Are you considering designing a new home but are concerned about your budget exploding?
As selections or alterations are made throughout the build, costs can begin to creep up. So if you’re not able to monitor these costs and know exactly where your money is being spent, you’re in danger of blowing your budget completely.
Nobody wants to make sacrifices when designing their dream home, but equally, you don’t want to financially cripple yourself in the process. American businessman Dave Ramsey reminds us that a budget is a means of telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went.
In order to be able to budget properly, you need to have complete visibility throughout the entire build process, and that includes the administrative side, not just the practical aspects.
Track All Communication 24/7
Imagine working with a builder who not only kept you informed and abreast of the entire process but allowed you to track each communication or selection choice throughout the build. This would give you the ability to effectively monitor your budget and ensure your costs don’t suddenly become an unexpected problem.
And how good would it be if you could make selections and track every communication while designing your new home even when you’re on holiday… from anywhere in the world, 24/7.
By having complete confidence that your new home will be built within budget and that your builder has documented every single requirement from every conversation you’ve had, you will enjoy a stress free experience.
Processes To Keep You Informed
With poor communication l
eading to project failure in 33% of new home builds, you need to avoid the builders who don’t have the processes and systems in place to keep you informed and up to date. Their lack of organisation leads to important details being missed completely.
Or, they simply don’t inform you that you’ve surpassed your budget until it’s too late. This wastes both your time, and your money – not to mention potentially delaying your build as you seek to find solutions.
Don’t be fooled by a builder who convinces you that a pen and paper is all they need to keep track of your selections. That’s not a system, that’s simply note taking and you won’t have the ability to ensure they’ve recorded your specifications correctly, or refer to them further down the track.
Plus, how will you know what impact those selections have on your budget? Do they expect you to wait until you receive the invoice?
Some builders will appear confident before you sign a contract and dismissive of your questions or concerns. If they don’t take your queries seriously when they’re trying to win your business, will they take you seriously when they’ve got it?
Systems That Give You Access 24/7
To have complete control and confidence, you need access to a system that allows you to make and track your selections throughout the project, online, 24/7. This will allow you to take the time to see what options you have available, update your selections (if required), and quickly see how this impacts the cost of your build.
When you work with a builder with this type of system in place, you will be able to see the update and so will they, ensuring that nothing in the build is missed. As well as being able to make selections, you should also be able to keep up to date with what’s going on, on the site itself.
It’s not always convenient or practical to travel to the build, so being able to see how it is progressing online with regular pictures, will ensure you’re fully up to date with the latest work on your home.
A professional builder who provides clients with an online client portal, also ensures that all communication about your project is documented and saved in the project timeline. Not only does this give you the ability to check that your requirements and discussions have been captured, but you can be confident that your builder is fully across all aspects of the job.
Tools That Give You Confidence And Control
Whilst some builders will convince you that ‘the way they’ve always done it’ is fine, you want to work with a professional builder who embraces technology and uses tools to help make them more efficient and improve their customer communication. When you do, you won’t have to make endless calls trying to track down your builder for updates or clarifications.
With an online client portal, you will be able to login from anywhere in the world, anytime to keep informed and abreast of the entire process, easily tracking every communication, selection and update of your new home.
Stay informed and up to date on all aspects of your build and watch your new home take shape online 24/7, from your office or from anywhere in the world!
Click on the link below to download the 7 Things You Need to Know When Designing Your Dream Home.
