Frequently asked questions

Signing up is easy!

Click on the ‘Get Started’ button at the top right of the page and follow the simple steps.

If you encounter any issues, please contact us for assistance.

Our platform is designed with user-friendliness at its core.

It’s a straightforward, step-by-step process that guides you from the first day you decide you want to build, through to having a developed vision of your dream home.

Even if you’re not tech-savvy, navigating through each step is intuitive and simple, preparing you to enter our BuilderConnect program where you can bring your vision to life.

The short of it is: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Drawing on our 10+ years of industry experience, we’ve found that even the most well-prepared individuals can overlook key elements of their new home.

Our comprehensive program aims to ensure you consider each aspect of your new home, helping you to avoid overlooking anything important. This sets you on a path to success and minimizes the likelihood of costly changes during construction.

Foresight Home Planning facilitates an in-depth preparation phase, reducing the chances of unexpected changes or modifications during your home building journey. By having a detailed vision established before you engage a builder, you’re more likely to have a clear understanding of your desires, which can help you minimize additional costs associated with changes after contracts are signed.

Please be aware, even with a comprehensive vision, modifications during the construction phase can still occur due to personal choices or unforeseen circumstances. While our platform is designed to minimize the need for such changes, we do not guarantee a complete absence of modifications. Any changes made after signing the contract might incur additional costs, including administrative fees and builder margins on variation items. As such, we strongly advise you to review your plans thoroughly and discuss any potential modifications with your chosen builder before signing your contract.

As we are neither draftsmen nor architects at Foresight Home Planning, we do not create or provide sets of plans.

However, our service is designed to help you build a comprehensive summary (your documented vision) of what your ideal plans should include through our HomeVision Program.

Upon completion, this summary can be submitted to our BuilderConnect program.

At this stage, the Foresight Select Builder assigned to you will review your new home aspirations. They will then either choose or create a set of plans that suit your building site, based on the content you’ve compiled while using the Foresight Home Planning platform.

No, Foresight Home Planning is completely free to use.

This includes:

• IdeaDrop tool: Get started by collecting and organizing your inspiration and ideas.
• HomeVision program: Access all stages at no cost.

Our Builder Connect program is also complimentary and available to all users who complete the HomeVision program.

Please note that in some instances, Foresight Select Builders may require an initial fee or deposit to produce your New Home Proposal & Quote. This fee is paid directly to the builder.

Foresight Home Planning does not cover this quoting expense/fee; however, we do our best to find builders who will produce the initial quote free of charge.

*Please refer to our Legal and Privacy page for the full terms and conditions that apply to using and participating in the services provided by Foresight Home Planning.

The origins of Foresight Home Planning lie in our founder’s extensive experience in the new home construction industry.

Having worked on hundreds of new homes as both a carpenter and a new home estimator, he amassed a wealth of insights on what works and what doesn’t.

These critical insights are now integrated into our platform, ready to guide you in creating a vision for your perfect home.

With our service, you’re not just planning, but learning from a trove of industry wisdom to help avoid common mistakes and ensure a smooth construction process.

IdeaDrop is a personalized tool within our platform that allows you to save, organize, and categorize your home design inspirations and ideas assisting you while you curate your vision for your new home.

It also serves as a crucial communication tool during the BuilderConnect program, providing your Foresight Selected Builder with a clear understanding of your desired home aesthetics.

Follow these steps to add a note or image to your IdeaDrop:

1. Simply access the IdeaDrop web app within your user account,
2. Hit the ‘Add Ideas’ button,
3. Fill out the note and add any image you like,
4. Tap the ‘Upload’ button and away you go.

Yes, IdeaDrop is designed to be accessible from all new desktops, laptops, and mobile devices with internet browser access.

If you are having issues, you may need to update your browser to the latest version or try using Chrome or Safari.

Yes, each category of your IdeaDrop is capped to 30 images or notes.

IdeaDrop is designed to be a place where you store only the most important notes and images relating to your new home.

There are other services available which allow you to create folders with an unlimited number of images, you might consider using those as a starting point then using IdeaDrop to refine down your favorite selections.

Within the Preliminary Education stage of the HomeVision program, we have an ‘IdeaDrop Suggestions’ section that will help you get the ball rolling.

Alternatively, you can save pretty much any photos you find or take yourself that inspire you.

