Trust? Maybe. Verify? Definitely.

Fake reviews are blatantly unethical, but it's not surprising why some businesses post them. Positive reviews bring more customer inquiries than anything else because they offer busy people an easy decision-making shortcut.

The question is how best to use that shortcut. 

Outdoor lighting is a real art, and the best results come from planning ahead.

A beautiful custom home represents a huge investment of time, care and money. Therefore, it's recommended not to approach outdoor lighting as an afterthought—an element often postponed thinking about until the end of the project.

We encourage homeowners to start considering it earlier, for reasons of creativity and efficiency.

The vast majority of professional home builders are happy to provide prospective clients with a list of individuals for whom they have recently built homes and will typically encourage you to call these references to confirm the homeowner's experience and level of satisfaction with the builder.

Homeowners who fail to check their builder's references do themselves a disservice. After all, a reference check is an easy way to avoid trouble and an important confirmation that hiring a particular company is a good choice. 

Builders hear this question a lot. The answer, as with most such questions is, "It depends." But on what?

Those who haven't built before may have an unrealistic concept of how long it will take to plan, budget and build a home. Many variables will affect the timetable. Three that stand out are design, permitting and site work.

Take the time to choose the models that work best for you.

We find that most homeowners like to take plenty of time researching their kitchen appliances. And, many of them also want some advice when making the final choices.

Allowances, that is, budgeting general costs for line items before the specific items are chosen, are a fact of life on many custom home projects. 

For an allowance to positively serve the homeowners' interest, it must be based on accurate numbers. For example, the homeowners should at least decide what grade of products they want - a decision that can require legwork as well as self-awareness.

More and more home systems are adding voice control technology. Should you embrace this trend when building your new home, or is it better to wait?

Most of the press we've seen about this technology gushes with optimism, but we believe it warrants a more critical approach.

Should you heed the conventional advice about getting price bids from three builders?

Maybe, but once you understand the complexities and uncertainties that go into putting together a bid, you will see why there may be a more effective approach.

Countertops have a lot to do with how enjoyable your kitchen is for daily use and how easy it is to maintain. And of course, they play a big part in the first impression the space makes on your visitors.

It's worth taking the time to choose the countertop materials that work best for you.

The professional who conducts your project to its finale draws from a deep well of knowledge.

While the builder creates the business processes and sets the quality standards needed to build a custom home, someone has to make sure those processes are followed and those standards achieved. The job demands an experienced professional with the same level of technical and interpersonal skills as a front-line manager in any complex industry.

A good supervisor is like a blend of engineer and orchestra conductor, with a bit of psychologist thrown in.

If you have done any research into new homes, you're likely familiar with the three categories of homes and builders: production, semi-custom and custom.

Which one you choose will depend on your budget and your priorities--and each type may appeal to the same people at different points in their lives.

A big factor in someone's choice of a builder is their comfort with the first person they meet from the company, whether it's the owner or a sales person.

Professional builders understand this, and they make sure to act in ways that earn their clients' trust, starting with that first meeting.