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 Choosing builders in the best ways overall   Advice,Business,Consumer Want the honest, unvarnished truth? Not all homebuilders are created equal. The horror stories you may have heard about dishonest or incompetent builders are, sadly, based on reality. That's because anybody can print up business cards and call themselves homebuilders. Which is why it's up to you, the smart consumer, to do your homework. Because you're not just buying a home-you're buying the manufacturer of that home. And because a home is such a major investment-quite possibly the largest you'll ever make in your lifetime-it just makes good sense to protect yourself by doing as much research as possible. That being said, here's a checklist that will help you find the builder that can make your dream home come true: o Find out the difference between the four different  kinds of new homes: Custom homes; semi-custom homes; production/tract homes; and spec homes. Most builders focus on one type.