Written by: Sam Isham
“Home should be an anchor, a port in a storm, a refuge, a happy place in which to dwell, a place where we are loved and where we can love.”- (A Yearning for Home, 2022)
Ashton has expressed the thoughts of every individual who can’t seem to find their ideal home. You can travel to the most beautiful places on the planet, but the serenity and tranquility of your own home can not be replicated elsewhere. Hence, for such people who need that something special in their home, this article provides some proven tips for buying a new construction home.
The sense of belonging to the place transforms a common building into a home. Our memories are spread through all corners, and each visit will revive the emotions of the first time.
While a home is second to none in its importance, it can sometimes be inadequate for our requirements. Resale homes are usually built following the requisites of the first owner, who may not have the same conditions as you. Thus, it might be difficult to settle in them.
The other option is a “construction home”- a personalized home that lets you feel every moment. Selecting a construction home can be a challenging process. A new buyer will have thousands of questions in their mind, and if they remain unanswered, the first few site visits will leave them with a weary head.
Are you on the lookout for buying a new construction home? Well, then this blog is a must-read for you. To help you, we”ll discuss eleven separate tips for buying a new construction home that is perfect for you.
Table of Contents
Invest In A Broker
If you have been to a construction site, you would have heard a sermon about how the site is a heaven to live in and a bargain for the price. Every sales representative for a construction site presents their property as the best place to live on the planet. Their description is often convincing enough to make the decision right away. However, the reality is often different.
The sales representatives are hired by the builders, and their main goal is to bring loads of sales. Hence, they will often hide the constraints or drawbacks of a location. A separate broker will provide you with an objective view of the builder’s reputation and the site.
Their market experience will also save you hours of search, and you can simply access a shortlist based on your budget and requirements. Indeed, among the tips for buying a new construction home, this one stands tall.
Prepare Your Budget For The List Price.
A home is a hefty investment, and it’s fair for buyers to expect a 10% discount through negotiations. However, price reductions aren’t always possible for construction homes. Builders often determine the construction price by adding some percentage of profits to their original costs.
They won’t be willing to cut down on their profits because doing it for a single customer will push down the prices for the entire locality, resulting in economic problems later on.
Usually, the prices of construction homes in a developing neighborhood will rise as time passes; the growth of the society attracts more buyers- a higher demand converts to a higher price. So
Ask For Add-ons
As it is said, “opportunities not taken are gone forever.” While you are at the builder’s office for the project discussion, it is better to request the free possible upgrades. Although the builders are reluctant to reduce prices for consumers, they will agree to free add-ons if the buyer asks for them. So add this rule to the tips for buying a new construction home: Ask, and you may receive.
Reading Terms Does No Harm.
If the 15 single-spaced double-sided pages look like unnecessary jargon that can be avoided, you are possibly inviting bigger problems for the future. A builder addendum will often be used throughout your dealings.
It contains a set of custom terms specific to your contract with the builder; nonetheless, it will also have some general terms implied for most contracts. When you have finalized your decision, you must go through each term one by one.
Most of them are written in basic language, so you won’t have difficulty interpreting them. Still, you should seek help from an attorney for any concerns.
Don’t Underrate Warranties.
Marlon la winter- public relations maven at Forbes- and his wife Ashley decided to shift from new york city to south Florida in an attempt to reduce their expenses before they welcome their first child. The first thing Marlon mentions about the pre-build homes in his new neighborhood was
“As we began looking at houses we knew that some of the older homes really need to be updated, specifically the kitchens.”- (Lauren, 2022)
Like all other objects, the shine of a house begins to fade away as time passes. It isn’t easy to maintain its original glory without regular repairs and maintenance. However, after a costly purchase, the buyers aren’t excited about adding another burden to their pockets.
So, they would just let the house stay as it is. But, intelligent buyers can easily circumvent the expense by using warranties. Although we might underrate warranties, they come in handy in providing you the financial ease for your house’s repairs. Therefore, when you are purchasing a home, keep a good check on the warranties of your builder.
Understand The Floor Plan
Buyers might be shocked to see a rectangular bathtub placed in their bathroom while they expected a round-cornered one as per the floor plan. But, they are readily requesting changes in the number of outlets after deciding on an eventual plan.
The floor plan is a mix of factors that may be modified while others are fixed. For instance, a construction home gives you the leverage to decide the interior of your house and everything that comes in it. However, the builder can accept a few requests to amend the exterior.
