7 Questions To Ask Your New Home Builder Before You Sign Your Purchase Contract

To Build or Not To Build

If you are considering making the community of West Springs in Calgary your new home, you have several options when choosing your family’s house:

• Purchase a Pre-Owned Home: This home is a private sale by the current owner
• Purchase A Spec Home: This is a new build, never purchased, a move-in-ready home offered for sale by the builder
• Build A New Home: This is new construction in partnership with a home builder often in a new development

Pre-owned and Spec homes are a convenient option for buyers who are looking for quick possession or who may not have time for the process of building a home from conception to completion. But for buyers who are looking for a more immersive experience and a more customized home, partnering with a builder is the way to go. If you are choosing to build your dream home from the ground up, here are some very important questions to ask your builder to ensure that your process is as smooth as possible.

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Ask The Right Questions

The process of building a home, even when starting from a curated collection of plans as you often would in a new community, can be involved and complex. Many builders will take care to ensure that you are updated and educated throughout each phase of the building. But before you even sign on the dotted line, we recommend asking these very important questions so you can be as informed as possible:

1. What is the quality of your standard finishes? Is there a design allowance for upgrades? Many builders will offer a preset budget for upgrading from the builder’s standard finishes or customizing your new home build. This can be applied to such things as flooring, cabinets, lighting, and even architectural finishes like baseboards and mouldings. Ensure that you choose a builder with high-quality standard finishes so you are not paying extra for upgrades to get the home you want. 
2. How will I select my finishes? Even for standard options, you will often have a choice for paint colour, flooring type, countertops, and cabinet finishes. Ask your builder for their process of selecting your finishes. Do they have a designer to guide you? Will you work directly with the site supervisor? 
3. Is landscaping included or is there an allowance? Some builders will offer a base landscaping package that may include sod and a select number of trees or plantings. Some will include a full front and back landscaping package. Be sure you understand what the builder will cover and what you will need to plan for if there are to be out-of-pocket costs.
4. Who will be my point of contact? Every builder has a slightly different new build team. Sometimes your main point of contact will be a Sales Manager, a Customer Relations Representative, a Design Consultant, or a Site Supervisor. Sometimes it could be a collaborative effort with the whole team.
5. What can I expect from the build process? Your new home builder should be able to provide you with a clear process for your build. This should include phases of construction, projected timelines, site visits and inspections, and estimated possession date. Weather, supply shortages, and permitting can sometimes cause delays, but your builder should have procedures for keeping you informed and plans to accommodate changes and get your build back on track.
6. Will there be Energy Saving technologies in my new home? More and more often, builders are meeting the demands of savvy home buyers to incorporate energy-efficient appliances, water-conserving devices, cutting-edge insulations, and other eco-technologies into new home builds. These measures can save you money and improve your resale value down the road.
7. What are the plans for future development around me? It would be a shame to purchase a lot with a beautiful view west towards the mountains only to later discover that the next phase of development in your community includes a four-story, multi-family build right across the street. Ensure that you clarify with your builder the plans for development in your neighbourhood in the years to come.
    

Build The Home You Really Want

Encore at West Grove Estates offers families the opportunity to build a beautiful and quality semi-estate home in an established and welcoming community. Our preferred builder, Cedarglen Homes, is set apart from other builders with an exceptional customer experience from start to finish. And the family homes built in Encore at West Grove in West Springs are meticulously crafted, customized homes reflective of the quality Cedarglen is known for. If you are seeking an elevated home building experience in a community with every amenity associated with inner-city living in Calgary and an easy exit to Kananaskis and the Rocky Mountains to the west; when you want to build more than a house… build your home in Encore. Explore everything that Encore at West Grove Estates has to offer, connect us today by calling (403) 250-5650 or filling out our online contact form today.

FAQs

How often can I visit my home when it is under construction?
Site safety is the most important thing. Your construction team may be working on several projects at any given time and drop-ins could interrupt workflow and put you or the team at risk. If you want to visit your home under construction, connect with your Cedarglen team and they will schedule a time for you to visit. There is no limit to the number of times you can check the progress. 

How much are the homes in Encore?
The semi-estate homes in Encore start in the mid $700s and reflect the quality standards our builder partner, Cedarglen Homes, is known for.

Are there showhomes we can visit?
We have brand new show homes that opened on June 19, 2021. At this time, our showhomes can be viewed by appointment only. Connect with us to set up an appointment.