CadburysFingers

OK guys, so we have a plot of land, and are now looking at all the showhomes in the Perth area. We have probably seen over 70 at the moment and really like two of them. When they say that, lets invent a name, The Cadburysfingers company has their Lifestyle house priced at A$173, 500 is that what you actually pay, or have people knocked them down. I would be keen to know as we are about to negotiate with them. You see all the brochures with all the plans and prices, and there seems a big differential between companies, as to their pricing structure. Two companies will have a similar 4 and 2 with a similar sqm of living space but there will be A$ 60,000 difference in price. This cant all be better quality of fixtures and fittings.................anyone have first hand experience please?

owieb

A lot of it is down to fixtures and fittings and quality of workmanship.

It doesn't take much to spot the differences, you get what you pay for.

When we were looking at building we would find that some companies allowed you to make minor changes without cost, others would charge you if you want to make changes, all these things would have an effect on the overall price.

Traditionally, when you build a house, all you get is the house, it doesn't come decorated, it doesn't have any flooring, no aircon, no light fittings, it doesn't have any landscaping, it's really just a shell. They normally estimate another 20-30% on top of the base price to finish it properly. This might be another area where the builders are different in price. One might include more than the other. Worth finding out from the builders exactly what you are going to get.

Some friends built their house and were shocked when they had the keys handed over. They still had loads to do themselves to even be able to live in it! And I think they spent another $60K doing that on a house that cost them about $200K.

Ceri

I can't speak for your area.. but read all the small print. That $173, 500 everything maybe included ( and I don't mean fixtures.. I'm talking about water, sewage .. you name it) . The cheaper ones may not be including these prices in their advertised costs.

some companies will advertise their homes for a lot cheaper .. but time you pay for everything ( ie the final price on the contract).. i.e. sewage connection etc etc.. tiles to all areas i.e. living room floor tiles,, driveway etc you are looking at adding another 50 grand etc. so in the end the cheaper looking priced ones will work out to be the same cost as the more expensive one .. does that make sense to you?

Sometimes what seems cheap is not. They are taking the base price and advertising that. I built , and I can tell you that except for the odd few companies here ( which everything is included.. I.e. a complete package) some of those seemingly cheap advertised price from companies is totally b*llshite. add at the very, very least an extra 20 grand to the advertised costs of most of these companies.

When you look at these show homes ask the salespeople is this the final price I will pay ( everything included)
You can knock them down in price if you leave some of the extras , or what you don't need off the house.

You need to sit down with the salespeople in these homes and read all the small print... ask them to explain it to you.

When you get a contract( the final price will be on this.. they can't up the price half way through the contract) . take it home to read before you sign anything. your contract to build will pages and pages long... go through it with a fine toothcomb..

Can I also suggest you go with a company who gives you key at lock up stage .. this is priceless! ( and I'd really recommend you to choose a company who allows you this)
You'd be surprised at what some of these builders try to cover up ( shoddy workmanship). You can keep an eye on the whole process then, and pull them up on any mistakes when you spot it, before they cover things up. I've known countless people who have built here with a huge variety of building companies from the very expensive to the run of the mill ( all reputable) and award winning builders... all have had some type of problems.
A lot of companies will not let you in at lock up stage - choose a company who allows you this ( lock up stage is when they have built the foundations of the house.. put on the doors windows etc and then they go onto the interior of the house.) most companies will not let you in at this stage, a few odd companies do (choose one of those) - they give you own key as long as you abide by work and safety laws.

jad n rich

Most show home prices dont even include the footings, slab, or a allowance that will leave you well out of pocket. Rock excavation etc is all extra, you will also usually find the wind category or cyclone rating is not enough for your area or the council rating for energy will not pass without spending extra money, big money. Its a get you in the door price then you get the extras, when they actually quote it on your site, which usually costs you a non refundable deposit.

Nobody can give you a price till they have seen all the soil test and engineering details its simply impossible.

Edit: Watch out when you build, the latest scam is the big guys who might do several in the same street have been doing the engineering on on soil test for the area :scared: Blocks can vary across each block let alone street! make sure you see a soil test completed on your block, the other method is illegal but going on.

CadburysFingers

Thanks so far, some great advice........wait till we get there, we will know our onions

mlbonner

Hi CadburysFingers

Nothing to do with this post at all.. but could you stop posting please or send me some Cadburys Fingers over, you're making me really hungry for them

jayr

I'll give you a hot tip. Spring onions are called shallots. Shallots are called eshallots. Oh and big fat bulbed spring onions are called...spring onions. That's three more onions you now know.