Breckenridge Real Estate Blog

Have you picked out a choice piece of Breckenridge real estate in the Colorado Rocky Mountains?  Nestled in the woods, near a golf course, a resort, next to the wilderness or along a river?  After closing on a property in Summit or Park counties, you can choose the creative journey of designing and custom home that beautifully suites the lay of the land, the views, your needs, and your budget.  (If you’d rather walk into an existing Breckenridge CO home, or one near trails and golf courses in Keystone CO or Copper Mountain or a ranch near Fairplay CO, check our Featured Listings and contact us for other fabulous available properties.)

Since building a new home is an experience of a lifetime, it is important to be prepared and map out the journey.  Knowing how to select a builder, you will have confidence and be able to make sure that the project turns out like the dream home in your mind.
Before selecting a builder, educate yourself in all areas of the construction industry.  Learn about cost analysis and compare products.  Internalize the lingo so that when you interview potential builders, you will be able to convey information and understand their responses.  If you provide accurate information about the design and features that you want in your new mountain home, the builders will be able to provide you with more accurate estimates.
While you are absorbing information, keep yourself in a fluid state of mind.  A home that you see in a magazine may be on a flat building site and you chose one on the side of a hill.  Comparing projects is like looking at different kinds of fruit:  they are similarly sweet and delicious but quite different in taste and texture.  Experienced architects and contractors do not use cost per square foot analysis as much as they try to work within your budget and add as many features as you request according to priority.  Prices can vary widely depending on finishes, hardware, fixtures, material selections, and unique site conditions.

Start asking around about builders.  Look for a builder with a trustworthy reputation, one with happy clients, and a company with longevity and stability that reflects good management and delivery.  Although some good builders choose not to affiliate with industry associations, ask prospective builders if they belong to the National Association of Home Builders (HAHB).

Ask for a few references for each builder and arrange to visit the homes that they have built.  During your tour, you can ask the owners how the construction of the home went.  Was it completed on time and within budget?  Did the builder take a personal interest in the home and suggest helpful ways to overcome any unforeseen obstacles?  Is the owner happy with the home and would he/she buy another home from the same builder?

While you are weighing all of the variables, be sure to look for a builder who likes to build the style that you are looking for.  If you want a simply stock home, don’t hire a builder of high-end custom homes.   And look to see the styles that the builder seems most comfortable with to be sure you have a good fit.

Now, when you interview the builders compare the answers from each one with the responses from the clients that you interviewed during your tours.  Once you make a choice, get the builder’s commitment to be on the site at least two times a week—or choose a small company where the builder is always there with the crew.   Stay tuned for more details about the building process.