Does anyone wear a black hat in the residential building process?
By Jayson Schwarz
I like to think not. I have many people worried and asking whether the Builder is going to take advantage of them; whether their home will be delivered on time, whether the quality will be as promised; whether the sales agent is truthful or whether they will be deceived later; what can go wrong? The real answer is as follows.
When a new home is purchased, the Purchaser and the Builder are really entering into a partnership, not in the legal sense but on a moral and common sense basis. As is always the case in life, there may be good and bad Purchasers and good and bad Builders but, on the whole, you have two distinct entities coming together for the accomplishment of a common goal. You, the Purchaser, want your home to be completed on time and in accordance with the standards represented. The Builder wants your home completed on time because he does not need the aggravation that comes with delays; he wants to maintain his good relationship with you; and every day that goes by he is losing money on interest. He is concerned with quality both as a matter of pride in workmanship and in order that you will refer him new customers.
You both have the same goal: Quality completion of your home!
What can go wrong? Problems can arise over which the Builder has no control. Problems such as trades going on strike, materials being delayed, and shortages of critical experienced people, are all matters beyond the Builderıs ability to simply wave a magic wand and repair. All of these items can and do cause delaysdelays that cost everyone. In rare cases, the lack of experienced people to work on the projects can result in mistakes and poor workmanship. The Builder does not want this, but he is caught between the time demands to deliver the home and the need to do it right. ³Not our problem,² the Purchaser says, but truly, the common sense answer is to work with the Builder, explaining deficiencies and working together to get them corrected. Generally speaking, material quality and workmanship quality are high and the Builders care.
So, what should I do?. Use your ONHWP inspections to deal with the difficulties, speak to your Builder rationally and respectfully, and youıll almost always find that the Builder will come forward front and centre to do the right thing.
What is the moral of todayıs story? Work with your Builder, not against him; recognise you have the same objectives, but continue to protect your rights and safeguard your position with your lawyer and through the ONHWP.