Industrial News

Lately, however, with a red-hot real estate market and record low interest rates, as well as a change in municipal inspection procedures and improvements to building practices in building envelope design, condominium buyers are entering the market again.

Although it might seem that it’s back to business as usual for the condo developers, there has been a dramatic shift in buyers’ attitudes. They now have huge expectations for quality construction. Customers are expecting to be treated well and to have trouble-free homes delivered to them. It is not enough any more to merely satisfy customers, builders have to amaze them!

Another consequence of these expectations is that many new homebuyers are turning to professional home inspectors experienced in dealing with new construction to assist them in identifying and documenting construction defects in the homes they are purchasing.

Vera Blackwell of Victoria’s Building Insights has found that the demand for third-party inspections of new construction units has given her home inspection business a completely new direction. According to Blackwell “Three years ago the demand for inspections of new houses and apartments was practically non-existent. Today, almost a third of the calls I get are requests for new construction inspections”.

Blackwell states “It is a myth perpetuated by some builders that a buyer must accept a new construction product with a list of 60 or 100 deficiencies and that call-backs are the norm rather than the exception! Buyers do not need to be educated on the “realities of construction” - that is, to have their expectations lowered and to expect disappointment. Buyers should not have to compromise on quality issues or to lower their expectations for quality buildings. It is the responsibility of the builders to meet the expectations of the buyers.

Buyers should not have to expect to take possession of a house or condo with a mile-long list of call-backs or deficiency items. If there are many visible deficiencies on the small things, imaginations tend to run wild speculating on what possible defects can exist behind the surface!”

Not all builders give their performance standards in writing to their buyers. Some builders do not seem to have a clear idea of what their performance standards ought to be. They rely on what is commonly referred to as the “Industry Standard”. If you try to get a definition of “Industry Standard”, you will discover there is none where quality is concerned. Homebuyers set the standard by their level of acceptance of defects; but extracting a promise from the builder to make the necessary repairs or replacements often takes more expertise and nerve than many buyers can muster on their own.”

Blackwell, who accompanies buyers on pre-occupancy inspections, regularly finds defects which otherwise would not been discovered until after the buyers move in. She says “damaged flooring and cabinetry, scratched window glass, unfinished or damaged paint on walls and woodwork are not uncommon. We have saved our clients thousands of dollars and enormous amounts of anxiety by highlighting the problems before the sale is completed.

Builders can gain customer satisfaction by offering products and services that meet customer needs and perform well from the customer’s point of view. Homebuilding is a service business and builders need to listen to the voice of their customers.

Many builders are committed to the quality process but seem to need a break-through to reach levels of quality and customer satisfaction they expect. A builder cannot deliver a zero-defect product if not all levels of the construction team are on the same wavelength and working together toward a quality product. “That’s where we can come in,” says Blackwell, “Builders can hire us as Quality Assurance inspectors to compile lists of deficiencies and patent defects and to report on the performance of each trade before units are presented to new owners. The superintendent can then be left to manage the site.

At the outset of the project, the selection of suppliers and trades should support zero-defect construction goals. Trades and suppliers should have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and what level of performance quality they must meet. Only the trade contractors - the ones actually doing the building - are in a position to build it right the first time. This places the emphasis on controlling the activities of the trade contractors to ensure a reliable building process.”

Delivering the home 100% complete – nothing says “quality control” to homebuyers like a pre-occupancy walk-through with no deficiency items. Customers are truly impressed and feel that the builder has acted in their best interest to protect them. They enter the warranty period confident that there will be few or no problems to fix. Builder call-backs are greatly reduced when buyers are happy, and satisfied customers will translate into repeat sales. Only a total commitment to quality will assure builders a competitive edge!

Blackwell predicts that the trend in the future will be for builders and developers to make a greater effort to deliver zero-defect homes to meet the ever-increasing customer expectations. Builders totally committed to quality will be more productive and efficient and will even enjoy higher profits.

For more information on new construction inspections, call Vera Blackwell at 250-592-3544