Either way, there are many ways to make the right and wrong decisions when choosing a builder. We set out to provide you with 8 hot tips to ensure you choose the right builder.

1.     Ask around

When choosing a builder, a good place to start is by asking any family and friends that have hired a builder to construct their home or renovation. 

Be wary of going through friends of friends, these builders may feel like they’re “doing a favour” and, because of that, they may place a lower priority on your job and the build may take longer.

Listening to your architect’s suggestions is usually a great place to start.  Building designers and architects work with the same trusted contractors who will do justice to their design.

2.     Is the builder legit

No matter your project, it’s important that you choose a builder that is registered, licenced and insured.

Some builders’ licences or registrations may have simply expired. However, there are builders out there that have had their licences revoked and continue to operate in the building industry.

Regulators are historically slow at catching these dodgy builders so you have to be one step ahead. To get started, you can check to see if your builder is registered by asking the Housing Industry of Australia (HIA) or the Master Builders of Australia (MBA) for their list of members.

3.     Do they have the Experience and skills required

Be wary if they only have experience in renovations and extensions, they may not be the right choice to build your home from start to finish and vice versa if they have only built residential properties in the past they may not necessarily have a good grasp of the complexities of extensions and renovations.

4.     Portfolio and references

First of all, check out their previous jobs and, if possible, have a physical walk-through of a home they’ve built. Even consulting an engineer to walk through the property may be worth the cost if you’re serious about choosing the right builder.

Builders may be quick to offer you the contact details of a handful of selected clients but they may just offer a biased opinion.

It’s best to ask to speak with their most current clients, particularly those in the middle of the building stage.

You’ll likely get a more balanced opinion of the builder, specifically when it comes to communication and how efficient they are in the construction process.

5.     How do I make sure I don’t get ripped off?

When you’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on building or extending a property, you’ll want to do your homework.

First of all, building plans can provide a good overview of the construction job but they don’t provide a complete breakdown. We suggest putting together a detailed ‘tender package’ which should clearly outline:

• The scope of the work: This is typically an outline of the work required by the builder. Remember to make clear if you’ll be contracting to a third-party tradesman for parts of the build or if you are planning to do some of the work yourself.
• The building plan: This should include engineering documents and soil tests. Your builder needs to know exactly what’s involved and what you actually want to see in your completed home. This will also help them to figure out the total costs of material and labour as well as the timeframe for completion.
• The building schedule: The materials, fittings and fixtures you want for the house. Be as detailed as possible to avoid a cost blowout.

With a tender package, the builder knows exactly what the job entails and your expectations of the finished product.

When they come back to you with a quote, make sure it’s clearly itemised with the materials and labour involved in all stages of construction.

Once you have an itemised quote, you can then compare quotes with other licenced builders by going through the same process. In this way, you’re comparing apples with apples. We suggest getting 3-5 different quotes to compare but remember that you don’t want a builder to cut corners and sacrifice quality just so you can get a cheaper price.

6.     Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?

It’s a fair question, especially if you’re not a handyman or tradesman.

Builders tend to use a lot of industry jargon and abbreviations that you may not understand so it’s important to clarify what they’re talking about or look it up yourself.

The last thing you want to do is say yes to something expensive that you didn’t ask for! Or on the flipside not have something included that you thought would be.

The following items are often excluded from the initial construction costs. Therefore, it’s important to clarify this early on before you sign the building contract:

• Driveways.
• Garage doors.
• Fencing and landscaping.
• Hot water and gas supply.
• Light fittings.
• The number and location of power points.
• Window locks.
• Flyscreens.
• Roof insulation.

7.     Do you know who you’re dealing with?

So you’ve done your due diligence on choosing a builder, they’ve given you a fair quote and you’re ready to proceed.

By this point, you’ve probably built a good rapport with them but keep in mind that they may not necessarily be the person constructing your home or extension.

A building company may have a number of different contractors on their books so you may want to make it a condition of the contract that you select the builder.

8.     Don’t sign the building contract until you’re ready

It’s important to get legal advice whenever signing a building contract to ensure that the contract is in your best interests.

Any small changes to the contract can actually cause you major headaches when it comes to getting approved for a construction loan and drawing down your progress payments for the build.

