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Choose Your Builder Wisely

July 2, 2013

Kim Grant Brown, David Grant, Richard Grant and Keith Grant

Before you can choose a home builder, you need to have a clear picture of what type of home you want and in what location.   Much like doctors who specialize in different types of medicine, home builders also specialize in building certain types of home plans and in specific locations.

First decide which type of home you need:  3 or 4 bedrooms; double or triple garage; two stories or all on one level; large yard or convenient smaller yard.  What suits your lifestyle?

Very few builders offer such a wide variety of good home plans to accommodate families, newlyweds, seniors or singles – move-up buyers and first time homeowners.   Buyers can choose from many homes already under construction or they can choose a plan and a lot and make all the choices of colors and materials for their new home.  It all depends on the amount of time the buyer has to move into a new home.

Once you’ve decided what type of home to build, choose your builder very carefully.  There are several ways to find home builders in your area:

·        Contact your local chapter of the National Association of Home Builders.

·        Get referrals from real estate agents, friends, and family.  Someone who has dealt directly with a home builder can give you good advice on things to consider when you choose a builder yourself.

·        Browse the internet.  You’ll get an idea of what’s available, the price you can expect to pay, and find out which home builders are active in your area.

A home builder is someone you’ll need to work with closely for a period of time — usually several months to a year between construction and the warranty phase.  So it’s important to do your homework and look for a builder who’s reliable and who will be here long after the pop-up builders are long gone.

·        Experience: Look for a builder who has a large portfolio of residences like the one you want to build.  Grant & Co. has built thousands of new homes through-out the Mid-South.

·        Affiliations and rewards: Has the builder received special certifications, industry awards, or membership in professional associations?  All of the Grant builders have served as officers of the Memphis and/or North Mississippi home builder associations – Keith Grant was recently state president of the Tennessee Home Builders Association.  Kim Grant Brown is incoming president of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association and David Grant is incoming president of the North MS Home Builders Association.

·        Permanent business address: A permanent business address and good record with local banks and suppliers indicate that a home builder has a stable, successful business.

·        Length of time in business – under the same name.  Grant & Company has been building new homes throughout the Mid-South for well over 60 years.    Your home builder’s financial stability is important because you need to know that he’ll be around to finish your construction and then handle any issues that pop up later

·        Make sure your home is built with the highest quality materials available.  Grant & Company homes use only the finest contracts and materials like Rivertree Hardwood; Cenwood Appliances, BlindMart Blinds, Cordova Heating and Air and Graham’s Lighting.

The final step in choosing a trustworthy home builder should be to examine his work firsthand.  Have the Grant and Company Sales Associate take you on a tour of a recently completed home or model home.  Look at the quality of construction features and the durability of building materials.  Look at every detail and ask the Sales Agent plenty of questions to get a good idea of what to expect from the home building process.

The award-winning Grant & Company builds new homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service in neighborhoods in Olive Branch, Arlington, Lakeland, and Bartlett.  The builder has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in home building, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism.