Don’t Visit New Construction Until You Do This One Thing!

Hi there, potential New Construction Home Buyer! I’m so glad you’re here. Full disclosure, I am a huge fan of new construction, and there is nothing quite like that new home smell. With that said, before you visit new construction make sure you do this one thing!

For those of you (like me) who have short attention spans and just want the answer, here ya go: Bring your agent.

In 2004  I purchased my first home. It was new construction and I got to pick out EVERYTHING, making it a true “custom build”. The base price started at $162,000 and required a $1,000 “good faith money” deposit, which I borrowed from my parents. The only thing I could afford to splurge on was a microwave that went above the oven making the final sales price $162,500 (which was my max budget).

I found the home that I would purchase online while still living in another state and did what anyone would do wanting more info in ’04: I called. As it turned out, I ended up speaking with a lovely lady who was an absolute delight to talk to. It wouldn’t be until much later that I found out who she was. Spoiler alert, she was the builder rep. This is not to be confused with YOUR rep (as the buyer).

The home was almost complete and no lies, I was IN LOVE with everything – except a few tiny details. Per the blueprints that we signed off on the garage was supposed to have an outside door leading to the backyard and the bonus room above the garage was supposed to have, you know, electricity, and heat. The problem: there was no door, no electricity, or no heat. So, I called “my” rep to fix the glitch.

This was right around the time when I realized that “my” rep was not my rep at all. She was the builder’s rep. Her job was to represent the builder and look out for the builder’s best interests. Not mine. In fact, despite all the paperwork I signed, I was not actually her client. I wasn’t anyone’s client. I was what Today Me would call an “unrepresented buyer”.

You do not want to be an Unrepresented Buyer.

So if you’re thinking of new construction, and before you take your next beautiful weekend day to start going to all those model homes, call your favorite real estate agent to go there with you! No, seriously. Call, text, send up smoke signals, whatever, just make sure you go there with YOUR representation.

Don’t have a favorite agent but still want to see the staged model homes and take home a bunch of glossy brochures? No worries, I can help!

Ready to get started? Let’s talk.