Renovating your home or building a new house can be an extremely stressful process. Due to the significant slow-down in new residential developments, contractors are now willing to drop their profit margins, and as a result, construction prices have actually fallen in real terms. Therefore getting your renovations or building project over with now is a great option.

The process should not actually be as stressful as it usually ends up being for the majority of homeowners. The biggest mistake people make is assuming they can do it themselves. Appointing the right professionals is crucial to a successful and stress-free process. This vital first step will prevent so many potential problems.

Most of the “horror stories” we hear are as a direct result of this first step being ignored. A good project manager should be the first appointment. Another professional to include in the phase when the project is being conceived is an estate agent, this should help the owner get a good idea of what the marketability of the proposed project will be. Including an estate agent in the planning phase could prove to be crucial, because an ill-conceived project could lead to a disaster.

Obviously each project is different and will require a different mix of professionals Appointing a project manager is very different from simply selecting a builder. A builder manages the various sub-contractors like electricians, plumbers and carpenters, whereas the project manager not only manages the builder, but he also controls his interaction with other professionals, such as the engineer and architect.

Don’t be misled into imagining that you will save money by doing it yourself: it doesn’t work! Sure, building or renovation projects are not rocket science, but at the same time, the required experience and tough-minded judgment calls that need to be made are often too much the average novice developer.

How many times have you heard someone complain about a builder who only completed half the job, did shoddy work that needed to be redone, took a big deposit and never really got stuck into the job? References are an essential prerequisite. Before you appoint anyone, make sure that you hear from someone whom you trust (not an arbitrary third party) that the contractor is reliable.

The rules and procedures that govern the development process are often onerous and in areas like the Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Town there are constantly fights among residents and if a developer makes a mistake or tries to cut corners then ultimately s/he will be vulnerable to a legal attack that could devastate any project.

Developing property is a complicated business. There is no doubt that appointing a project manager with the right credentials is the best option for home owners every time. A good project manager will have all the right contacts and be able to ensure that all the legal procedures are properly adhered to, that realistic time frames are implemented, that any problems are anticipated ahead of time and resolved, that your project is completed within budget, that the overall feasibility of the project works and that the right contractors are used for specialist jobs.

Author Bio: Durr Estates has been trading in South Africa since 1969. We have experienced estate agents selling a ranges of property including, Durbanville property, Paarl property and Somerset West property

Category: Home Management
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