In this episode of The Insider’s Guide to Custom Homes, Rick Bell explores the growing role of Owner’s Representatives in luxury custom homebuilding.

Learn what they do, why owners hire them, and how they can make the process smoother for high-net-worth individuals or busy homeowners who want to protect their interests during the design and construction journey.

Rick shares real-world examples, including how a seasoned owner’s rep helped one family manage budget, design changes, and technical challenges on a Landmark project.

You’ll also learn how to evaluate and find the right rep for your project, plus a preview of upcoming interviews with Owner’s Representatives who will share their experience directly.

What You’ll Learn

·      Why Owner’s Representatives are becoming an essential part of high-end homebuilding.

·      How an owner’s rep can serve as an advocate and intermediary between architects, contractors, and consultants.

·      Real examples of how an owner’s rep helped manage budgets, technical challenges, and payment applications.

·      The key questions to ask when interviewing potential Owner’s Representatives.

·      Where to find Owner’s Representatives: word-of-mouth, architects, attorneys, builders, LinkedIn, and professional networks.

·      Why trust and communication are the most important factors in choosing the right rep.

Glossary of Terms

Owner’s Representative (Owner’s Rep): A consultant who represents the homeowner’s interests during the planning and construction process, coordinating with architects, contractors, and consultants.

Fiduciary Interest: Acting in the best financial and practical interest of another party — in this case, the homeowner.

Constructability: The ease or difficulty of actually building a design in the real world; owner’s reps often help address constructability issues.

Mock-Up: A sample or partial construction of a detail or finish used to test design intent, quality, or feasibility before full implementation.

Payment Application (Pay App): A request submitted by the contractor to the owner (often monthly) for payment of completed work.

Scope of Work: The detailed description of tasks, responsibilities, and deliverables expected of a contractor or consultant.

Contingency: A reserved budget line item to cover unforeseen costs or changes.

Certification (Owner’s Rep): Unlike contractors or architects, there is no national licensing or certification requirement for owner’s reps in custom homebuilding.

Conflict of Interest: When a person or company has multiple interests that could compromise their impartiality; owner’s reps are expected to avoid these to remain unbiased.

References (Owner’s Rep): Past clients who can confirm the owner’s rep’s experience and trustworthiness.

Resources & Links

·      Landmark Custom Homes – https://www.homesbylandmark.com

·      The Insider’s Guide to Custom Homes – https://TIGTCH.com

·      Email Rick: [email protected]

·      LinkedIn: Rick Bell

·      Instagram: @homesbylandmark