The hallmark of a good luxury home builder
The million-dollar difference between building a new home and creating a dream home is choosing the right builder.
But what should you look for?
Well, the relationship starts online. Calgary’s most reputable builders of milliondollar properties have wellorganized websites that list the communities in which they build, display floor plans of current models and provide customer reviews. Armed with insight and information, a visit to a show home is the vital next step, where buyer meets builder and a relationship develops.
The first experiences with a luxury home builder establish trust. Initial meetings should be educational. Throughout the conversation, the builder will learn about you, drilling down to the essence of what you’re looking for. A good builder should willingly and sincerely invest time in this process.
During the exploratory phase, the builder will help decide what type of lot is best. Not just the all-important location, but type of lot. Can it accommodate a sidedrive garage or front garage? Is a cul-de-sac important or do you want a 75-foot estate lot with a view?
Which leads to choosing the right community.
“Generally, we don’t start talking about the house until we understand where a person belongs in the community,” says Chris Richer, vice-president of business development, Calgary homes, for Brookfield Residential and Albi Luxury by Brookfield Residential.
“We are building in Artesia and Cranston’s Riverstone, both very similar communities with highend architectural controls, but with different demographics. Artesia caters to a mature, move-down buyer who may prefer a bungalow,” says Richer.
“Cranston’s Riverstone is a true family estate community close to schools, shopping and amenities. Along with Auburn Bay and Legacy, also in the southeast, Albi builds a lot of two-storey homes, family homes, there.”
Once a preferred location and lot are established, the relationship advances to the design process where the stewardship is even more critical.
With as much as $300,000 worth of discretionary options available in a semicustom estate home, a good builder will manage the customer’s expectations while controlling costs. If a buyer has a particular vision for a home, a good builder will be honest about whether that vision follows good design practices and meets mechanical and structural standards. Nothing should be compromised on either side.
“We want the customer to understand the cost implications of changes as we work out the final contract price. We apply our expertise so that the homeowner can put their extra dollars into things that are meaningful to them. It’s a big differentiator,” Richer explains.
Transparency is a recurring theme during the builder selection process. Everyone from management to the construction team should be accessible during the build process. The customer should be invited into the process at every step and welcome at the build site.
If a builder subscribes to industry surveys, the results should be open to public scrutiny. If a builder is reluctant to reveal previous customer feedback, or if they don’t do customer satisfaction surveys at all, that should raise a red flag.
“Not every builder is dedicated to understanding what their customers are thinking and feeling,” Richer continues, adding that Albi routinely uses Avid Ratings to survey customers through its New Home Move-In Experience questionnaire.
“We show potential customers 10 good reviews and two bad ones. These are big, complex personalized homes. A good builder can also be defined by how they react when something goes wrong,” he says.
When customers were asked if they’d recommend Albi to a friend, 94 per cent gave a positive answer after 30 days and, when asked a year later, 93 per cent said they would tell a friend.
To maintain such high satisfaction, the relationship between builder and customer maintained well past move-in day.
“Any estate home builder who thinks possession day is the end is missing the boat. In reality, the relationship goes on for another 10 to 20 years. We have many customers who build two or three more times with us,” Richer says.
To learn more about Albi Luxury by Brookfield Residential, visit albihomes.com.
We apply our expertise so that the homeowner can put their extra dollars into things that are meaningful to them.”