A number of reputable national and local builders are building new homes in Coppell, Frisco, Southlake, Flower Mound, Plano, Grapevine, Keller, Irving and McKinney in Texas. Some of these builders include:
Grand Homes
David Weekly
D.R. Horton
Meritage Homes
Lennar Homes
Darling Homes
Plantation Homes
Standard Pacific Homes
CalAtlantic Homes
Cambridge Homes
Holmes Builders
Purchasing a new-construction home is different from buying a resale home. Here are some tips and items to keep in mind if you are interested in purchasing new construction.
Before starting search for a new home understand that most builder prices are influenced by the following:
Location
Cost of the land
Size of the home
Cost of the building materials
Labor costs
Real estate market conditions
Builder impact fees
So, in most cases, the factors that you can control are location and size of the home when you are trying to stay within a budget. Most of the other factors are macro factors outside your control. Read the following to understand a few more things that can help you with your new home purchase.
1. Find the right real estate agent.
Purchasing new construction is usually more complicated and intimidating than buying a resale home. It is important with a new-home purchase that a buyer hire a real estate agent to represent them in this process. This agent should be a local expert and have experience with newly constructed homes. Builder contracts and the building process is different from what most real estate agents deal with on a daily basis, so having new construction experience is important.
As a real estate agent who specializes in an area with a lot of new construction, buyers ask me all the time if they can use a real estate agent when they are purchasing new construction. The answer is yes.
In general, builders’ model homes are staffed by agents who work directly for and represent the builder. A buyer also needs to have a real estate agent who represents them and looks after their best interests.
Keep in mind that most builders will require that the real estate agent accompany and register the buyer on their first visit to the builder’s model home or community. Make sure that you don’t just “stop by” the new-home community without your realtor. If you do, you could lose the opportunity to have your own representation.
2. The best time to buy.
A lot of the national builders are publicly traded companies. They need to meet sales goals and answer to the shareholders of that company. For that reason, toward the end of a quarter, builders tend to be more aggressive with their incentives in order to meet these sales goals.
The December holiday season is another great time to buy. Most of the country is out shopping and traveling to see family. Very few people shop for homes this time of the year. For that reason, ’tis the season to find some great incentives to purchase a new home.
3. Builder list prices.
Surprise — builders don’t like to reduce their prices. If they do, it sets a precedence for future home sales. Builders are more likely to pay for closing costs or offer design center incentives than to drop their prices.
Builders are not like regular sellers. They are not emotionally attached to the property. They make decisions based on what is best for their bottom line. There is something known as the time value of money, which means that money available at the now is worth more than the same amount of money later.
What does that mean practically? It means that every day a builder has a home that is sitting for sale on the market, they are losing money. Look for builder inventory homes that have been on the market for 45 days or more. These are the homes in which a buyer might be able to get a good deal if you are working with a good realtor who can negotiate on your behalf.
4. Builder pays the buyer agent commission
Some new-home buyers think that if they do not use an agent for their purchase, the builder will reduce the price of the home by the amount of the commission. For the most part, this cannot be further from the reality. Builders do not want to reduce their prices because it sets the comparison price for future home sales in that neighborhood. Builders instead add the commissions paid to a buyer’s agent into the marketing budgets of the homes. If a buyer goes to a new-home builder without a real estate agent, either the builder’s agent or the builder will pocket that money.
5. Get everything in writing.
Getting everything in writing seems obvious, but the builder’s agent says during a showing of a new-construction home. If something said is important to the buyer, get it in writing.
The majority of larger builders will have lengthy, attorney-written, intimidating-looking purchase agreements that cover all the pertinent details of the new-home purchase. Ensure you read through and are familiar with the purchase agreement. This is where a realtor will be your advocate.
6. WYSIWYG.
Is that a typo? No, it is an acronym for “what you see is what you get.” Or, in this case, what you see is not what you might get. A builder model home might not be a good representation of what comes standard with the home.
Often the model home is a high-end version of the standard home. It is the builder’s showcase home and a way for the builder to show off many of the stellar upgrades it can offer. The builder hopes a buyer will like these upgrades and ultimately add them to the purchase of the home. In general, these upgrades have good profit margins for the builder.
When touring the model home, find out exactly what options are standard, what options are available, and, of course, what any additional options will cost.
Each builder will have their own set of standard items that come with a house. A standard item for one builder might be an upgrade for another.
7. Purchase the builder’s model home.
Purchasing the builder’s model home can be an excellent deal. Remember, these homes are the showcase homes for the builder. The builders have packed great upgrades and features into the model. Typically when the community is almost complete, the builder will put the model home up for sale. Be on the lookout for them.
Technically, these model homes are new homes because no one has ever lived in them. These homes have served as an office and have had hundreds of prospective buyers walk through and view them.
The one downside of buying the model home is that the buyer generally does not get to pick the floor coverings, the color of the paint on the walls, the kitchen cabinets, appliances or any fixtures. In many ways, it is like buying a professionally designed resale home.
These gently used model homes are typically a pretty good deal. These homes tend to sell for market value and have the showcased upgrades.
8. Research the builder.
Not all builders are created equal. Do your homework, and get to know the builders, their reputation and what they offer. To get an understanding of the builder and what they offer, visit other communities the builder has built in, try to speak with past buyers and look for online reviews. Again, your realtor should be able to guide you about various builders.
9. Know the builder’s lender.
Builder’s love it when a buyer uses their preferred lender. In most cases, they will even offer some enticing incentives to ensure a buyer chooses the preferred lender. Even so, a buyer should not just automatically use this lender. You should shop around and find the best loan for you, not for the builder.
Depending on the incentives the builder is offering, using the builder’s lender might be an excellent option for a buyer.
10, New home warranty.
Make sure that you understand the warranty offered by your builder for your new home. Builders offer different level of coverage for different items. E.g. you may get 10 year warranty for structure of the home, 2 year warranty for plumbing and electrical and 10 years for windows. Read the fine print carefully and understand how to request warranty coverage.
Good luck, and enjoy your search for your new home. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions. If you would like to learn more about how you can save money when buying a new home, get in touch with me today to discover how you can receive a cash back rebate when buying a home through us!
About Us:
Are you a first time new construction home buyer in Frisco, TX? If so, make sure you take good note of the above market information. By taking into account these market statistics, buying your first new build home in Frisco TX will be much easier and less stressful! If you have not selected a top Frisco, TX Realtor to represent you in your home purchase, contact me, and I’d love the opportunity to interview for the opportunity to help find you your dream home!
If you are planning to relocate to Frisco TX area and are planning to explore areas like Plano TX, Dallas TX, Celina TX, Little Elm TX, McKinney TX or Prosper TX, contact us. Our excellent Frisco Real Estate Services provided by top Frisco Real Estate Agents will make buying your first home much easier and will make your Dallas TX relocation less stressful! Check out our Frisco Relocation Resources athttp://www.nitinguptadfw.com/dallas-relocation-real-estate-agent
When it comes to Frisco real estate tips and tricks, there are tons of great articles and content available for first time home buyers on our website.
Learn more about Frisco real estate market and Dallas news at
http://www.nitinguptadfw.com/blog/Dallas
