HOMES OF DISTINCTION

The home
professionals
How to choose those
who create your home.
BY GINA MANGAN

B
lifetime.
uilding a new home is one
of the largest investments
most people will make in a

Selecting the professionals who

work on those homes — from build-
ers to lenders — will be some of
the most important decisions they’ll
ever make.
“Before homeowners turn a large
sum of money over to build what is
basically their dream, they need to
do significant research to under-
stand the process and investigate
individuals to make sure they’re
people they can work with,” says
Brown County Home Builders
Association executive officer Mari
McAllister-Charles.
Much of what goes into the deci-
sion-making process is tangible,
such as pricing, references, years
of experience, credentials and pro-
cess-related issues. But homeown-
ers will also want to pay attention
to factors that might seem a bit
more touchy-feely, such as commu-
nication style, flexibility, organiza-
tion skills and personality fit, say
industry experts.
That’s because the quality of the
relationship between homeowner
and builder matters, particularly
when working together on the proj-
ect of a lifetime, says Valley Home
Builders Association executive vice
president Christine Shaefer.
Whether it’s the builder or the
interior designer, homeowners
should strive for a level of comfort
8 WWW.MARKETPLACEMAGAZINE.COM SPRING HOMES OF DISTINCTION
Photo courtesy Travis Industries
in those relationships, she says.
“These are people you’re going to be working with for months, and there
will be a lot of communication back and forth,” she says. “So one of biggest
suggestions I can make is to select people you are comfortable with in the
communication process from the start, someone you have a good give-and-
take with.”
Fortunately, she says, there’s no shortage in the region of qualified
builders and artisans from which to choose.
THE SEARCH FOR A BUILDER
One of the greatest challenges in a region rich with talented builders is
narrowing the search to three or four contenders.
Paul DeLeers of DeLeers Construction Inc. suggests homeowners begin
by defining and maintaining realistic expectations, particularly when it
comes to budget and timelines. Homeowners should enter the selection
process with a realistic budget that reflects affordability, and they should
communicate it while interviewing prospective builders, he says.
“When potential customers explain what they’re looking for and what
they are expecting to spend, it not only gives them a chance to see if we’re
a good fit, but it allows us to make sure we can provide what they’re look-
ing for,” he says.
Homeowners can begin researching builders, interior designers and
landscapers by attending programs sponsored by the area’s home builders
associations. The most frequented programs include tours of newly con-
structed homes, such as the Valley Home Builders’ Parade of Homes and

