How to Choose a Prescott AZ Home Builder

How to Choose a Prescott AZ Home Builder

The process of having your dream home built can be stressful due to all of the decisions that one must make during this process. However, having your dream home built can become even more stressful if you do not pick the right builder to guide you through the process. Thusly, if you are about to begin the process of having your new home built, it is vital that you take the time to choose the right builder to make your dream home become your reality. To help you in this process, here are some things you should consider when searching for a Prescott AZ home builder.

Compile a List of Potential Builders

Before you begin to meet with and talk to builders, it is imperative that you take the proper time to research potential builders. Look online for builders who you believe provide the level of service you are looking for.

Next, look at reviews for the builders you are considering. While extremists tend to write reviews online, looking at reviews should help you to get a general idea of the level of service each builder provides as well as which builders you would like to work with.

Meet With Potential Builders

Once you have narrowed down your list of potential builders, it is important that you take the time to actually meet with builders in person rather than just talking to them over the phone. An in person discussion with potential builders will be the only way you will be able to get a feel for the builder, what their company is like, and whether or not you will feel comfortable working with them. During this interview process, it is also important to ask builders for examples of their recent work and for references. Reputable builders will be more than willing to share this information with you. Thusly, asking these questions will help you to determine the builder’s quality of work as well as their reputation

Quality and Communication

It is important when searching for builders that you take into account more than just cost. Many individuals make the mistake of going with the builder that bids them the lowest price; however, these individuals often end up receiving poor service and a poor quality home. Choose the builder who you believe you will be able to work with the best, whose work seems of high quality, and who you believe understands what you are looking for in your dream home. In doing so, the experience of building your new home will be much less stressful for you.

Building your new home is an exciting but stressful process. Choosing the right home builder, however, can help to make this process easier for you. Contact us to find out about more of the things you should consider when searching for a builder to build your dream home.

Three Lesser Known Advantages of Buying a New Home

Three Lesser Known Advantages of Buying a New Home

There are certain obvious advantages of buying a new home, such as the fact that you won’t have to replace any appliances or do major repairs right away.  You can choose to renovate a little if you find that the floor plan isn’t exactly the way you want it.  But the house is livable right away in most other aspects.  However, there are also certain lesser known advantages of buying a new home.

1. Better floor plans.  As time goes on, people start constructing homes with greater privacy and more amenities.  In some old homes, it’s not unusual to find smaller rooms and windows and claw-footed bathtubs instead of showers.  This may seem quaint at first but it will probably get old pretty fast when you’re rushing in the mornings to get to work.  In a new home, you’re definitely going to have more space and better bathrooms.

 

2. Central heating and air-conditioning.  In an older home, you’re likely to find those creaky radiators by the window which either let out a lot of heat or none at all.  You’ll also lose a part of a window when you have to install an air-conditioner in it.  In most new homes, you’ll have central heating and air-conditioning, both of which make less noise and perform better overall.

3. Better investments.  Newer homes make better investments than older ones.  This is because, as a home gets older, it’s bound to become less livable.  It’s going to need a lot of maintenance, maybe even a complete overhaul, to maintain those quaint old architectural elements while still having modern conveniences.  If you don’t perform these renovations, the people who buy the home from you will have to do so.  As a result, they’re less likely to pay you a high price for your home.

So if you’re thinking about buying or constructing a new home, contact us.  We will help you to customize your home so that it becomes everything you’re looking for.

Make Your Credit History Spotless

Make Your Credit History Spotless

In the prescott az real estate market flawless credit history is mandatory.  Flawed credit history lowers credit score and makes lenders weary.  If your credit score isn’t up to par, you can do something about it without delaying house hunting.

Check TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.  With three free reports yearly, you have an opportunity to examine past and current balances.  If there are any discrepancies or fraud, handle it immediately.  Contact the company with the problem and inform them about the disagreement.  Companies will perform an investigation and determine if you are correct.  You can also ask to take the mistake off the credit report.  Keeping the mistake on the report lowers credit score.  If the blame is on your end, resolve it promptly.

 

Pay the balance in full on time.  This is the easiest way to build credit and keep credit at a good score.  A perpetual process of payment will look good to lenders.  Look at the date and pay the amount specified.  If you cannot afford to pay it in full, understand that paying the minimum balance includes a low credit score and unnecessary interest rates.  Pay off as much maxed-out credit cards as possible.

 

Don’t close old accounts or add new ones.  Most of the time, closing an account means you’re done with it.  Everything attached to the account permanently vanishes. In credit history, closing accounts hurts your credit score.  The paper trail remains on your file for a maximum of seven years.  Opening a new account will lower the average credit age and credit score because it’s too new for the account to make an impact.  It’s best to open a new account after obtaining the home and mortgage.

 

A lengthy credit history looks good to creditors.  Lenders see a long stable credit history as someone they can trust.  Credit accounts that are too new have a harder chance of obtaining creditors’ trust.

 

The unemployed, bad credit or no credit recipients still have an option: paying more on the down payment.  It’s going to take a chunk of money to receive the trust of lenders, but it’s worth it.  They’ll have more money in their possession, and you’ll get the mortgage loan.  It also increases the chances of becoming a homeowner.

 

Credit scores mean the world to lenders.  Since rules and regulations force lenders to be tougher, prove to them you are responsible and dependent with credit history.  For more information on purchasing the home of your dreams, contact us.

Your Prescott AZ Home Builder: Important Questions to Ask

Your Prescott AZ Home Builder: Important Questions to Ask

inally building the home of your dreams is an exciting opportunity. It is important, though, to embark on this journey with all of your questions answered.

To give you the information and confidence needed to make the best decision, you should ask any prospective Prescott AZ home builder several questions.

Questions Concerning Builder’s Reputation

  • How many houses have you built?
  • How long have you been building houses?
  • Do you have the proper licensing or certifications?
  • How do your prices compare with other area home builders?
  • What kind of warranty will I receive?
  • Can I have a list of referrals? Are homes you have built available for me to tour?

 Questions Pertaining to the Logistics

  • What floor plans are available? Do you build from your plans or can I provide my own?
  • What type of home design do you recommend?
  • What features are standard? What upgrades can I choose?
  • Will the home have any low-water or energy-saving features?
  • How much will my new house cost?
  • How long does building a new house take?
  • Will I be able to see the home while it is being built? Am I allowed to bring others onto the build site?
  • Who chooses the wall colors, floor material, cabinets, and other things in the house?
  • Is any of the landscaping included in the price?
  • Can I purchase things such as appliances from my brother (or other person) who works in the industry?

 

Questions About Customer Service

  • What can I expect from you during the building process?
  • Who do I contact with questions about the building of my new home during the process?
  • Who do I talk with if I change my mind about something?

 

The list of questions serves as a guide to help you find the best builder for your new home. If there are other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Channeling Your Creativity with a Prescott AZ Home Builder: Comfort, Finances and Taste

Channeling Your Creativity with a Prescott AZ Home Builder: Comfort, Finances and Taste

There are many advantages of buying a new home and many advantages of customizing your home, too.  When you put the two together and work with a Prescott AZ home builder, you can end up with the home of your dreams.  However, it’s also very easy to let your creativity run haywire.  If you have a lot of ideas but you can’t seem to pinpoint the ones you really want to put into practice, consider the following suggestions:

  • What Makes You Comfortable?  Everyone’s had that one room or that one home that they remember really fondly.  You may think that it’s just nostalgia but it’s quite possible that there were certain things about that space that were just right for you.  Write down all the points that you remember and try to recall whether being in a similar space worked for you at a different time as well.  For example, if the home you remember most fondly had a fireplace, think back to whether fireplaces in general have put you at ease.

Can You Afford Everything?  You might have a lot of different ideas about what you want in a home.  Maybe you want that perfect four-poster bedroom, a living room with a view, a study where you can concentrate, a gym where you can work out, a fully equipped kitchen where you can create some of your favorite dishes, a den with a big screen TV and other entertainment options, a swimming pool, a garden, a rock garden, a koi pond, etc. The list of things that you like can just go on and on.  If you can afford it all, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have it, unless the two things are clashing with each other like flower beds and rock gardens. If you can’t afford everything, make sure you get the things you’re definitely going to use rather than the things that you might want to use once in a while.

Taste. The other problem with getting absolutely everything you want out of a home is that it might be a little bit out of the bounds of good taste.  This doesn’t mean that you have to rein yourself in and settle for something that you don’t love.  It just means that you should think about whether you’re getting these things because you actually want them or because they’re status symbols.  If you can be sure that it’s your own taste which is dictating the building of your home, then you can rest easy.

 

These are just a few things you should consider when you’re building a custom home.  Contact us for more tips and information.