Word of mouth and positive referrals are worth their weight in gold. Have you checked Google Reviews and Facebook for each builder? If they have no online presence at all then I would be a little concerned. You may also like to check the HIA (Housing Industry Association) for their names.

If you are looking to engage a builder for a design/build process be very aware about the copyright implications if you love their design, but not their price. Ask about the person who will be responsible for your design and their design experience.

The perfect build rarely happens. It is how a builder manages if/when things go wrong which is the mark of a good builder. I would be asking to speak to past clients. Most builders prefer to keep their past clients' homes private, as they are somebody's home not a display home, so don't expect to be granted access. Ask how many jobs they manage at once, who your point of contact will be, who will be managing your site, and how they manage if a problem arises during the building process.

Do lots of research before you commit to the biggest investment in your life. Best of luck,

Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Have you looked at some of their recent built? That can tell you quite a bit about them.

edit that.... everyone can show you their best built. But what you really want to see (or I want to see) is their current works. Bring someone along that knows a bit or two about building, and the stage people built before polishing it shows the true character.

I did. They are building almost million dollar homes. And I am building a small home only. So, I am convinced that they are not the ones who will take my money and run away.

But as Dr Retro House Calls mentioned in first comment, they are not linked to HIA. But I checked their licenses and they are valid.

They are offering me fixed price contract.

But as I said, I am a first home buyer, so my main question is that if something goes wrong, what are my options?

That seems to be a good idea. Let me find someone.

If you are happy with what they showed you, and they have the home warranty as current and valid, then its just a matter of trust.

Knock wood, nothing goes wrong, and even if it does, they will need to fix it.

Most important is to keep within the budget, and knows exactly what are the exclusions (what is not included in the fee). Otherwise you can ask this and that, they will put it in, and somebody has to pay for that. Make sure what you ask for is always in writing. Also make sure any changes proposed by the builder to make things easier / buildable also in writing. Document everything, just to be on the safe side.

Thank you. That really helps. I’ll make sure everything is in writing.

There is no such thing as a truly fixed price contract, especially if soil reports and engineering have not been completed. There always need to be a bit of wriggle room - for instance in these interesting times substitutions may need to be made, with a cost-adjustment, if supply chains have been disrupted. Or if the client decides to change something half-way through the contract, like upgrading the tapware or tiles that were allowed for in the contract.

Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Check the directors have not been bankrupt before. And how long they have been operating under their current trading name and registered business name. Shoddy builders often reopen under new name every so often. Talk to a couple more clients of your preferred builder. Trust is big. Ask if they cleaned up after themselves, this shows pride among other traits, how timely everything progressed for project management, communication and build issues who was blamed for mistakes. Then pray. It can go right, did for us when we jumped into an extension 2 months prior to arrival of third child. Good luck.