House offers - How to best compare them with each other?

  • Erstellt am 2018-05-03 16:01:31

Katdreas

2018-05-03 16:01:31
  • #1
Hello dear ones,

I have a question again.
How many offers have you obtained and how did you choose one?
We now have two offers. The floor plan is not 100% right in both cases, but overall we like both designs.
However, the designs differ in various things. One is bigger, the other has more windows... one builder has a wooden staircase as standard, the other a steel-wood staircase, one has tiled the hallway, the other not, sometimes the bathroom is tiled up to the ceiling, sometimes only halfway... one gives prices for additional sockets, the other not, and so on and so forth.

I am currently really overwhelmed.

And is it okay to go to one builder and show him the design of another and ask for an offer based on that?

Thank you very much in advance and best regards!
 

11ant

2018-05-03 18:44:36
  • #2
As you can see, it is not only "okay," but even necessary (otherwise, you end up comparing apples and oranges). Alternatively, you can define the comparison standard yourself: that is, you provide a design (not just the plan images, but also the description of construction services / sample selection) from which only minor and justified deviations are allowed.

However, then you will receive few offers because preparing them becomes too costly compared to the potential contract profit.

On the other hand, a comparative offer, where it is clear which offer yours is competing against, might even be welcomed by a seller.

You have already calculated the bestseller of competitors for yourself—at least if they are in the same league. This is not only true between Ford and Opel but also between Meierhaus and Müllerhaus.
 

Alex85

2018-05-03 19:51:37
  • #3
Do I understand correctly that you have two offers for different buildings? Apart from the features, which of course need to be standardized for comparison, only the comparison of the same design makes sense. Otherwise, you won't get anywhere.
 

ypg

2018-05-03 20:33:29
  • #4


Only if the design is freely available, e.g. on the internet. Otherwise, copyright applies.

And yes, it is indeed a lot, lot of hard work to compare both construction specifications.

Often the only option is to ask how expensive, for example, the other staircase would be, etc.

But I have to be honest: you probably can't find out everything. For example, one builder won't tell you how much higher-quality tiles will cost; they will tell you that you might have to arrange that with the tiler yourself and that they don’t offer it themselves. Nevertheless, they should know the price of a socket, for example... but it is also possible that you get those cheaper later through the electrician.

Ultimately, you have to weigh whether you need to know everything. Why are you interested in the steel stringer staircase if you want a wooden staircase? Make a list... check off what you actually want from it and then ask about things/prices he has not put in writing.

Otherwise, you choose a builder also based on trust, not just because they are 1000 or 5000 cheaper.

I probably wouldn't choose any of the providers, as I believe that I should be offered at least an option at the same price everywhere or with a stated surcharge.
 

Katdreas

2018-05-03 21:03:44
  • #5
Well, so as soon as we finally had a plot of land, we went to the first construction company and discussed what ideas we had, etc. Some things were advised against, other things were recommended to us...
At some point, we had the first draft. That’s when we realized what we liked and what we didn’t. Then we got a second draft from the same company.
With a second construction company, we were already able to say more precisely what we wanted...

Anyway, we now have two drafts that are similar but by no means the same!
We have cost breakdowns and construction service descriptions for both, but they can’t just be compared easily.

Assuming we keep refining the draft with one provider until we are completely happy with it, do I then take this draft, construction service description, and cost breakdown and go to provider 3 and ask for an offer if they build me exactly such a house???
One does all the planning work/consultation with one, and the other then has it easy because they can take over everything? Does it work like that? Don’t the providers have "the rights" to their work?
 

11ant

2018-05-03 21:24:40
  • #6
There are two possibilities: A) list the differences in a table and tick the better variant and cross out the other one, from which a third "synthesis" design is distilled that then sets the standard. B) also ask provider X what house Y would cost from them and vice versa.

Nope - to providers 1, 2 and 3. Plopp, that means stop ;-)

Provider Y may not just build according to provider X’s plans. But hypothetically asking them about their price for a clone of this offer is a different matter.

When bluntly asking for a counteroffer (assuming a Town & Country seller immediately recognizes a Heinz von Heiden house, likewise a Gussek Haus seller recognizes one from Viebrockhaus and so on) there are three possible answers: 1) gladly we want to steal the order from them 2) we won’t stoop to their level, on closer look our offer is muuch better 3) no thanks, we don’t want bargain hunters as customers, our premium quality unfortunately costs.
 

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