From the first Facebook ad to the day you sign, a builder's marketing team has a plan for you. Marketers use a model called the five stages of awareness, first described by copywriter Eugene Schwartz, to decide what to show you and when.

You don't need to be a marketer to use it. If you know which stage you're in, you'll know when you're being marketed to, and you'll make better decisions.

Stage 1: Unaware - you don't know who's out there yet

You might be renting, or living in a home that's starting to feel small, but you haven't really thought about building. Builders want to get on your radar now, so their name feels familiar when you do start looking.

What you'll see:

  • social media posts and ads with beautiful homes and happy families
  • sponsored content, radio ads and signage at new estates
  • display village events and promotions

What to do: Nothing yet. Familiarity isn't the same as quality. A name you've seen a hundred times on billboards has simply spent more on billboards.

Stage 2: Problem aware - you know you need something

Now you know you need more space, a better location or a home that suits the way you live. You're not sure whether to build, buy or renovate, or what it all costs.

What you'll see:

  • blog posts on building versus buying
  • cost guides, eBooks and "first home buyer" downloads that ask for your email
  • videos of happy past clients

What to do: Use this content for what it's worth, but remember who wrote it. Read independent sources too: QBCC guidance, consumer sites and, yes, blogs like this one. And expect a follow-up email sequence once you hand over your email address.

Stage 3: Solution aware - you've decided to build

You've decided building is the answer. Now you're working out what kind of home, what kind of builder and roughly what budget.

What you'll see:

  • display homes, often with upgrades throughout that aren't in the base price
  • house and land packages with a headline price
  • awards, testimonials and "years in business" claims

What to do: Ask what's included in the base price and what you're looking at in the display. Check the builder's QBCC licence and history on the QBCC licence search. Ask for references from clients who built in the last couple of years, not just the hand-picked ones on the website.

Stage 4: Product aware - you're comparing quotes

You've narrowed it down to two or three builders and you're comparing quotes, inclusions and contracts. The builders know this, and this is where the sales process is at its sharpest.

What you'll see:

  • "limited time" promotions and free upgrades
  • fast, friendly replies to every question
  • regular phone calls from your sales consultant

What to do: Compare quotes line by line, not just on the bottom line. Look hard at provisional sums and prime cost allowances, which are estimates that can grow. Our C4 Asking the Right Questions checklist gives you the questions to put to every builder on your shortlist.

Stage 5: Most aware - you're ready to sign

You've picked your builder and you're ready to sign. The builder just needs to close the deal.

What you'll see:

  • deadlines to sign before a price rise or promotion ends
  • pressure to pay a deposit to "lock in" a price or a site start

What to do: Don't sign under pressure. Read the contract, ideally with a building lawyer or independent adviser. In Queensland, the deposit on a new home contract over $20,000 is capped at 5% of the contract price, so be wary of anything more.

Notice the service you're getting now

During stages 3 to 5, you'll get some of the best customer service of your life. Emails are answered within the hour, calls are returned the same day and nothing is too much trouble.

Note how fast they reply now. It's proof the builder can communicate well when they want to. Then:

  • put response times in writing
  • ask who your contact will be after you sign, and what updates you'll get during the build
  • ask how often you'll be able to visit the site, and who goes with you

When communication drops off after signing (and it often does), you'll have something to hold them to.

After you sign: construction and handover

The marketing stages end when you sign. Your role as an informed owner doesn't.

During construction

  • Expect regular updates on progress, delays and a realistic completion date.
  • Check each stage before the next trade covers it up.
  • Raise issues early and in writing. It's much easier to fix things now than after you've moved in.

At practical completion and handover

  • You'll do a defects inspection with the builder and agree a defects list. Our C16 Practical Completion Inspection checklist helps you find what to put on it.
  • Under the QBCC New Home Construction Contract, you then have 12 months from practical completion to report further defects to your builder.
  • At handover you should receive warranties, manuals, certificates and keys. The C17 Handover checklist covers what to ask for.

A good builder will walk you through running the house and tell you who to contact for follow-up. That's how they earn the referrals they were chasing in stage 1.

The bottom line

Know which stage you're in, and you'll know when you're being marketed to. The builder's job is to sell you a house. Your job is to make sure the house you end up with is the one you were sold.