Usually, floor plans of a locality are standardized and approved by the building authority of the region. These plans are fixed and allow few trivial customizations. The builder may accept your plea for an exterior change, but that would require creating a new floor plan, acceptance by the authority, and thousands of extra dollars.
Good Things Take Time.
According to a Wikipedian extract, the Chichen Itza- in Mexico- took more than 400 years to complete. The popular Stonehenge took four times more time to complete. So, is it fair for you to expect your construction home to be ready tomorrow?
Well, I definitely don’t mean that your house would take an eternity to complete, but it will require four or five months before you can plan to shift. Every builder and region has a different time frame, which determines how long it will take for the construction to complete.
Usually, it takes about five months after the approval from the county and about four months from the lumbar drop.
Let The Broker Do The Talking!
How many times will you negotiate for a construction house in the next decade? Well, if you are a normal buyer, there is a fair chance that there won’t be a second time. Most of us are inexperienced about the builder tactics to lure the consumer into making wrong decisions.
They might often portray the choice to look in our favor, which is far from reality. However, we are too naive to understand the problem right away and may end up getting in trouble.
A broker is an experienced negotiator who deals with builders regularly and has a good understanding of the markets. They shall be able to spot anything fishy in the contract and may help us from potential harm.
You must accompany your broker to all of the meetings with the builders — one of the important tips for buying a new construction home. He or she will provide a reliable outlook on how things should go.
Perfection Isn’t Guaranteed.
Also valuable to know as part of the the tips for buying a new construction home is that realistically, it is impossible to create a perfect home that is perfect in both quality and design. You will often find a few things wrong; for instance, the paint quality in your kitchen may look unattractive, but there is little you can do.
The main problem with standardized construction is the tedious process of fixing and alteration. Although your builder might take your request to fix the problem, it will take him an eternity to make any notable progress in the job, mainly because of the paperwork involved.
Usually, the problems won’t be significant; the building authority inspects the construction at each stage, so any crucial weakness would have been fixed before the house is handed over. However, to keep your rights intact, you should still communicate your concerns to your broker and negotiate the terms with the builder about quick repairs for such problems.
Give Them Space
Yet among the tips for buying a new construction home to take to heart is that construction homes take time to build. Hence, if you regularly visit the site, the process might even be slowed. The workers usually stop working when they see visitors avoid creating any health hazards for them.
A visit in a while won’t do any harm, but with regular visits, you increase the frequency of the short labor breaks; thus, the construction is slowed, which eventually results in late delivery.
Even so, further among the tips for buying a new construction home is to communicate with the foreman regarding your concerns about the construction. Ask them your desired questions, and make sure that you are certain of what’s going to happen. Nonetheless, foremen are busy people, handling several constructions at a time; hence, you should avoid disturbing them regularly.
Don’t Be Shy In Asking For Leftovers.
A new home has a unique charisma. However, as time passes, you might see some problems occur. For instance, the granite counter in your kitchen may break, or a heavy object may damage the hardwood flooring.
Although you can fix these problems independently, finding the same textured granite or hardwood is difficult. Hence, the solution may fix the problem, but it won’t look as good as new.
Usually, builders will provide you with these leftovers without asking, but it is better to confirm than cry.
Hence, once the work is completed, you must ask the subcontractor to hand over any remaining paints, vinyl flooring, kitchen marble, and hardwood flooring.
Tips For Buying A New Construction Home – Conclusion
If you heed the tips mentioned, you should have a near a perfect experience with your new custom home. Of course tips for buying a new construction home is just that: tips. So, always try to understand what else is going on or changing and understand it as much as possible. After all, a new home is an important decision in anyone’s life, and they won’t like to get it wrong.
At SLiJR, we focus on providing you with high-quality custom building services built on your lot or we find a choice land for you. We understand the wishes of every individual differ; hence, our goal is to create an amazing home that fits all your desires. Unlike other builders, we work on the land of your choice rather than in crowded development settings.
I hope the tips were helpful for you; if you have any questions, queries, or comments, let us know in the comment section. Also, if you want to learn more, I have previously written another article about 6 tips for buying a new construct home that you must not ignore — you check it out here.
References:
- Lauren, A., 2022. Buyers Reveal What It’s Really Like To Buy A New Construction Home. [online] Forbes. Available at: <source> [Accessed 13 April 2022].
- Marvin J. Ashton. 2022. A Yearning for Home. [online] Available at: <source> [Accessed 13 April 2022].
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