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c16 economist suntribune january 13 1988 focus real estate new home purchasers be patient with service reps editors note this is one of a continuing series of columns by robert hume immediate past president of the toronto home builders association dealing with housing industry issues homeowners may still be fac ing delays in aftersales service despite a softening market in local real estate circles sales maybe levelling off but 1987 was still a record year for metro toronto builders with more than 41000 new home starts a whopping jump from 1986 which was also a hot year the sheer volume of this con- struction has meant that many builders are at their full capac ity subtrade workers such as drywallers kitchen manufac turers and tile setters are swamped because of the heavy consumer demand their effort to build homes leaves little time for aftersales service this just illustrates how quickly things are changing in the metro market early last year metro builders were scrambling to meet an avalan che of production problems these included wellpublicized snags such as strikes and shor tages of skilled tradespeople and materials delays in obtain ing proper permits and a soggy spring also wreaked havoc on construction schedules thankfully for buyers many of these problems have been re medied and builders are finally catching up on the backlog of work to be accomplished however aftersales service delays will still be a nagging problem into the spring of 1988 one of the biggest backlogs in aftersales service continues to be the repair of defects in finishing materials and work manship a key in easing the pain of this year for buyers is knowing what to expect both from your builder and from your home minor repairs to a new home will be required because of a normal settling and drying period during the first two years there will be concrete cracks drywall movement squeaky floors doors not clos ing furnace adjustments etc all majordefects in materials and workmanship are warran- tied for one year by the ontario new home warranty program and the builder the onhwp program also provides a war ranty for your house from structural defects for five years guarding quality is also a question of clear communica tion the onus is on builders to let buyers know what to reason ably expect in aftersales ser vice and treat buyers as con siderately as possible when a problem or repair delay does occur too many builderbuyer skirmishes are fueled by un reasonable demands and poor builder communication be patient and polite it works a hot head approach is nonproductive some areas of aftersales service are simply out of the hands of builders these include delays due to weather conditions and shor tages of materials and tradespeople reputable builders will im mediately remedy major re pairs to areas such as heating hydro and plumbing minor flaws however will take lon ger builders arent perfect either most imperfections will probably be cosmetic such as drywall paint work carpet tiles trim etc all types of im perfections should be noted in the predelivery inspection form of the builder and the onhwp also include your ontario new home warranty program certificate number in all future correspondence your builder should contact you within two to four weeks to schedule the work if you arent contacted call to determine if the letter was re ceived if this doesnt get results within 60 days write to the ontario new home warranty program outlining the work you requested and your efforts to re solve the situation also send a copy of this letter to the builder generally the sub contractors which service buil ders have been busy and have been slow to fulfill the after- sales portion of their contrac tual agreements many builders have hired additional after- sales service staff tor complete work and protect the builders reputation this area is current ly being ironed out and relief will come as we complete the 41000 starts of 1987 into early 1988 if you are buying today understand the service policy and your builders warranty once you have read these over put all the points that need cor recting in writing and send them to your builder under current market condi tions aftersales service could take up to 12 weeks to complete depending on materials and labor availability for more in formation or a free copy of a brochure about aftersales ser vice call the toronto home buil ders association consumer hot line 229home office condominiums industrialcommercial condominiums commercialretail complex lots for sale units from 700 sq ft units for sale or lease prominent location on main entrance to the wage of stoufivilie wide range of uses sizes price range ideal investment 4778188 m wj warren co ltd realtor