5 Things You Must Know About Buying a New Home in Bryan or College Station
Posted by Chris Tesch on Wed, Jul 15, 2009
Buying a new home is a dream for many. To be the first to live in a home, picking out the colors, the countertops, the light fixtures is the College Station real estate fantasy for many. It does have it's advantages, but often comes with a whole host of disadvantages as well.
What you must know about buying a new home in Bryan or College Station
1) Many builders contracts give them the right to substitute material without giving notice to the buyer. You could find yourself getting T-11 instead of a Hardiplank or you may have seen a Jacuzzi brand tub in the model but find yourself getting a lower end tub.
2) The building process is frustrating, tiring and stressful. On a 300K plus home that a client was building I went in to find flat panel doors going to the garage and utility room. The defect was corrected after I lodged a complaint, but shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Minor things can seem like major items, doorbells put in areas that don't make sense (with the brick already adjusted for it by the time you see it), faucets installed improperly and other strange mistakes can be made. The builder is relying on his contractors to do it right and may only come by your house to check a couple of times a week.
3). The warranty given with your new home may only be as good as your builder. The builder may go out of business leaving you with no way to collect.
4). The 10 year structural warranty only covers "Major Structural Damage" which can be way more limited than you can believe. In most cases one of the criteria for the structural damage to be fixed is a condition that makes the home uninhabitable, unsafe, or unsanitary. All they are typically required to do in a new home warranty if it's not one of those three situations is to patch exterior cracks greater than 1/4" in size, and patch interior cracks greater than 1/8" in size. Look at a standard ruler and think about what cracks these sizes would appear like running down your walls.
5). Just because it's new doesn't mean it meets code or shouldn't have an inspection. Defects do happen with new homes. Don't rely on your builder to have caught sloppy workmanship on the part of the contractors. Buy a home without an inspection and you might find yourself doing costly repairs when you sell that home.
I've listed many homes that were bought directly by the client from the builder. When inspections come up anything from minor annoyances to major issues have shown up. It's a shame that those clients are left to clean up the builders mess.
How do you protect yourself when buying a brand new home?
Hire an agent that knows the market, the area of town you're building in (some areas have very difficult soils), and knows the builders and their reputations. There are hundreds of builders out there. You need to know how long they've been in business and whether they or a third party provide the warranties.
Always get a new home inspected by a highly qualified inspector. Yes, you may be wasting your money, but it's a lot better than getting blindsided when you go to sell your home. For more inspiration on this go to HomeGauges Report about defects found in new construction. It's an eye opening experience.
Yes, buying a brand new home can be a wonderful experience. In most cases you will love your new home for years and have few regrets (there will ALWAYS be some, like "why did they put that light switch here instead of there). With some precaution and the addition of a good real estate agent on your team your improving your odds greatly.