Builder Broker
Why should I buy a house and land package as opposed to an existing house?
If you need to move into the house straight away then a House and Land package will not be suitable. However if you are not in a hurry then buying a house and land package means that you will be saving money. Firstly because you will only pay stamp duty on the land component instead of the House and Land combined. Secondly generally developers understand that it takes you time and resources to build a home on a block. As such they usually sell the house and land package at a discount to what it would cost for a built home. This means that by the time your home is built you will already have equity in the property without the need for capital gain as well as the savings you will make from stamp duty.
Our Builder Broker service is at absolutely no cost to you. This is because we receive a commission from the builder. We receive a commission regardless of which builder we choose as such we will only suggest those builders which will provide you with the best quality and service at the lowest possible price. The builder does not add our commission to the price of the contract because if you were to contact the builder directly then you will be talking with a sales person who works for the builder. This salesperson receives a commission from the builder. As such whether you contact the builder directly or use our services the quoted cost for the contract will be the same. The advantage of using our services is that our advice is independent and unbiased whereas the salesperson can only recommend the builder they work for.
Who are the builders on your panel?
We have the option of choosing whomever builder we believe will service our clients the best. Our philosophy is for a FIXED PRICE contract with our builders. Not all builders are willing to agree to this because many builders operate by signing up the clients and adding additional costs to the contract at a later stage. We disregard any builder whom we believe is acting unethically because they cannot offer a realistic estimate of what it will cost to build your home. We also understand that certain builders are better at certain types of construction. We choose the builder that we deem to be the most suitable for your project. Finally we negotiate between the ethical builders on our panel to ensure that you get the lowest possible price whilst ensuring that they do not cut corners and add additional costs at a later stage.
How many builders do you have on your panel?
Whilst we have the option of choosing as many builders as we like to add to our builder panel we believe that we need to establish a relationship with our builders to ensure that we have a deep understanding of what these builders strengths are so we can advise our clients accordingly. We try to ensure that we only have enough builders to be able to service all our clients requirements. Where we find that we have a shortfall of expertise for a particular project to endeavour we source additional builders who are skilled at that particular type of construction.
Why should I use you rather than going direct to the builder?
By using our service you receive experienced unbiased advice on which builder would be most appropriate for your project. As we are unbiased and not affiliated with any particular builder we will suggest the builder which we believe will offer the best quality product with the highest level of service at the lowest possible price. Unfortunately when approaching a builder they will have no option but to offer their company as the only choice for you to build. We work with you to ensure that the builder is the right fit for you.
How can I fix the price of the footings in the contract?
Depending on which builder we choose to use our builders can fix the price by a range of measures. Some of our builders are so confident that the have allocated sufficient allowances that they will include in the contract a clause that allows you to withdraw from the contract if the footings price is higher than the estimate given at the time of the contract signing. Other builders will require a token sum so that they can get soil tests and contour plans done which provide information as to the quality of the soil and the slope of the block. Other Builders allow the client to provide independent soil tests and contour plans and will be willing to fix the price based on this information.
How long does it take to build?
Typically your home will be built between 22 and 24 weeks from final selections being made assuming that the client has approved finance as well as approval from the council. We suggest that on a standard single storey home that our clients allow 9 months from the date of the contract signing.
How do I organise finance for a house and land package?
A house and land package is composed of 3 contracts. One for the house, one for the land, and one for the additional items such as driveways, landscaping, carpets, airconditioning, ect. When approaching your financier you need to ask for a construction loan. These loans are structured such that you are approved for the total amount of the complete package but the finance is drawn down over time as the work is completed. As we specialise in Development Finance we offer a range of products for construction loans which are most suited to your requirements.
The plans provided with the house and land package are indicative of what would fit within council guidelines however we have found that 9 times out of 10 people wish to change the plans to suit their individual needs. We can refer you to our Designer to redesign your home to suit your requirements whilst ensuring that they are within council guidelines.
What additional items are included in the House Costing?
We try to ensure that when quoting up your new home that we include all the items that are required to make your home liveable. Some of these items include carpets, airconditioning, driveways and perimeter paths, landscaping. We source independent contractors to install these additional items to ensure that you receive the best quality at the lowest possible price.
Depending on your requirements we can also add items such as clotheslines, tv antenna, letterbox, fencing and retaining walls. Our use of independent contractors to install these items ensures that you receive the best quality at the lowest price.
Can I see a display home of the house?
Most of our builders on our panel have display homes that you can view at your convenience. However we can also suggest partially completed homes that you may view to gain a critical view of the quality of their workmanship during construction
Why shouldn’t I get the builder to draw up my plans?
By getting your plans drawn up independently you retain copyright over your designs. This will ensure that you can shop between various builders to ensure that you receive the best possible price. Where the builder draws up your plans they maintain copyright over these plans. This means that you cannot get the plans costed up or built by another builder without changing the plans in someway. In the event that you have the builder draw up you plans and then at a later date decide to switch builders due to cost blow outs or time delays you will find it very difficult to do so because the plans that have been approved by council will remain with the original builder. This means that if you wish to change builder you will have to change the plans and then reapply to council for approval with the new plans. We suggest to all our clients that for a very small investment you can get your plans drawn up independently saving you thousands of dollars and much heartache in the future.
Do you have any other blocks of land for sale?
We work with agents all over Adelaide to market their vacant blocks of land for sale as House and Land Packages. Although we are there to assist you with any properties that we are currently marketing with realestate.com we can also assist you with any other blocks that we may not be currently marketing. We can provide fully costed plans that fit within council guidelines to give you an estimate of what it would cost to build a new home on your vacant block. We also have a buyers register which we provide to agents so that in the event that they have a block about to come onto the market in the future they can contact you prior to property going to market.
Can you help me with subdividing my property?
We provide a range of services to our clients one of which is to assist with subdividing their property and developing it to maximise their return on investment. If you are considering subdividing please contact us and we can provide a free no obligation consultation with one of our experience consultants to discuss your options.