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Personal Qualities For Success by Scott M. Kilpatrick

1. Know What You Want

Know yourself and exactly what you want and expect out of your business. So many people enter into business and spend years in that business environment without having any idea of what they want, or what is possible to get out of their business. And it’s no different in the insurance profession. In fact, most business owners are working so hard in their businesses that they don’t have time to work on them. As a result, they’ve become slaves to their business. They’ve got things backwards. They’re working for their business rather than their business working for them.

Take the time to carefully analyze where you’ve come from, where you are now, and what you want to accomplish in your business, your job or your career. Then begin to set some meaningful goals to help you accomplish your
objectives. You see, if you don’t know where youwant to go, you’ll have no idea of what to do in order to get there. Meaningful goals are an essential requirement for success in business. With goals, you have a target to aim for, a purpose for being, and a direction to travel. Without goals, it’s easy to wander aimlessly, getting sidetracked with any little thing that comes along.

Questions that you SHOULD ask when considering who to build with.

1. Does this builder specialise in the style of house I want?

Most builders tend to specialise in one type of construction, so choose a builder who specialises in the type of house you want. Avoid those who claim to be experts in all types as a “Jack-of-all-Trades” is usually a master of none.

2. Is what I see in the display homes what I am going to get in my home?

When you visit a display home, make sure to ask if the inclusions you see in that house are the standard inclusions (as most of the time they aren’t), and if they’re not, what are the standard inclusions. You want to be able to visualise the end product accurately.

3. How long have you been building homes in this area?

Building a new home is a big investment and may well represent your life savings. Therefore you want to build with someone who has a proven track record of at least 15 years. Another tip is that choosing to build with a major franchise isn’t necessarily a guarantee of getting someone with the right experience to do the job. Often they will contract the work out to a local, much smaller builder. Check out the person who will actually be doing the work and not just the franchise who they pay royalties to.

4. What are others saying about this builder?

Find at least two people who have built with that builder in the past, as well as two of their suppliers, and ask lots of questions, such as:

-          Are they happy with their new home?

-          Would they recommend that builder?

-          What was their overall experience like?

-          Did they get everything they were expecting?

-          What was their after-sales service like?

-          Do they honour their warranty?

-          How long did it take to build, and was it on time?

Ask the builders suppliers if they pay their accounts on time and if they are well organised? The last thing you want is for a builder to stop halfway through the construction of your home. That could be a never-ending nightmare.

5. Are there any hidden extras or costs?

Documentation and integrity are the keys to a good relationship with your builder. Make certain that absolutely everything is in writing so there is no confusion or disputes later. Nobody likes surprises, especially when it involves money – your money. The only unknown factor should be the ground works, which will be clarified after the engineer has completed the soil test report and foundation recommendations.

6. Does the builder use a non-chemical, permanent termite protection system?

To protect your investment, an effective termite protection system is essential. Not all systems for new homes are the same. Some cheaper ones require chemicals to be reinstated every year at a cost to you, while others bank on the chemical impregnated material not breaking down over time. Stainless steel termite protection will most likely give you the greatest peace of mind, because you really want your home to be built to last a minimum of 50 years.

7. Has this builder had many complaints lodged against them with the BSA?

In Queensland, you can get all the details and carry out a full licence search at www.bsa.qld.gov.au. Go to the top tab “Online Licence Search” and make a note of the number of homes built over the years and the unresolved complaints lodged against them. If the ratio exceeds one percent, you should be very concerned about that builder.

8. What sort of guarantee do they offer?

There is a statutory six-year structural and six-month defect liability on defective materials and workmanship, but what further guarantees do they offer? Most builders are only prepared to offer the minimum required by law. It would be much better to choose a builder who is confident in their product and workmanship and who backs it up with a fair dinkum, no hassle, no questions asked guarantee. And make sure it’s in writing as part of the contract.

9. Does this builder have an “open book” policy?

It’s unfortunate that in the building industry, suppliers are often instructed to tell you the retail price for fittings instead of the lower price that’s actually charged. Make sure you get what you pay for and deal with a builder who has an “open book” policy.

