These may all seem like little things but…. it’s the little things that count! When you start to vary standard inclusions this is when your costs may start to escalate. Be sure to check what’s included before signing an agreement. An open home or visit to a display home is the perfect place to ask questions of the home builder and start to get a feel for the quality of their homes.

The goal is to find out the differences in price between the standard build and the home on display. Often home builders will ensure all of the upgrades are present in the display home to make it look great.

The type of land (e.g square block, rectangle, size of street frontage, sloping) a home is built on can affect the price of the build. It’s good to keep this in mind when looking at the display home and the available land packages around the estate.

Cheap 70mm untreated timber or quality 90mm treated timber frames can make all the difference when it comes to things like termites – which are real and can be a very expensive problem!

If the slab is not recessed there will be a step up into the living areas. This may not be ideal for accessibility.

The concrete slab, roof and tiling of the alfresco adds valuable living space to your home but if not included in the base price can add significantly to your costs. To complete your alfresco at a later stage can be far more costly than doing it as part of the build.

These things can provide an added look of quality and polish to your home, not to mention ensuring weather resistance.

These are all little things that you may expect as a part of any home, but it’s up to you to check and ensure they are in the contract. Other things to think about include floor coverings other than just wet area tiling; the type of driveway; are the garages lined with gyprock or is it bare brickwork.

If it is not a 3 coat paint system you are getting an inferior quality finish. Ask if you will be able to wipe the walls with cleaning products to remove marks as this is often a good test of quality.

Have a think about the amount of appliances and technology we have in our homes today. We recommend you make sure there are at least two double power points in each of the bedrooms.

Is it LED downlights or batten holders. Ask yourself how much light you need and your energy efficiency requirements. Make sure you check this out on a room by room basis.

There are so many more questions that you will need to ask. We would love to have the opportunity to answer your questions and take you through our quality display homes.