Usually a slow builder is a busy builder. A couple of weeks of silence between projects is common and, by itself, no red flag. Good builders and contractors tend to be swamped, working through a backlog and prioritizing the bigger-ticket jobs. So do not read too much into one slow reply. There is still a signal in it, though. How a builder communicates before a contract is signed previews how they will communicate once you are mid-project with money committed. A builder who is hard to reach while still trying to win your business rarely improves after they have it. Jeb has watched this play out for years, and it is why he will not refer clients to builders at all; responsiveness in that world is too inconsistent to put his name behind. So treat the slow reply as information rather than a verdict. Instead of chasing an unresponsive builder or trying to make yourself look more serious, lean on referrals from a trusted local agent who has actually watched these builders deliver. A builder recommended by someone with skin in your market is worth far more than one you have to pry a response out of. And a builder who ghosts you entirely before you have signed anything has already given you your answer.