One Signature.
One Chance.
One moment decides everything that follows. Before you sign with a builder, understand what you are actually agreeing to.
A signature is a single moment.
Its consequences run for years.
A building contract is not a formality. The instant you sign, the printed terms — and every amendment your builder has made to them — govern the entire build, and every dollar, delay, and dispute that follows.
Standard form contracts are not standard in their protection. Builders routinely amend the Master Builders and HIA contracts to shift risk back onto you — quietly, in the fine print, before the first shovel touches the earth.
After your signature, the leverage to negotiate is gone. The only chance to shape the terms is before you sign. That is the chance — and there is only one.
The cheapest protection
you will ever buy.
Time is another critical risk factor. Delays and extensions of time have an impact upon money, because the longer it takes, the more it inevitably costs.
A major risk factor is the ability to control the builder's performance of the work in a good, proper and workmanlike manner, using good and proper materials, and ensuring compliance with the development approval, drawings and specifications. Quality directly links to defects.
Cost is an additional risk factor. Variations, prime cost adjustments and provisional sum adjustments all have an impact upon the price you will pay in the end.