Building a custom home is a dream for many people. Unfortunately, most people don't get the opportunity to realize that dream. If you're finally in a place where you can invest in a custom home, you don't want any problems to get in the way. One way to avoid problems is to maintain rapport with your general contractor. Here are four tips that will help you to do that. 

Know Where the Money's Going

If you want to build a good relationship with your contractor, know where the money's going. The contractor will be in charge of building your home, using the funds you provide. During the process, they'll be maintaining detailed records about where the money is going, and how it's being spent. While your home is being built, take the time to talk to your contractor about the budget. Maintaining an open line of communication about the budget will help alleviate problems. 

Stick to Your Payment Schedule

If you've hired a contractor to build your custom home, you'll need to make payments throughout the project. Your contractor will use those payments to keep the project going. The best way to avoid problems and build a strong relationship with your contractor is to make those payments in a timely manner. Your contractor can't focus on the task at hand—which is building your dream home—when they're worried about the funding payments. 

Let Your Contractor Know What You're Thinking

If you're building your own home, you may want to make some changes along the way. Most contractors expect their clients to change their minds about a few things. But, it helps when clients don't make last-minute changes or revert those changes. These last-minute changes can throw the project off schedule and off-budget. To offset the problems, many contractors charge additional fees for last-minute changes to the plans. If you know you might want to make changes, talk to your contractor. That way, they're aware of your plans in advance. 

Don't Be An Invisible Client

If you're having a custom home built, visit the construction site as often as possible. Your contractor may have questions that will require immediate attention. If you visit the site on a regular basis, those issues can be resolved quickly. Not only that, frequent visits will allow you to get a feel for your new home, which means you'll be able to visualize any changes you want to make to the plans.