beautiful house in the end.

What Happens When Your Home is Not Finished On Time?

Sometimes things happen. Even the most reputable home builders run into issues, and the expected move-in date comes and goes. Do you have any recourse? Yes.

In the contract that you execute with your home builder, be sure they have a clause included that if the house is not done on time, you either get a credit or some other compensation. This will ensure that you do not pay a contractor to do a job, and they take six extra months to get the work done.

Also, see what language is in the contract if the price of materials increases, between the time you sign the paperwork and the completion of the house. The last thing you want to find out is that the final costs are $10,000 higher than you anticipated due to flawed calculations or an increase in the price of supplies.

A reputable contractor in the Rio Grande Valley will ensure that these issues are included in their contracts. They will review with you the stipulations before all parties signing the documents.