Builders: How to Assess Online Reviews

If you visited a dozen websites and read hundreds of reviews just to decide on which new television to purchase, then how about when it comes time to select a home builder? Builders will be doing a significant amount of work to your biggest investment: your home. Choosing the right one is a paramount decision. If you are like most home owners, you will likely do a significant amount of online research to find the builder who is best suited for you and your home plan design. But with all of that collective “wisdom” available online, it can be hard to tell which reviews are the most accurate, or which ones are legitimate.

Proceed with Caution

The Internet makes it easy to find a wealth of information with just a few quick clicks of the mouse. Much of what you find will provide some useful background, but you can’t believe everything you see or read. When looking through customer rating sites, use good judgment to weigh the value of certain online reviews (positive or negative). Keep in mind:

• An abundance of positive, brief, non-descript reviews that use excessively promotional language can often indicate phony reviewers.
• Customers who had a positive experience are far less likely to post a review than customers who had any sort of negative experience.
• Reading at least a dozen reviews is important to recognize any possible trends – good and bad – among the reviews.
• The Better Business Bureau, bbb.org, is a good resource to ensure the business doesn’t have any unresolved complaints. Other sites worth noting include Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor, Houzz, etc.

Remember, the most reliable reviews will always come directly from the mouths of previous clients. If you don’t know any former clients of the builders whom you are considering, ask  for references of recent projects. Those who are talented and trustworthy will readily provide you with several references who can speak to their quality of work.