Consider the following:

• What warranties can they offer you?
• Do they offer termite prevention? It may cost you in the short-term but it’ll likely save you thousands over the long-term
• The contract should include the fully itemised list of quotes that you agreed upon initially.
• Make it clear that you should be made aware of any changes to the building schedule that may need to be made during construction. It may be that certain materials will need to be substituted in order to stay within your budget. If you haven’t made this clear, the builder may use fixtures and fittings that will cost you more than you can afford.
• It should include the construction start date, key construction stages (where you’ll need to make progress payments on your construction loan) and the completion date.

You can check out the NSW Fair Trading website for information on building contracts.

If you’re considering buying land to build your home, there are certain things to consider to ensure the block is right for you.

Choosing a block of land to build your dream home is exciting. Every family has different needs, and things like finance, services available on the block, building restrictions and design guidelines are all important considerations.

Whatever your needs, there are plenty of things to know before investing in a block of land. Here are 10 of them.

1) Lifestyle

Choosing a block of land that matches your family’s needs is of vital importance as this is where you are about to build your new life, the place where you will build your new dream home and the place where new memories will be made. Does the location tick your personal boxes? Drive around the local area, visit the local café, research the schools, go on a picnic, swim at the local beach, take a boat out on the river, go for a bushwalk and experience what the area has to offer. Ensure it is the lifestyle you’ve been searching for.

2) Is it a flat block (benched)?

Land is never originally flat and reputable developers will ‘bench’ their blocks. This means that they make each block of land flat with an approximate 2% gradient for water run-off. This is an important element for any buyer as a flat block of land means cheaper home building costs.

3) Services Provided

We use them every day and sometimes take
 them for granted, however not every piece of land comes with the same services provided. The main services that your block should have are: natural gas, NBN connection, recycled water, electricity, sewer and water. If your block of land doesn’t have these easily accessible, then you need to do some research as it could be an expensive exercise to get them down the track. Also, recycled water is a fantastic feature that some of the environmentally friendly developers are using.

4) Finance

If you have an existing home then you might have enough equity to purchase your new block of land and you won’t need to sell your house until further down the track. On the other hand, if this is your first home or you require finance, ensure that you have unconditional pre-approved finance for a minimum of six months. The reason being is that financial institutions won’t release the funds until the block has been settled, which happens after the land has been registered. In some cases this could be a number of months after you have exchanged on the block. If your pre-approved timeframe concludes before the block has been settled you may need to go through the pre-approval process again.

5) Home Alterations

It is surprising how many people take moments deciding on the floorplan of their new home but spend weeks deciding on the paint colour of their walls (it is much easier to re-paint walls in the future than it is to change a floorplan). When you’re talking to your builder during the early stages make all your alterations to your house design before it has been signed off. Builders want your business and should be very accommodating to secure it. You will still be able to make alterations once the house is signed off, however you’ll be stung with fees. This is where your family will live, so make sure it suits your lifestyle.

6) Bushfire & Flood areas

You can still build on land that has been designated to be in a bushfire or flood prone area and more times than not the price of the land would be reduced. However, as the new buyer, you need to be aware of the building requirements in these areas. When it comes to building your house you may need to use certain materials that are often more expensive.

7) Time

The length of time from exchange on the block of land to moving into your newly built home will be different for every sale. Developers register their land with council once construction on the land is complete and it meets all requirements. However, often you will exchange on the land before this happens. Once the land is registered, settlement is often 28 days after. At this stage the land is yours and you can start building your new home. The average home takes approximately four months to build. From the time you walk
into the land sales office to walking into your new home is approximately twelve months (with many variables in between).

8) Design Guidelines

A number of estates have design guidelines.
This means that the design of your house will need to meet the requirements. This doesn’t mean that every house in the neighbourhood is going to look the same, more so the estate retains a certain look and feel. This is beneficial for the buyer, as you know the person that buys the block next to you can’t do certain things and in the long-term preserves the value of your house. The guidelines might include elements like: minimum pitch level on the roof of houses, type of materials that can be used and the type of fence that can be erected.

9) Land Size

The land size requirements are going to be different for each individual family. Some people will be up-sizing while others will be down-sizing. The main question to think about is: “what do you want to put on your block?”. What size house, number of bedrooms, do you want a pool, how big does your backyard need to be, do you need a shed etc. You will be amazed what you will be able to fit on a block of land. Sometimes people have a fixed size in their mind but when their inclusions are mapped out on the block they realise they needed a different sized block (smaller or larger).

