Ball State

» Schumacher homes

By China at 9:47 PM

My aunt works for a home builders company so last summer and the summer before I worked in their office doing secretary work on and off. I answered phones, filed papers, did computer work and organized some of the material, like the sample counter tops and the door knobs. Downstairs were the offices where I spent half of my time. Upstairs was a whole different story though. When you walked up the stairs from the offices, its like you're looking at a catalog of brand new houses. Everything you see is new and shiny. There are rooms full of just toilets of different styles and colors. There is a room that has different woodwork all over it and one that is filled with completely different tiles from floor to ceiling.

Mainly I spent my time downstairs doing office work or talking to clients on the phone, but every once in a while I would get to do tours upstairs and show people around the fake rooms. It was unbelievable how much husbands and wives or even parents would argue over the littlest things. The detail on a doorknob would send someone running out the door after their spouse in tears. We would have to wait until they calmed down and bring them back in and explain to them their options. Not everyone though was new to home building. Some couples would come in time after time as a hobby. These people would stay for hours in the show room just comparing tiny details and coming back week after week. They were more fun to talk to because they knew what they were getting themselves into and enjoyed every part of the process. My favorite people were the ones that just came into browse. They were curious about everything and the first few weeks on the job, I got to shadow people giving the tours so I learned so much from both the tour givers and the ones that asked a million questions.

Because the company I worked for was a complete home building business (they did the building, decorating and also the financial aspects) I got to learn a lot from being there just for the summers even. I know that so much work goes into building a house. There is a time frame (that usually isn't followed very strictly) and so many decisions that have to be made from the cost of the entire project down to the tiny doorknob details. I'm glad that I got this experience because I think it has prepared me for the future when I'm ready to either buy or build my own home. I think I will be able to enjoy the process more than a lot of the couples I have seen come by.