Avoid Buyer’s Remorse and Regrets

When you build a new home or invest in a substantial remodel of your home, you’re making decisions that will a ect your lifestyle, your nances, and your happiness for years to come. So how can you avoid buyer’s remorse and regrets about your choices? Here’s what we think is sound advice, based on our decades of experience:

1. Be guided — not pulled — by your budget.

We have found that there are two types of customers when it comes to cost and budget issues: those who set a hard budget limit and those who build in a little exibility to maximize their return on investment. We suggest talking rst with us about the things you’d like in your home. We can put together a realistic budget for those things you want and work with you to make sure that you are maximizing your return on investment, within budgetary reason. For instance, if an incremental $8,000 for higher quality nish-out materials or 200 more square feet could boost your home’s value by $20,000, have you exceeded your budget? Not really. You’ve made an investment that will improve your lifestyle and your net worth. Plus, if you’re borrowing that money at low interest, the di erence in your monthly costs will be negligible.

2. Don’t scrimp on what you want today.

This is a common regret. To stay with-in a budget, buyers may forego upgraded items including countertops or lighting. What you’re paying for now is the incremental cost di erence rather than a complete replacement in three years of an item that you’ve already paid for.

Wood oors and foam insulation are speci c examples of this in our area. Many people don’t realize that scraped wood oors may be cheaper than less desirable tiles. ey assume wood costs more and nd out a er the fact (from a neighbor) that wood would have been less expensive. Foam insulation, which can dramatically improve your home’s energy e ciency costs less than half what it was just six years ago, making it an excellent long-term investment.

3. Ask questions!

If you’re a reader of our column, you know this is a recurring theme, but we can’t stress it enough. You deserve to have all your questions answered before you spend a single dollar on a new construction or remodeling project. Any contractor who won’t sit with you, in a relaxed, low-pressure setting to explore your ideas and answer your questions is a contractor that won’t be communicative during the building process, or a erward. One question to be sure to ask is whether the contractor will charge for inevitable changes during the process. When an unanticipated change arises, Bella Vista Company doesn’t charge a change or timeline adjustment fee.

4. Choose experience, especially in your area. Choose a contractor who is familiar with the architectural and design standards of your area. A home that is built or remodeled inconsistently with the local standards squanders the money invested and always creates lasting buyer’s remorse. On the other hand, established builders add cost e ciencies – especially companies like ours, whose designers, architects, and trades have all been collaborating for years.

Always be sure your remodeler has extensive experience on the kind of work you’re contracting. Roofing is a great example, because it’s an unregulated industry. We’ve heard countless stories and repaired the leaks and careless work of y-by-night roofers in our area.

5. Don’t choose trendy layouts or materials.

ankfully, we’re seeing the phase of overdone vaulted ceilings near an end. As buyers around DFW have come to realize, the increase in utility bills without the bene t of added square footage (measured in oor space) makes this layout a poor investment. Trendy materials like ultra-expensive kitchen backsplashes should also be carefully considered for their potential to be bad investments and faded styles you may later regret.

At Bella Vista Company, our business is built on word of mouth. Years a er we build or remodel your home, we want you to be happy you chose us – happy enough to recommend us to your friends and family. That has always been our guiding principle. If you’re considering a new home or remodeling project, call us today. You won’t regret it.