Choose Your Home Wisely

I teach classes on residential construction and frequently ask real estate agents, "What do you sell?" The answer is always, "I sell houses." My response is, "I sell well-built, quality homes at affordable market price." That is what I always sell. Is it what I have always sold? No. 

When I started out in real estate in 1991, I did not know what it was, I did not know who the "good guys" were vs. the "bad guys" in the building industry, I did not know about the importance of multiple return air vents properly installed. We hadn't yet heard of radiant barrier decking and I don't believe I had ever seen a vinyl window or ever heard of low-E glass. Everyone had 10 seer air conditioners and R ratings for insulation was a standard of R30 in the ceilings, and I definitely don't remember even one person ever asking to increase that. 

Times have changed. We have better products. We are able to  heat and cool our homes much more efficiently, which means lower utility bills. We still have builders in our marketplace that choose to cut corners that impact the consumer so dramatically that it can cost you thousands of dollars in maintenance and monthly operation of your property. Choose your home wisely. Get help from an expert, and do not buy from the bad guys. 

My little grandmother from West Texas used to say, "If you cannot do something well, don't do it at all." Buy from a builder that does a good job. It is, after all, a big investment.