Check if the home builder you are interested in has any lawsuits. We almost went with a builder 20 years ago until we discovered he had many lawsuits filed against him for bad construction. After we passed on the project, Sandra Bullock successfully sued him for gross problems with her newly built but uninhabitable house in Austin, but I doubt she ever collected anything.
Generally speaking, the longer a builder has been in business, the better. Ask a few established realtors for their opinions.
When we did build, we regularly reviewed & confirmed that every invoice the builder received was paid & that its mechanic's lien was properly discharged. You can still be sued by the subs if your general contractor does not pay the bills even if you've paid the GC. This is especially important if you own the land being improved by a building project.