Choosing the right builder can make or break your home-building experience! If you’re in the process of comparing Kansas City home builders, you might be overwhelmed by your choices. After all, how do you make sure you pick the best contractor for your project? 

Our team sat down with Amber Rothermel, leader of one of the largest real estate teams in the Kansas City Northland, to discuss her thoughts on how to pick the right home builder. In this blog post, we’re sharing her expert insight. We hope this interview helps you in your search for a professional and reliable Kansas City home builder. To watch the full interview, click here. 

New to our blog? Welcome to Hearthside Homes! We’re a semi-custom home builder based in Liberty, Missouri. Since 1987, we’ve built nearly 2,000 long-lasting homes. We currently build in the Kansas City, Parkville, Kearney, and Liberty areas. Our homes range in price from $350k-$700k. You can check out our available listings here. 

Amber’s Experience With Hearthside Homes

With nearly 15 years of experience, Amber Rothermel (Lead Realtor at Amber Rothermel Real Estate Team) knows a thing or two about picking the right Kansas City home builder. After working with dozens of home builders, Amber can confidently refer her clients to Hearthside Homes.

My experience with Hearthside Homes has been great. I’ve done several build jobs with them, sold many of their resale properties, we even had one of our very seasoned team members and agents build with Hearthside.”

That’s right! An agent on the Amber Rothermel Real Estate team built her dream home with Hearthside Homes in 2020. “Knowing all the builders that were out there she did choose to work with Hearthside and had a great overall experience,” says Amber. 

Organizaiton Is Important

No two home builders offer the same experience, customer service, and finished product. We’ve all heard horror stories of folks who’ve had bad experiences with their builder. Ultimately, one should look for a home builder that is experienced, organized, and transparent about their timeline. 

Amber expresses to her clients the significance of picking a home builder that’s organized in order to limit frustration. Personally, I’ve had experiences with other builders that can be pretty tough. I think a lot of builders can come across as very disorganized so the one great thing about Hearthside is they typically meet every deadline and keep our clients up to date with what’s happening.

Communication Is Key

As cliché as the saying goes, communication really is key! Hearthside homeowners love having access to their online client portal, Buildertrend. This software connects contractors with homeowners to keep them up to date throughout the build process, including scheduling changes and even photos from the jobsite. 

Amber shares, “One of the great products they use is Buildertrend which allows us to really keep in touch with them and know where they’re at within the timeline of the build process. So I think it gives clients less anxiety than what you’ll see with some other builders that don’t use that product.” 

Some Builders Take Forever…

It’s essential to do thorough research before signing a contract with a home builder, especially if you don’t want the process to be drawn out. Shockingly, Amber has worked with some builders that took over a YEAR longer than their initial completion timeline. Yikes! 

Not only is an inaccurate timeline annoying for the buyer, but it can also strain the relationship with the realtor. Amber shares, “Sometimes false expectations are put forth and it makes it really hard for us to keep those clients because they think we can manage that process.”

What’s Most Important To You?

When comparing builders, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each option. Some builders offer more customized homes which can inevitably make the process take longer. Other builders are quick and efficient but may have some limitations with the type of work they offer. Amber recommends assessing what qualities are most important to you and working with a realtor that has experience with build jobs. 

Amber concludes, “Hearthside always does a great job and meets their timelines so they are a great option if you’re looking to build a home.”

Get Started With Hearthside Homes

We hope this blog post helped you in your search for a Kansas City home builder! To view the spec home inventory at Hearthside Homes, click here. Have you always dreamed of building from the ground up? Click here to check out our 2-story, 1.5-story, reverse, ranch, and split-style layouts. Whether you’re starting a family or an empty nester, we have a floor plan that’s sure to meet your family’s needs! Click here to learn more about the floor plans that qualify for a quick start! 

Make Material Selections

If you’ve always wanted to build a home, choosing material selections is probably one of the tasks you’re most excited about! At Hearthside Homes, our clients get access to a professional interior designer and showroom. Our Design Center has a large display of options for you to choose from. From paint to tile, cabinetry, hardware, and more, you’ll have so much fun customizing your home to your unique preferences! Our Design Center is located at 1915 Industrial Dr. #300, Liberty, MO 64068.

Third-Party Inspection Process 

At Hearthside Homes, we understand that buying a home is a big deal! You want to make sure the home your purchase isn’t one you’ll regret in the future. That’s why all of our homes are inspected by third-party experts. In other words, we hire impartial third-party industry leaders to review each of our new construction homes! This comprehensive assessment involves a: 

  • Cosmetic inspection
  • Third-party HVAC duct cleaning
  • Third-party sewer line inspection
  • Third-party home inspection

Many home builders don’t subject themselves to these extensive inspections. At Hearthside Homes, we want our buyers to have confidence in their purchase! That’s why we hire impartial pros to look over our work. 

12-Month Warranty

In addition to completing a thorough inspection process, Hearthside Homes proudly offers a 12-month warranty. We even have a Warranty Manager on our team to make sure you have a go-to contact to reach out to if needed. You’ll have peace of mind when you build with Hearthside Homes! 

Connect With Us

To request more information about building with Hearthside Homes, fill out this form on our website, or feel free to give us a call at (816) 781-0234. We’d love for you to follow all the behind-the-scenes fun on our social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

Hear From Our Happy Homeowners 

At Hearthside Homes, we prioritize customer experience and satisfaction. Did you know Hearthside Homes of Kansas City has over 100 5-star reviews on Google? Click here to check out our Google reviews and hear from some of our happy customers. Our client, Mehtab, shares: 

“We did not expect to find ourselves building a house, but when we found Hearthside we were blown away by the quality of their work and their utmost professionalism! The entire team at Hearthside were amazing and they were so transparent and up front about the building process! They worked with us through all the hurdles that come with building a home and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product! We love our new home and would recommend Hearthside to any one looking to build a quality home with peace of mind!”

Want to see more? Click on the video below to watch one of our customer testimonials. Jeff & Becca are so thrilled they trusted Hearthside Homes with their new build! After years of searching for the right floor plan and builder, they finally decided to go with our team. Now that they’ve had time to settle into their new home, they are so happy they made the right decision to choose Hearthside Homes!