Your relationship with your luxury home builder in Florida can last anywhere from 12-18 months, or maybe even longer depending on the size of the project, so make sure you take the time to find the one that will ensure a smooth home building process and luxury custom homes that live up to your expectations.
To be confident that the home you’ll be receiving is of the utmost quality, your custom home builders in SW Florida need to stay up-to-date with the latest construction trends and guidelines, as well as use the most innovative products. Uncovering the inner workings of every home builder to ensure a reputable and knowledgeable company may seem like a daunting task, but with a little direction, time, and research, you’ll find the one that will best deliver on their promise of a luxury custom home built just for you.
Choosing The Type of Home
Before you can begin researching custom home builders in Southwest Florida, you will first have to decide the type of home you seek. Estate homes, single-family homes, villa homes, and condos are all great options, but each suits a particular lifestyle. Maybe you’re looking for a permanent residence in Southwest Florida and need a home that will replace your current home up north. Perhaps a second home that is a little smaller is what you need when you visit our sunshine state for just a few months out of the year. Your travels may also push you in the direction of a condo, where all of the building’s maintenance is handled by your condo association and little attention needs to be provided to the interior of your home.
Choosing the type of home for you is also dependent on whether you want to live in a luxury home community, build on-your-home site in a pristine neighborhood, or take up residence in a grand condominium tower.
Custom Home Builders in Southwest Florida
Once you have decided on the type of home you would like, then you can begin putting together a list of custom home builders in the area. Friends and family members are a great place to start, as they might have already gone through the custom home building process or know of someone who has. Southwest Florida real estate agents are also a great resource, as is the local real estate section of the newspaper where you can find the names of top builders in the area. Finally, the local Home Builders’ Association will have a list of licensed home builders.
With your list in hand, you can begin crossing out the names of home builders that do not build the type of home you seek, as well as home builders that do not fall into your preferred price range. If you’re looking for a plethora of customization options or a One-of-a-Kind home, only keep the home builders that are equal to the task. This does not include home builders that only build specific floor plans previously created or can only make minor changes to those floor plans.
Choosing the Right Custom Home Builder
Now that you have a handful of custom home builders in SW Florida, check to see if there is a Parade of Homes in the area. A Parade of Homes will allow you to see all of the model homes from many, if not all, of the luxury home builders on your list and will give you a good idea of the quality of construction. When you are walking around the home, seek out the sales associate and ask as many questions as you can about the materials used and inquire about whether or not previously built homes have maintained their value.
If there is not a Parade of Homes at the time, or if you like what you see from the homes you visited during the Parade of Homes, schedule a meeting with a Sales Executive from each luxury home builder in Florida to view the model homes and ask questions. This meeting will allow you to ask more detailed questions about the homes they build, including the customization and design options. Remember, if you are interested in a luxury custom home or a One-of-a-Kind luxury home, the capabilities of the home builder are going to be key when building your dream home.
All home builders are capable of building a home from the floor plans they offer, but not all home builders are capable of designing a brand new home with the customization options you need for luxury custom homes. You will also want to inquire about the architectural portion of the home design and how they will communicate with the construction team to allow for a smooth building process. London Bay Homes, for example, has a wide range of fully-customizable floor plans and a design team on staff to facilitate the process for custom builds. This integration of design and construction allows for our clients to go through a refined design and build process - a process we call Private Label Living - without the hiccups that can be found when maintaining a relationship between two companies. This in-house team of experts also makes it easier to create a realistic budget and then monitor the cost and scope of the project from start to finish.
Before the end of your introductory meeting with each home builder, inquire about a list of previous clients that are willing to chat with you about their experience. If they are a reputable and knowledgeable company, they can easily provide a list of references for you to contact and you should contact each one. When you reach out, ask them about their overall experience and then drill down to specific questions. For example, you should ask them if the home builder communicated clearly and responded to your questions and concerns in a timely fashion. You should also ask if the project was on time and on budget, if the construction site was clean and organized, and how the home builder responded when problems arose (if applicable). Your final question should be if they are content with the final product and if they would recommend this home builder to family and friends.
Once you have interviewed the references from each one of your finalists, you should be able to choose the luxury home builder for your custom home, or at least only have a couple of home builders from which to choose. If you’re looking to build our dream home in Southwest Florida, consider London Bay Homes. With more than 30 years of experience building the finest custom homes in Southwest Florida, we are committed to providing the highest possible level of personal service to enhance our clients’ lives, fulfill their aspirations, and produce the unwavering trust for which we are known.
If you have any questions about the custom home building process, feel free to contact us today. We'd be happy to help you answer questions and get you started toward building your dream custom home in Southwest Florida.