Sure is, within your IdeaDrop account you’ll see the ‘How it works?’ button at the top of the page.

Hit that and you’ll be taken through to discover further details on how we recommend you utilise IdeaDrop to help create your new home vision.

Participants who complete the HomeVision program will be equipped with:

• A comprehensive vision of your dream home.
• Profound insight into your upcoming home-building journey.
• Confidence in articulating your building preferences to your builder.
• A well-documented list of inclusions and exclusions for your builder’s quotation.
• Preparedness to connect with a builder and initiate the quoting process.

Indeed! We make it a priority to keep our platform up-to-date with the latest home innovations and technologies, allowing you to explore top-notch options for your new home before finalizing your builder contract.

Moreover, we value feedback from our users. If there’s something you think would benefit future users, please share your ideas with our team through our Contact page.

If you need more specific assistance, our support team is always ready to help.

Just reach out through our Contact page, and we’ll be there to assist you.

The beauty of our service is the flexibility we can offer thanks to being in the initial planning stage of your new home.

As you use the HomeVision program, you’ll be indicating your preferences for your new home that your Foresight Select Builder will later reference directly when creating and quoting your personalised project.

When ready to engage with our BuilderConnect program, your allocated Foresight Select Builder will get to work producing your New Home Proposal including itemised pricing for each aspect of your home.

This gives you the chance to understand the cost of each feature and decide whether it adds the desired value to your project.

Remember, you’re not obligated to any feature or item quoted by the builder – you can modify your New Home Proposal as you see fit.

Yes, indeed! Our platform features a HomeVision overview page equipped with a progress bar.

This visually displays your progression through the home planning process, effectively illustrating how much you’ve accomplished and what’s yet to be done. By offering a clear visualisation of your journey, it becomes easier to understand when you’ll be ready to access our BuilderConnect program.

The completion time for the HomeVision program depends on your individual pace and preferences.

The program is designed to be flexible and is not time restricted, allowing you to take your time to reflect on your options and carefully construct your vision.

We recommend completing the program over at least a one-week period (longer, if possible, it’s not a race!).

However, if you already have a clear idea of your dream home and are eager to begin the building process, you could potentially complete the program in a focused session of 1-3 hours and request access to BuilderConnect on the same day.

Our research shows that there aren’t really any other home planning tools out there that offer the same features that are available through Foresight Home Planning (at least that we could find).

Our understanding is that most who put some effort into planning their new homes do it the old-fashioned way, by creating a vision board at home using a note book or Microsoft Word.

These methods don’t offer any real guidance or insight from industry experts, leaving you to do all the research legwork yourself.

Our HomeVision program is a step-by-step guide that covers all aspects of a new home, ensuring you have a chance to consider a variety of options for your new home before speaking with a builder.

Then, when you do finally sit with a Foresight Select Builder, you can tie everything you’ve taken from our service; with the methods your builder takes, helping to ensure that you’ve left no stone unturned while planning your new home.

Absolutely, you can revisit and modify your choices in HomeVision at any point until you request access to our BuilderConnect program.

We designed the program with flexibility at its core to ensure that you can come and go and make modifications to your content as you please.

Planning a home should be a smooth and enjoyable experience with the flexibility to modify ideas and decisions as needed, so that’s exactly what we provide.

Not quite, and here’s why:

New home builders are experts at guiding you through selecting and documenting the finishing touches for your new home. This can include choosing tiles, carpets, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen finishes like laminate colours and stone benchtops. Most builders have comprehensive design studios which you’ll be taken through once the home’s structure is settled, making it unnecessary for us to duplicate this process.

Our HomeVision program is designed to assist you in picturing and strategizing the structural layout of your future home, taking into consideration your specific requirements, dreams, and objectives, as well as anticipated timelines and budget constraints. This includes guiding you to make decisions on your preferred facade style, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, any unique architectural features, and a comprehensive assortment of functionality improving options for you to consider. After completing the HomeVision program, this vision can be shared to a Foresight Select Builder through our BuilderConnect program, ensuring your home’s structure is tailored to your needs. This perfectly complements the interior design selection you’ll do later in your builder’s design studio.