the Brown County Home Builders’
Showcase of New Homes. During
these tours, homeowners can chat
with various builders while touring
examples of their work.
“This is the chance to observe
quality of workmanship, witness
builders’ creativity and experience
what they do in their own envi-
ronment,” says McAllister-Charles.
“Often the builders will bring pic-
tures of other homes they’ve pro-
duced.”
Don’t assume, however, that the
builder only builds luxury homes or
a certain style, just because of the
home featured on the tour.
“Any of our builders can build
any size home to any price point,”
says McAllister-Charles.
Exposition-style home shows
also provide opportunities for hom-
eowners to interview builders and
other professionals, see examples
of their products and gather infor-
The challenge in home design is “trying to put together a package that has as much detail and drama as
the buyer wants while still being a good value,” says Andy Backus of Fine Homes by Andrew.
mation. Typically homeowners will
narrow their list down based on the
samples they’ve seen and the dis-
cussions they’ve had, Shaefer says.
Once that list is narrowed to two
to three contractors, formally inter-
viewing the selected contractors is a
good idea, DeLeers says.
This is the chance to ask basic
questions, including how long the
company has been in business,
how many homes they’ve built,
whether they’ve the acquired the
necessary Wisconsin Department
of Commerce credentials, if they’re
adequately insured and whether
they can provide references. It’s
also important to ask about war-
ranties, the process for handling
change orders and details related to
contracts, Shaefer says.
Face-to-face interviews create a
level of trust between the hom-
eowner and contractor, DeLeers
says.
“If you can’t trust your builder,
you should not be working with
them,” he says. “Every project runs
into unexpected challenges, which
can be stressful. When there’s trust,
both sides know a positive resolu-
tion will happen.”
When it’s time to put the project
SPRING HOMES OF DISTINCTION 2009 WWW.MARKETPLACEMAGAZINE.COM
Photo courtesy DeLeers Construction
out to bid, select just three to four
companies; any more than that can
become cumbersome, Shaefer says.
Carefully review the details of the
bid and what’s included in the cost
break downs, paying close attention
to the value of allowances, the pro-
cess for managing change orders,
when payments to the builder will
be made and whether they’ll be sup-
plying you with lien waivers from
subcontractors.
THE SOONER, THE BETTER
At the same time homebuy-
ers are considering builders they
should also be shopping around
for other professionals they want
on the job. That includes lenders,
interior designers and landscapers.
Home builder association directo-
ries include lists and contact infor-
mation for a variety of subcontrac-
tors, designers and financiers.
Many of these businesses are
available at home expos, along with
their product samples and photos of
completed work.
Ideally, interior designers and
architects are brought on board dur-
ing the earliest stages of the home
planning process, DeLeers says.
Doing so helps alleviate confusion ➡
9
 HOMES OF DISTINCTION
and stress down the road.
Bringing a landscape architect
into the process early also is a good
idea, particularly in the case of
high-end luxury homes, says Luke
Schmalz, owner of Schmalz Custom
Landscaping & Garden Center Inc.
A landscape designer can develop
solutions to grading challenges, and
provide input related to the posi-
tioning of the home as it pertains
to wind, sun and other issues that
affect outdoor living spaces.
For example, Schmalz two years
ago was able to help a builder who
was placing a home on land with
significant grade changes. The
home was originally designed with
six steps from the garage into the
house and two sets of steps within
the home. Schmalz was able to help
the builder develop a grading plan
that reduced the number of steps
in the garage to two and eliminated
the steps in the home.
“The biggest mistake people can
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make in an upscale home is that
they have the home built and then
they call in the landscaper,” says
Schmalz. “Picking a good landscape
architect from the beginning can
save thousands of dollars in the end
on these higher end homes.”
Schmalz suggests selecting land-
scapers and interior designers in
much the same way as selecting
builders. Interview them: Ask about
years of experience, type of jobs
completed and references, he said.
Find someone with whom you can
develop a good relationship.
VISITING YOUR LENDER RIGHT AWAY
Determining whether to bring
in a landscape architect or interior
designer is often a matter of budget.
Few home projects can be completed
without financing, and the scope of
the project will be determined by
how much can be afforded. That’s
why it’s critical that one of the first
things homeowners do is select a
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lender, Shaefer says.
“Get those financial ducks in
a row before starting the design
process, so you don’t get your hopes
up that you’ll get a certain type
of home when you can only afford
another type of home,” she says.
Tom Zellner, vice president–
retail management at Nicolet
National Bank, suggests identifying
the lender before any other process
begins. Builders will want to know
that the homeowner is already
prequalified with a bank. The hom-
eowner should know whether they
can afford the monthly payments
on the home.
Like the relationship with your
builder, the one with your lender
should be built on trust and respect,
he says. When choosing a lender,
look deeper than the interest rates
being quoted on home construction
loans. Find out the value of closing
costs and whether points are being
paid to buy down the rate, he says.
“When working with a good
lender, there should be no surprises
at closing,” he says
During the construction process,
there will be frequent communica-
tion between the lender and hom-
eowner, so the relationship should
be a comfortable one, Zellmer says.
The lender should be made aware of
cost overruns and change orders so
there are no surprises in the final
cost of the project.
that approaches the process as
something more than a business
transaction, Zellner says. They
interest in providing a full range
of financial services that go beyond
the home mortgage.
“The home construction process
will be an ongoing process, so you
want a lender who is interested
in building a relationship built on
trust,” he says. “It’s no different
than having a good family physi-
cian or an attorney. You wanted a
banker you can trust to be working
for your best interests.” M