Another element to consider with land size is the average size block in the estate you are purchasing in. Every estate is different and some try to cram in as many blocks as possible, creating a higher density of residents. Think about how close your neighbours will be, and how much ‘breathing space’ feels right for you and your family. Also consider what memories you want to create on your block – backyard for the kids to explore, swimming pool for the hot summer afternoons, shed for the boat or maybe just a back deck big enough to cater for the whole extended family.

10) Trees on Blocks

We all love being around nature, however trees on blocks can cause issues when it comes time to build. If there are trees on your block you need to be happy with them, as they can be difficult to remove through council.

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Broker or Bank

When people want to borrow money, their first thought is to go to a bank. This may not be the best solution when looking for a loan to buy real estate. Like your Licensed Conveyancer, a mortgage broker is on your side. He or she wants to get you a loan. They are willing to examine your personal needs, wants, and resources. They act as an agent between you and the lender. What is more, they offer a wider range of loan products and services through numerous lending institutions than does the typical bank.
A broker has relationships with numerous lending institutions. The broker can negotiate different lending options, and they handle a lot of the paperwork. A broker also has a good idea of the financial and real estate markets. Some mortgage brokers are accredited experts in finance. They can give you lots of sound advice and spot noteworthy financial and market trends.
Buying real estate is a very complex legal undertaking, with many steps that need to be accomplished in a specific order. Obtaining financing is just one of those steps, and a mortgage broker can make this important step much easier.
If a mortgage broker has a good reputation as being professional and reliable, he or she is likely a good bet. You might want to use referrals from friends to find a good one. Another measure to take is to find recent purchasers in the area you are interested in and ask for recommendations of reliable mortgage brokers.
It is advisable to have both your mortgage broker and loan in place before you start looking for your new home. Then you enter into any purchase or offer from a position of power. It is the same as having cash in hand!
Cash is king in the real estate industry. With your broker and your loan lined up like ducks in a row, you are ready to purchase real estate with confidence, because the seller knows you have purchasing power. Often times a seller will take a lower offer that is guaranteed because the loan is in place over a chancy higher offer.

Did you know that 30% to 40% of Australian properties have some form of illegal building structure on them or have some other issue that could cause unpleasant surprises (and expenses) for the future property owner? While it is no replacement for a good conveyancer, title insurance aids in the reassurance process. It especially covers “unknown risks” that may not come to light during the conveyance and inspection processes. It protects against fraud and forgery. Even if all the signatures on all the documents are in place, if one of them is forged, that will affect you, the new owner. Title insurance also protects the new owner from things that are disclosed during the conveyancing process that might have led the buyer to forego the purchase but which are acceptable risks with title insurance.

Getting title insurance is a growing trend because real estate is so active and lucrative right now. Your Licensed Conveyancer can request a title insurance policy from an insurer and advise you about this.

Title insurance does not deal with all eventualities—you need your Licensed Conveyancer for that—but it is very helpful when it comes to responsibilities that may fall on the property owner after the deal has been done. Title insurance companies counsel their customers not to skip the step of getting an experienced, licensed, and professional conveyancer. When it comes to property transactions, this invaluable professional is at your side throughout the whole process.

One of the most common question purchasers ask when they are in the process of purchasing a new property is “Why is it important to get a pest inspection report?” There are several reasons why a Pest Inspection Report is important to obtain prior to the purchase of a property. While the cost may range from $X to $Y, it may save you thousands of dollars in the long run and will seem like an insignificant outlay.

A Pest Inspection Report will identify whether or not the property has had or currently has termites and/or other pests. A property can be completely infested with termites with no visible evidence which is why a Pest Inspection Report will provide peace of mind there will be no sudden surprises.

A Pest Inspection Report will also provide information on the frequency of pest inspections in past. Similar to a car service log book, the pest activity history of the property and the last
pest inspection will be contained within this report. This is important because if there has been a long period between inspection issues may not have been identified yet.

Thirdly, a Pest Inspection Report will identify if the property has had or currently has any damage caused by pests or termites. This is why the initial fee to have a report compiled could be worth its weight in gold. A condition of many purchasers will be what is contained in the Pest Inspection Report.
Bliss Conveyancing can provide details of reputable companies who compile Pest Inspection Reports. If you are unsure of anything within the report it is imperative to call and seek clarification from the professional.

When a property under strata title is sold, one of the disbursements is a Section 184 Certificate. This certificate is issued under Section 184 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 1996.

From 1 July 2016, foreign residents will be required to obtain a clearance certificate from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) in respect of purchasing and from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in relation to the sale of property within Australia.