You’re committed to building a new home, the home of your dreams.  You know generally where you want to build it; maybe you even have a lot picked out.  You face hundreds of decisions that must be made, but one of the most important, if not the most important, is who should you hire to build your home?  The earlier this decision is made the better.  Why not get the benefit of your builder’s experience as you navigate this unfamiliar territory?  A competent, experienced, qualified builder should be able to provide invaluable assistance in site selection, zoning issues, the design of your new home, budgeting and understanding the various financing options available.

So, how do you go about selecting a custom builder?  Look at it as you would in entering any other business relationship: you want someone who is capable of building the type of home you have in mind, who is financially able to see the project through, and with whom you can establish a good working relationship.  The good news is there are probably several builders in your area that qualify under these criteria; the bad new is the wrong decision can be very costly.

 So, here are some basics we believe you should consider as you make your choice:

·    Licensing   All builders must be licensed in South Carolina.  In order to qualify for a license, an individual must prove a certain level of experience, knowledge of construction codes and processes (through an exam), and minimal financial stability (through the posting of a bond with the state).  These are all very minimal requirements and do not necessarily ensure competency, but this is a good starting point.  The state provides a web site where anyone can ascertain whether an individual is a licensed builder.    Go to https://verify.llronline.com/LicLookup/Resbu/Resbu.aspx?div=46 and select "Residential Builder" from the drop box.

·   Financial Stability   During the recent housing boom, many individuals entered the home building business without the financial wherewithal to operate through the inevitable cycles of the business.  You want to feel confident that your builder will be around for the long haul, not just to finish your home, but to provide warranty and correction services when needed. Ask your prospective builder to provide banking and/or trade credit references, and follow up on them.

·    Experience    Talk to prospective builders about their experience with all aspects of the building process.  Ask him specifically how he provides oversight for the homes he builds: who is on-site at each home and how often.  Ask him about mistakes he has made and what he learned from them (if he professes to never having made a mistake, run away from that builder as fast as you can!).  Remember, the builder is going to be the leader of this project in working with the trades, material suppliers, your architect/designer and building officials.  Make sure you feel confident that the builder has the experience, competence and temperament to provide this leadership.

·  Intangibles    You and your builder must be able to develop a high level of mutual respect and trust.  Remember, you are entering into a somewhat long term relationship, involving the investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars and significant amounts of time and effort.  You need to feel comfortable that your builder will be looking out for your best interests and will be available to willingly answer all of your questions.  Unfortunately, there is no objective test for this chemistry; you’ll just need to be careful and use your best judgment.

Of course, after you have gone through this process, we hope you will select Tradition Homes to be your custom home builder.  Feel free to use the state’s license look-up web site to confirm Steve Fennell’s licensing status.  We know we can prove to you our financial stability, and Steve’s experience in all aspects of the building and development business would be hard to match.  As to the intangibles, that of course is up to you.  However, we believe you’ll find that our small firm, client-focused, personalized approach will help make the building of your dream home the enjoyable, rewarding experience it should be.