First time home building is scary. But you’ve got it all worked out – on paper that is. Before signing on the dotted line and emptying your coffers, it is always advisable to keep a few things in mind like your budget, house inspection, house location, compliance and a builder who meets all your needs.

Here’s a list of the 5 most common mistakes home builders make with their first home:

1. Not budgeting the right way

It is not enough to just have the money to build the house. When you are out building your dream home, it is helpful to understand what exactly you are paying for. What amenities is the builder providing you with? Can the building material tolerate the wear and tear? Do the fixtures come with warranties? How much are you being charged for various compliances? Municipal taxes vary and there is a whole battery of fees you have to pay to build your first home.

Nine out of ten times these things add to your costs. So your estimate needs to be tampered with a bit of financial foresight. Are you in a position to borrow from your bank? It is a huge error not to think through how you are going to finance your first time home building project.

2. Skipping the home inspection

As a future homeowner, it would be a slip-up to be physically absent from the site. Checking out the indoors and outdoors, the paint, the different rooms, the HVAC systems and so on is an invaluable step in building your first home. It is a real deal breaker if you find cracked floors or badly made doors. Usually first time home owners visit different homes by the same builder to get a fair idea of what they are investing in.

3. Not consulting with enough number of builders

Quite often first time builders don’t know who to talk to. They also do not have a clear idea of what they want in the house – the degree of customization, floor plans and time frame of delivery. Can the builder provide you with a virtual walkthrough of the house? You can check with past customers for valuable inputs on how the finished home looks and works.

With a bit of research you can connect with the right home builder. Look through projects and call them up. Interview them about their previous as well as current homes on offer. Do they work on an agreed-upon deadline or build as they please? It is not enough to look at one floor plan from one single builder. That’s plain lazy.

4. Not prioritizing your need for space and amenities

Your house is a huge investment and you won’t be in a hurry to remodel it. However this should not stop you from considering your eventual space requirement before you build it. Life happens and you may have to convert the garage into a spare bedroom or overhaul the kitchen completely. Do you have guests coming over frequently? Are all the rooms freely accessible? Think of each room and all the comforts you want present. Floor – to – ceiling windows or a sprawling balcony? What about the bathroom? Will the builder consider your demand for pink marble or push forward with his white paint? These and such details make a difference in the final home.

5. Not selecting the right location

You don’t want to build a house that sits in the middle of a water-logged street; where it takes hours to reach schools and offices and the nearest supermarket is 5 miles away. Once you have built a house at a particular location, you are stuck – for better or for worse. Yes, the skyline will eventually change and it will get more crowded. Besides, you must be certain that it’s a fairly safe neighborhood. Since you are into your first time home building experience it is usually helpful to talk to local builders who really know the block and can guide you towards making a wise purchase.

So, these are the five pitfalls to avoid when you set out to build a home for the first time. Get in touch with a reliable builder who is likely to exceed your expectations and give you a home you deserve.