New member, new project

14 years ago

Want to introduce myself as I've been lurking in the background for a while. We are in the initial stages of planning a new home which includes tearing down an existing house and building a fairly large (approx 4500 sqft) new home. We close on the property in a few weeks, already have hired an architect to start design drawings, and are a little scared of what we are taking on. Since finding this forum and realizing the depth of knowledge it represents, I've been waiting for the right time to start what I am sure will be an endless stream of questions over the next year (hopefully only a year).

My first question has to do with the option of hiring an owner's rep. I have an acquaintance who is an owner's rep and he is trying to talk me into hiring him for the project. Would appreciate some opinions on the subject. I am pretty busy with my career and was thinking this would alleviate some of the pressure of project.

Thanks

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

abdrury
14 years ago
I faced the same dilemma and decided not to hire one. I thought it would maybe save a little money and build a good rapport with the builder showing that we could work one on one.

We're 13 weeks in and I haven't wished we had an agent. I don't feel like they're taking advantage of us but this is also our first build. If you truly felt it wouldn't cost you a more expensive contract price, and your time is extremely limited then an agent may be worth it.

Hope that helps and good luck!

PS - I should add that we have a large, reputable (but locally owned) builder, so I went in with some confidence that they have a reputation on the line.
abdrury
14 years ago
PPS - I asked a family friend who has built four houses if they had hired an agent. Their response was "for what?" They didn't even understand what value an agent would bring to the process. For what it's worth...
Related Professionals
Quincy Architects & Building Designers · Fort Wayne Architects & Building Designers · Hempstead Architects & Building Designers · Platteville Architects & Building Designers · Boise Architects & Building Designers · Mountain Home Design-Build Firms · Elkton Design-Build Firms · Elk City Design-Build Firms · Killeen Design-Build Firms · Waco Design-Build Firms · Bemidji Design-Build Firms · Mason City Home Builders · Detroit Home Builders · Muskegon Home Builders · Brainerd Home Builders
rkalish
Original Author
14 years ago
adbrury,

Thanks for the advice. I have not hit the stage of hiring a builder, but hopefully will find a highly recommended builder I can trust. Was thinking of starting the process and if the going got rough or beyond my experience, I could always add in the rep at a later date.