“The Number One Problem with Builders” by Scott M Kilpatrick

In may 1991, when I started Affordable Quality Homes, after many years of working for other builders, there was one BIG problem that I could see in the home building industry.
And that was, most builders either couldn’t, or wouldn’t, provide home buyers with a complete “start-to-finish-one-stop-shop” service.

It was so frustrating…if you wanted floor coverings, the Builder would write you a list of carpet companies. If you wanted landscaping or turf, the Builder would recommend a few landscapers. In reality, you were working for the Builder. It didn’t seem like anything was included.
…for example the curtains, light shades, ceiling fans, clothes hoist, drive way or even screens…they made you take care of yourself.

Now the BIG PROBLEM with this is that it means that it’s all too easy for something to get overlooked…and that can mean both delays and extra expense and complications.
It seemed like everything was extra! You knew whenever the Builder called you, there was more bad news you didn’t budget for.

Most people were prepared to pay $20,000 more for an existing older home. It wasn’t what you wanted, and it was high in maintenance, but at least you could see exactly what you were getting.

AT LAST…AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS OF ABUSE, A COMPANY THAT KNOWS HOW MUCH YOU ARE WORTH…

Totally embarrassed by the treatment Builders were giving customers, I wanted to be different. I started a company that would focus on you the customer and try to make it so easy, that I could count on you to refer others after moving in. I wanted Affordable Quality Homes to be known as the “One-Stop-Shop of new homes with the best guarantee and after sales service in Central Queensland”.

DID YOU KNOW… We had to pay a price though… we upset all of the other Builders in town because they wanted us to be like them. I had upset so many Builders in CQ, that when we applied to become a Queensland Master Builder, our application was rejected on the grounds of keeping the peace with their members. We were also black listed by suppliers and trades that were loyal to some of the old Builders. Where are they now? Only the Builders that knew the value of a customer in the 90’s are still here. (Out of the 219 Builders listed in the 1992 yellow pages, only 5 are still in business).

We want to provide you with a “One Stop Shop” where you are in total control. You choose exactly how you want things and what’s included…so you will not need to fear letting your loved ones down.
…so that when everything is ready, all you have to do is collect the keys and move in, enjoying your time off.

7 Questions you should ask before you decide who will build your new home

1. What do others who have built with this Builder have to say about their building experience?
2. Does the Registered Builder himself (or herself) do the supervision?
3. What warranty and guarantees do they have and what do previous customers say about their after sales service (honouring warranties)?
4. How long will it take and do they have in house drafting (or will they need to keep sending the plans back every time I make a decision)?
5. Does the Builder use Government approved contracts and  include the cost sheet, quote letter, preliminary agreement and plans (all previous conversation documentation)?
6. What does the State Government have to say about them on their ‘report card’  (www.bsa.qld.gov.au)?
7. Do they have a display home they can show me so I can physically see what my standard inclusions look like?

We invite you to pick up a free 13 minute DVD “The Answers to the 7 Most Common Questions You Should Know Before You Build by Scott M. Kilpatrick” from our display home at 80 Springfield Drive North Rockhampton. Building your new home is not something you want to gamble your life savings on! It is easy to have that peace of mind and assurances before you decide just by asking a few important questions.

“The Horse Race That Changed My Life” by Scott M Kilpatrick

I watched a horse race that changed my life. I’m not a gambler, I never bet. I noticed all the horses leapt out of the gate at the same time in the same way. After going around the track approaching the finish line, the race was nearly over. First place beat second place by half a nose. Second beat third by a body length. First prize was $10,000, second $1,000 and third $100. Did the first horse run 10x faster or eat 10x as many oats? Yet the prize was 10x that of second prize. Do you need to be 10x better, or spend 10x more on improving your image in order to have success?

As you know we are not the biggest Builder so we want to prove to you how hard we will try to win your business. We will strive to give you 10x better service and value for your money than any other Builder. I recommend you to ask anyone who has built an Affordable Quality Home if their very competitively priced home is 10x better than any other home in the street. Our philosophy is ‘we win when you come first’.