However, we do still recommend that you use IdeaDrop to store and share your favourite interior design elements like tapware, tiles, carpets and benchtops. This gives your Foresight Select Builder a head start in understanding your style and preferences for the final look of your home.

The BuilderConnect stage is where your home planning journey comes to life.

In this stage, we introduce you to a Foresight Select Builder that aligns with your vision, budget, and specific requirements.

You’ll then work closely with them to finalize your home’s design and commence the building process.

Once paired, your journey with your dedicated Foresight Select Builder begins. Foresight Home Planning does not actively participate in this phase.

The builder may reach out to introduce themselves and verify your details.

If the builder requires a fee for their quoting services, they will typically inform you at this stage.

Once approved by you, the builder will then create a tailor-made New Home Proposal just for you.

Upon receiving your New Home Proposal & Quote, you can use the Builders Quote Checklist, provided free of charge to all BuilderConnect participants, to help you understand and break down your plans and quote.

From this point, you’ll collaborate directly with the builder to finalize your contract and kickstart your construction journey.

After you request to participate in Builder Connect, your IdeaDrop content and responses from the Vision Crafting stage of HomeVision become finalised and transition to the Archive folder in your dashboard. This solidified vision allows for a smooth process in matching you with the most suitable builder and in creating an accurate New Home Proposal.

While your vision within the Foresight Home Planning platform is set at this stage, you still have flexibility. You’re free to make adjustments to your New Home Proposal up until signing a contract. Post signing that contract, minor changes are still possible, although be mindful these are likely to incur additional costs due to builder administrative fees and margins on variation items.

This process underscores the importance of creating a comprehensive vision before engaging with a builder. Our service facilitates a clear, detailed vision for your new home, which makes it easier for you to convey your desires to a builder.

While there is no fee payable by you to Foresight Home Planning to utilise our BuilderConnect service, it is common for new home builders to charge an upfront fee for quoting the construction of a home.

This fee varies from builder to builder and typically covers the costs involved with having the builder’s team review your IdeaDrop & HomeVision content and the time it takes to put your initial New Home Proposal together.

You are responsible for paying this fee to the builder.

Foresight Home Planning does not cover any of the builder’s fees or any fees from any third party.

Some builders might credit the initial quoting fee towards the total new home contract value if you choose to proceed to build your home with them.

Thanks to our partnerships with builders, we’re able to offer the service of connecting you with a builder (BuilderConnect) as a complimentary benefit to those who meet the requirements and are approved for access by our team.

Should you participate in the BuilderConnect program and sign a contract for the construction of a new home with the builder we’ve connected you with/referred you to, we will receive a commission from the builder.

*Please refer to our Legal and Privacy page for the full terms and conditions that apply to using and participating in the programs and services provided by Foresight Home Planning.

As outlined in the ‘Access to BuilderConnect’ clause within the Terms of service, a user must:

a. Create a user account on the Foresight Home Planning platform;

b. Access and complete the Preliminary Education program;

c. Add one (1) or more images and/or notes regarding their desired home to each category contained within the IdeaDrop web app;

d. Complete the HomeVision program in its entirety;

e. Own a vacant parcel of land within QLD Australia and nominate it as your intended construction site within the HomeVision program;

f. Demonstrate financial readiness to meet the costs associated with building a new home, either through proof of a pre-approved loan or sufficient savings;

g. Request access to the BuilderConnect program;

h. Be approved access to the BuilderConnect program by Foresight Home Planning.

Foresight Home Planning management reserves the right to assess each request for access to BuilderConnect and may deny access to any user deemed unsuitable.

*Please refer to our Legal and Privacy page for the full terms and conditions that apply to using and participating in the programs and services provided by Foresight Home Planning.

While we recommend our Foresight Select Builders due to their proven track record and exceptional construction experience, you’re not obligated to use them.

The goal of BuilderConnect is to make the process of finding a trusted and quality builder a smooth and easy experience however, you can choose any builder you’re comfortable with.

With a focus on quality and personalized service, we accommodate only 4 new home projects each month through our BuilderConnect program.

This limitation isn’t just a number, it’s our commitment to providing each project with the attention and care it deserves.

Once these spots are filled, we begin accepting applications for the following month. So, we encourage you to apply as soon as you’re ready to take the next step in your home planning journey.

This unique approach sets us apart and ensures that your journey to your dream home is as special as the home itself.