If you are thinking of building a house on the Mornington Peninsula, you should work only with local builders you can trust. One irrefutable fact about home construction is that the quality of your new home depends on the quality of your chosen home builder. Your choice will spell the difference between owning a home you can truly enjoy for the rest of your life and a poorly built house that may fall on your head in a few years. Thus, selecting the right builder among the many Mornington Peninsula builders to work with is a crucial decision for you if you are considering building a new home.

Many of us, however, find the task of choosing a home builder daunting. It is largely because of the notion that we need to know a lot about home construction to be able to make a sound decision. But finding a trustworthy home builder is easier than you may have thought, and here are five steps that can make the job simpler for you.

1. Decide what kind of house you want. There are different types of houses out there and it is not unusual for Mornington Peninsula builders to specialize in a specific type of house. So, before you contact a builder, decide what kind of house you wish to have. Visit the neighborhood where you will have your new home built and see what kind of houses are there. Browse magazines on architecture and interior design. You will surely find inspiration from there.

2. Make a list of local builders.The next step is to make a list of Mornington Peninsula builders that specialize in the type of house that you want. The easiest way to do this is to check out the section on home builders in your telephone directory. You can also skim your local newspaper's real estate listings and get referrals from real estate brokers. Your friends and relatives may have referrals too, so be sure to ask them.

3. Call up the builders on your list. Of course, it's not enough to make a list of Mornington Peninsula builders. You have to check if the way they do things will suit you. To accomplish that, you can give your shortlisted builders a call. Ask them a few questions such as how long they have been in business, how many homes do they build in a year, whether they have their own crew or subcontract jobs, how they handle change orders, and other such questions. Most importantly, ask them for a list of their previous clients, credentials, current suppliers, and current subcontractors.

4. Talk to your builders' previous clients. The best way to get honest feedback about the quality of a builder's work is to talk to their previous clients. Once your candidate builder has provided you a list of previous clients, take the time to pay some of these clients a visit to ask them whether they like how their house was built or not. More often than not, these people will share freely what they think about their home.

5. Check your builders' credentials. The last step you need to take is to see if your candidate builders' credentials are good. Take the time to verify these credentials. If the credentials include a bank reference, call up the bank to find out whether they are in good standing with the bank or not. Visit your local court to determine if there were cases filed against the builder and how these cases were resolved. Call up their suppliers and subcontractors and find out if their relationship with the builder is good. You should do a background check on these suppliers and subcontractors as well.

Your choice among local builders you can work with is crucial if you are thinking of building a new home on the Mornington Peninsula. Whether you shall have a home you can be proud of or a house that will fall apart on you rests entirely on your decision. Thus, take your time and be careful in choosing Mornington Peninsula builders you can work with in building your new home.