Stellaalto where on LI are you? Nassau or Suffolk? I might know some of the names. then again, I might not because it's been many years since we've talked to builders.

Have you gone and seen the work they've done? I know when I was looking in FL (where we want to build our winter place), we went around to all the different builders. Big differences in finishings, and overall pride of work; even for two homes priced the same. Go look at examples of their finished projects. And even better ask if you can see works in progress.

See their homes. After 6 months of house hunting without luck, we walked into our builder's nearly complete project and I thought "I would offer on this today were it available." That was the first step. Then think about who you would want to work with. They can all be honest and nice - would you be working with them specifically or would most communications go through a project manager or someone you haven't met? Do you feel equally comfortable asking them all questions? What about asking them about more difficult things like "x appears to be missing or Y color that was used is not what we asked for"

Have you talked to homeowners they built for? We got to talk to someone our realtor found - not given to us by the builder as someone to speak with. They gave us a very fair evaluation and the things they mentioned they had trouble with became apparent to us as well. But in the end we would agree with them that there is FAR more good than bad.

So tl:dr: who would you feel more comfortable having to have harder conversations with, whose houses "speak" to you, and which homeowners seem more satisfied with their experience?

One way to choose, is to hire an architect to help you choose. Make sure that architect is not tied in to any of the builders.

Whatever you do, please make sure to hire a good real estate attorney who will make sure the contract has provisions to protect you in various potential scenarios.

Stephanie_sara is correct. Don't go with the builders personality.

The last house we had built the builder said all the right things and was very easy to deal with. We had major structural damage with this house.

The house we have now, the builder was very introverted and quiet. He was an excellent builder who only built quality houses. Many people in our neighborhood told us years later he was one of the best builders in the area.

Check out references but remember, most builders will not give any references where there were problems with the house or homeowner.

We stayed at a resort which is near our land and all the cabins are very unique. Based on the floor plans only a good builder would be able to build these cabins because they have curved ceilings, unique shaped roofs and other features you don't find in most homes. The quality is excellent. We are planning on using the architect who designed the cabins and the builder who built them.

I looked at homes and picked builder I felt had best quality. One of the builders is very popular here. But every time I see one of his homes. I think. Thank you thank you!! For letting me pick the builder we ended up with. My builder responds back to ever single text and email almost immediately. Every single sub I have met has been a quality human being. I am very happy. The builder I picked isn't known for building a custom home. The popular builder is. (Can I say again how I cringe at his home style) . Truly I can't get over how responsive my builder is.

Visit places your prospective builder has built, and talk to the owners. In addition, I had two prime prospective builders. Both of them had good comments from the owners of previous homes they built. BUT the one who got my business got back to me early and often on things - the other let my concerns slide, and essentially went on "vacation" this past winter, when decisions had to be made. Also, since I am building a log home from a modified kit, the log home company also clearly had a preference. The house isn't finished yet, but I'm satisfied with the communication we've got going.

Go on reviews and past examples of their work.