What to Expect at Your Home Demonstration Meeting
You wouldn’t dream of driving off in a new car without knowing how the main controls work – why would you move into a house without the same confidence? Like a car, a brand new Hopkins Homes property comes with an instruction manual and as a real bonus, we also organise a home demonstration meeting for you with the site manager.
During this on-site meeting, the site manager walks through your new home with you and explains how everything works. This is especially important with our new build homes because many of our properties have state-of-the art home technologies (such as smart thermostats) that you might not have lived with before.
The home demonstration meeting usually happens about two weeks before the completion date. Bring a pen, notebook or notes app, and get ready to learn about your exciting new home!
Here’s what to expect
Who will be at the meeting?
When you arrive at the development, come to the sales office. Your sales executive will greet you and walk you across to your plot. You’ll be joined by the site manager, who’ll lead the home demonstration. It’s a great chance to pick their brains about your new home and the development in general.
What does the home demonstration include?
There’s nothing worse than moving house and not being able to work the heating or shower at the end of that first long day! Our home demonstration meetings are there to make sure that doesn’t happen – you’ll feel at home as soon as you move in.
What happens at a typical home demonstration meeting? The site manager guides the customer through the property, usually starting upstairs and working downwards. During the tour, the site manager will cover the following:
- Upstairs. Sockets, wiring, windows, trickle vents, bathroom, toilet valves, water supply, hot water cylinder, heating, loft access
- Downstairs. Thermostats, the BT box, radiators (including how to bleed them), the boiler (which will have been serviced and commissioned), kitchen appliances, extractor fans, light switches, TV points
- Outside. The garden tap, outside lighting, the garage (if you have one), gate access, PV panels, air source heat pumps (where applicable)
- General. The site manager writes the snagging list for your property
What is snagging?
This is the process of spotting and noting any minor issues or flaws with the new building. This makes sure that your newly built property meets our exacting standards and that you are happy with your new home. Snags are generally small and simple fixes like a scuff on the paintwork, a slightly wonky light switch or a single creaky stair.
We carry out pre-completion snagging when the property is empty and easier to work in, then we take another look post-completion as per the building warranty.
During the home demonstration, the site manager will make a note of any issues they spot, and if you notice anything, this is the best time to raise it. It’ll then go on the snagging list to be fixed before you move in.
Will I be able to take measurements?
Bring a tape measure and a notebook, because the home demonstration meeting is usually the buyer’s first chance to get in and get measuring. It’s the ideal opportunity to measure for curtains and blinds, and also to make sure that your furniture will fit just as you picture it.
You’ll also start to get a proper feel for your new home – how the flow of the house works, where the light falls, and how the indoor and outdoor spaces work together. This is really important when it comes to working out where the furniture goes as well as planning your future colour schemes.
What happens next?
Standing in your new kitchen, looking at the oven controls and trying out the lighting – it’s a great feeling! When you can tear yourself away from your new home, it’s back to the sales office for a well-earned tea or coffee. Suitably refreshed, we’ll go through the next steps including:
- What to expect on completion day
- Collecting the keys
- Setting up council tax
- Taking a meter reading
We’ll also check that you feel completely comfortable and confident with everything that was covered during the home demonstration. Do you feel ready to move in? If you have any more questions, please just ask us.
Get ready for moving day
Your home demonstration is the exciting last step before moving day. The Hopkins Homes team is here to make sure you feel at home from the very beginning.
