5 Questions To Ask When Choosing A Home Builder

You’ve made the decision to build a new home — one that suits your lifestyle and will provide the ease of low maintenance for years to come. (Such a smart decision!) But now comes the hard part… choosing the right home builder. There are so many options — custom, semi-custom, or spec builders. 

When you select a builder, you are choosing a partner to accompany you on an important journey, one where communication is key. Having a home you’re happy with is the result of much more than just a financial transaction. It’s the result of a solid relationship. So how do you find the right home builder? 

Our best advice is to ask questions at every step of the journey. A trustworthy builder won’t mind answering them, and will always invite you to ask more. The more knowledgeable you are about the process, the smoother the experience in general.

To help get you started, we’ve compiled 5 questions that many of our prospective homebuyers ask when they are just beginning to do their research. We think they’re pretty good, so here are some questions to ask a home builder. Of course, we provided our answers to these questions, but feel free to use them with any builder you are considering!

1) Where does your company build?

Family-owned-and-operated McKee Builders has been building homes in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland for three generations. Currently, we are building both active adult 55+ and traditional age communities in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

2) Can I tour a model or home under construction?

We offer both in-person and virtual tours. We also have a variety of Quick Delivery and Jump Start Homes available. If you have questions about a home or would like to schedule a discovery appointment, don’t hesitate to contact Ed. He will be happy to assist you and provide you with any & all information you need.

3) To what extent can I personalize my home? 

It’s YOUR dream home. Shouldn’t it be built YOUR way? After years of imagining every detail, you deserve to have your dream home come to life. But designing a personalized home can be a most demanding experience. Never fear! McKee Builders’ expert coordinators, unique selections, and unparalleled personalization services will make your dreams a reality. While other builders say they can personalize, we actually deliver! Need something special to accommodate your lifestyle? Want something that’s not on the floor plan? Let’s talk about it. It’s your dream home… and we want to build it your way!

4) Do you have testimonials from previous customers? 

YES! It’s important to us that you see the success that other homeowners have had, and whether or not they are satisfied with both the experience and the outcome. We know that we build top-quality homes, but it’s making our buyers happy that really drives us to do what we do. We love hearing from them, and are delighted to share their thoughts on how we did. McKee Builders welcomes feedback from every customer once their home is complete. Ask to speak with a sales associate about our happy homeowners! 

5) What are the first steps in the building process?

The building process can be a little intimidating if you’ve never built a new home before, or in some cases, even if you have. Here at McKee Builders, we like to make it as simple as possible. Here are the initial steps in our Building Process:  

• Visit a community. Our models & sales centers are typically staffed every day, so there is always someone available to escort you to the model homes, the home sites, etc.

• Pick a home. Tour our models, peruse our floor plans, look through the options, and find the home that fits your needs & desires.

• Reserve your home site. Once you find a home site you love, you put down a $1,000 refundable homesite reservation. Then, within 10 days, you meet with your sales team to review structural options.  

• Sign an agreement of sale & put down a deposit. At this time, you’re required to put down the deposit amount required by state law. 

• Make selections. You have 30-60 days from the signing of the final agreement of sale to meet with our Design Studio Coordinator to complete your selections. (Timeframe depends on the home site or community.) You will also be asked to select any custom options or upgrades at this time. And an additional deposit will be required at this point, as well. No more changes may be made after this step. 

• Secure financing. Once you have your final price, it’s time to figure out financing.  Choose one of our preferred lenders, or handle financing yourself. We’ll distribute all necessary documentation & paperwork.

Have more questions? Wonderful! Please contact us and we’ll be glad to help in any what we can.