“Who is the best builder?”

It's one of the questions I get asked the most. "Is this a good builder?" "Have I picked the right one?" "Which builder would you go with?"

My honest answer might surprise you.

When you're comparing volume builders at a similar price point, with similar designs and similar inclusions, the brand on the front of the sales quote matters a lot less than most people think. What actually determines your experience is the people you deal with along the way.

It comes down to the people, not the logo

Think about the journey from the moment you sign with a builder to the day construction starts. You'll deal with a salesperson who takes you through the part of the process, a customer service representative who manages your file once it moves from sales into head office. Possibly another person or two as your job changes hands through the business. And ultimately, a site supervisor who is responsible for building your home.

Every one of those people has a direct impact on your experience. Their level of knowledge, their attention to detail, how they communicate with you, and how they manage your job will shape everything.

The builder's brand and reputation doesn't change that. If you're dealing with someone who doesn't have the experience or the care to manage your job properly, it doesn't matter which logo is on the paperwork.

The problem is that it's largely out of your control

This is where it gets uncomfortable. You can research builders, you can read reviews, but you generally can't choose which salesperson, customer service rep, or site supervisor gets assigned to your job.

The risk you're taking is real. You could be dealing with someone who has been in the industry for over two decades, knows exactly what to look for, and operates at a completely different level, or you could be dealing with someone in their first role, who came from a completely different industry and is still learning the ropes.

Both scenarios happen at the same builder, often at the same time on different jobs.

What you can do about it

Because your experience is largely determined by factors outside your control, the best thing you can do is put your own safeguards in place.

That means not simply trusting everything you're being given to sign, or assuming that the information you're receiving to make decisions on is always correct. It means going into the process with a level of knowledge yourself, or having someone in your corner who is independent of the builder and not incentivised by them in any way.

I think of this as your insurance policy.

For the pre-construction phase, that's someone like Phase. We review everything you're given before you sign it. We flag mistakes, check your pricing and plans, and teach you exactly what questions to ask and when to push back. We're not paid by the builder, we're not trying to get you to site quickly, we're just working for you.

During construction, that's a private building inspector. Someone who checks over the trades' work and holds the supervisor accountable at each stage of the build, independently of the builder, without any interest in how fast the job moves.

The bottom line

The question isn't really "which builder should I pick?" It's "how do I protect myself regardless of who I end up dealing with?"