Or, as they say, comparing “Apples with Apples”
Building a home can be a confusing and conflicting time, so how do you actually know what you are really getting when reviewing builder quotes? How do you ensure you are comparing “apples with apples”?
Let’s see how you would go by playing a couple of games of spot the difference:
First, compare the two kitchen plans.
One has a kitchen worth $8,000, the other kitchen is worth $15,000.
Can you tell which is which?
Now compare these floor plans.
One home is about $45,000 more expensive than the other.
Can you see why?
Don’t spend too much time looking, you won’t see any differences in the plans!
There is no way you can pick the difference when you don’t have ALL of the information.
In the spot the difference exercise, you didn’t have all of the information, and you typically don’t have all of the information when comparing quote to quote, builder to builder.
Imagine learning this lesson just after your kitchen was installed?!
We certainly don’t like nasty surprises so we provide our clients with very detailed quotes and plans. We even provide documents explaining the meaning of the words used in our detailed quotes along with photos of what we have quoted to include in your home.
We include specific and generous details of PC Allowances for kitchens, bathrooms and laundry; we also detail what rebates you may be eligible for and how we refund any allowances we’ve over-estimated.
Builder’s don’t intentionally set out to deceive people, at least we certainly hope they don’t, but without ALL of the details that relate to the build and ALL of the inclusions in your home, you cannot accurately compare building quotes for your new home.
A lack of detail often leads to extra charges or nasty surprises, and too often we hear that people chose a “cheaper” quote, but didn’t compare the finer details and ended up paying a lot more than thought to achieve their ideal result.
Even if you do have all of the information to compare, you certainly cannot judge the workmanship of the tradesmen, the quality of the fittings, nor the ability of the builder to actually build the home right, on time, and keep their promises by looking at a quote.
This is why we tell everyone that when it comes to building a home, “Do Your Research“. Choose someone you can trust with something as important and valuable as building your new home.
