Things to Know Before Buying a New Construction Home

Earlier this year, Hubby and I relocated to a new state for his new job. Coming from a small, old house, we knew we wanted something larger and newer. We finally settled on a brand new, new construction home and we are so happy with our decision. Buying a new construction home is actually really different from buying an existing home. Here are some tips for anyone buying a new build!

It’s not totally finished by the builder

So, there were quite a few things that Hubby and I had to provide to finish the home. We knew that most new construction homes don’t come with blinds, so we were prepared for that purchase. But, I will say we were a little shocked at the price of blinds. What we didn’t prepare for were toilet paper and towel holders. Luckily this was a more budget-friendly purchase, but it was something I had not even thought about.

They will not negotiate on price

I’ve learned that most builders will not negotiate on price very much, like most other sellers. What builders will do is work with the buyer on upgrades. We were able to get stairs added on to our deck for free, which was nice. Other things we upgraded were added to the price. If searching for a new construction home, I’d suggest searching only in your budget, since the price won’t go down.

Trash will be coming into your yard for months

If there is other construction going on, you’ll likely see trash. I’ve witnessed workers just throw trash down on the ground instead of disposing of it, and the wind blows a ton of that trash into my yard. We also constantly have mud, gravel and construction debris all over our street and sidewalks. We know that once the construction is over, most of this will clear up, but for now it’s a little irritating.

The earlier you pick a house, the easier it is to make changes

There were some things we wanted to change to our home, but the builder was too far along in the process, and it would have cost us a lot more money to change it. If we had asked earlier, it might have been easier. Things like the placement of the microwave and the treatment of our counters were on our list of possible changes, but since our kitchen island and cabinets were already installed, we would have had the builder remove everything and start over.

You can take cash instead of plants

We got some really random plants that the builder put in, but our neighbors just took the cash or a discount on the house, and bought their own plants. Honestly, their plants look way better than ours. If we knew that was an option, we would have done the same thing. I knew I wanted hydrangeas by my front porch, so now I’ve got work to do by removing and replacing plants.

You need to inspect it very thoroughly before you close

Most likely you’ll get a chance to walk through the home with a home warranty representative and point out things you notice are wrong. Be warned, the representative’s job is to bring back the least amount of work for the builder. So, you’ll point out a crooked tile, or a patch of paint missing, and she’ll wave you off. Trust me, this process is super annoying and frustrating. But, if you make a big enough issue out of things, they’ll add it to the list. I am a pushover by nature, and wish I was more assertive here. Honestly, this lady scared the crap out of me (she was a BITCH) so I tried to keep my mouth shut. Well, it turns out we have a staple going through our wood floors, but we didn’t notice until after we moved in. If we had seen that ahead of time, we would have made a big deal about it, and it would have been fixed. So, take note of everything that looks wrong, and stand up for what you want fixed.

Your agent is your ally

Like with any real estate transaction, listen to your Realtor. They have your best interest in mind and are here to fight for you and your family. If they’re a good Realtor, they’ll work hard to make you happy, not just because they want the best for you, but because they want referrals and repeat clients. So, they’ll do their best to help grow their business, too. Also, if it’s not working out with your Realtor, get another one. We had to do that for our buyer’s agent, and it was a great decision.