BUYING NEW CONSTRUCTION

Are you ready to buy a home and considering going in the route of new builds? It may seem like an easy enough process, where you get to call the shots of how you want your dream home to be, but there is a lot of risk when it comes to new construction if you are going in blindly. Its unfortunately not as trouble free as wed like to hope, if you dont have the right representative by your side to help with the things that need to be looked out for from a professionals eye. Below, well dive into the many reasons you need a professional buyers agent representing you in the sale. They are, after all, on your side. And its their role to ensure you arent taken advantage of by the builders and their representatives in the transaction. 

HIRING THE RIGHT BUILDER. The most important part of finding an agent is having a professionals perspective to finding a builder with a great reputation and to fit your needs. You get to benefit from your agents network of vendors, lenders, and home builders. They have the industry expertise to connect you with a builder that matches your needs, and more than likely, have already had experience with the builder with a past client. Or, if they havent worked with a builder you want to use directly, they can gather person-to-person recommendations from other agents to know the expected experience with said builder. They will help you find one, that not only delivers exactly what their clients want, but in a timely fashion and n the price range you need. Another perk to being represented by The StarCoast Team is that we have on staff a residential home builders engineering phase inspector. She advises us who does what, how things happen behind the scenes, and what to look out for. She knows many of the construction managers personally so she can provide an invaluable amount of knowledge not accessible to other Realtors.

THE RIGHT LOT IN THE RIGHT NEIGHBORHOOD. The lot you choose to go with in a new build can either be a positive to your new home, or detrimental. In the excitement of the process, we tend to overlook important features of a property. Its important to have a professional to ensure you make a purchase that will best serve you. Theyll be able to find a neighborhood that best fits your lifestyle and a lot that has a location that works for you. Whether youre single with pets, or a family with children, the lot type and location can really make a huge impact. Especially when it comes time to selling it in the future. These are important things your agent will be able to help walk you through, so your decisions work in your favor in the long term, as well as now.

HANDLING CONTRACTS AND PAPERWORK. Depending on the builder, your agent may handle the contract and all of the paperwork or the builder may. Your agent will be sure to review it to ensure that it is in your best interest. They will be able to help you break down the best loan types, purchasing processes, and steps to take that benefit YOU, not the builder. They are, after all, working for you. Theyll make sure there are no overlooked terms in a builders contract that could end up hurting you after you move in or even during the building process. You want to make sure you have a professional who is experienced with the paperwork and contracts and knows how to make revisions that work in a way that makes you happy. 

NEGOTIATIONS. It is imperative in the purchasing process to have an agent that is able to represent you and negotiate for you. The building process is so much more than having the builder put in your favorite counters and floors. They will be able to get you a price that actually benefits you - not the builder. They will be able to run a comparative market analysis to ensure you are paying a fair price for the property. In many cases your agent can find what recently sold in that neighborhood to see what, if any, reductions were given the buyers. This gives you great negotiating power to save money on your purchase. Without professional representation you have no idea if anything the salesperson is telling you is true. And you surely dont want to end up overpaying for the home - it could put you in a tough spot when it comes time to sell. Theyll also be able to negotiate terms around building time frame, closings costs, and so many other aspects of a contract that you may otherwise overlook. 

BUILDERS AGENT REPRESENTS THEM, NOT YOU.  When I called the builders representative a salesperson, this is what I meant. It may seem easy just to pop into an office of a new build and use the onsite agent. But keep in mind that this agent works FOR the builder, NOT for you. They are a salesperson, not a licensed Realtor with a fiduciary to their clients. So they will be working to make sure the builder gets the best deal at the end of the day and possibly a bonus for themselves. By having professional representation of your own, you can ensure there is someone on your side that can walk you through the process and avoid being taken advantage of during the transaction. They will also have a better handle on things when you hit bumps along the way. If you end up working with a builder who isnt holding their end of the deal, they will have the power to make connections that typically dont receive call backs.