By Brooke Chaplan
Being the first person to own a newly-built home can be a source of immense pride and enjoyment. Having the chance to build a house to your exact specifications gives you a great opportunity to move into a home that you can enjoy for many years.
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As a potential buyer of a new home, there are some important things to keep in mind throughout the research and building process that will help make the process simpler. To help ensure you're fully prepared, here are four things homebuyers should know about new construction homes:
There Are Lots of Options
It's easy to miss when you walk through a completed home, but the number of options available when you're constructing a new home is staggering. If you're buying a home in a new development, you can simplify this decision-making process by choosing from certain pre-selected packages. Of course, you can choose each option individually, keeping in mind that this will take quite a bit of time and could result in an unexpected finished product if you don't have a decent handle on interior design.
There's Time Involved
New construction homes don't just pop up overnight. Most new homes take a few months to build, meaning you need to have a plan for where you'll live in the meantime. To be sure, the end result is more than worth the wait. It's important, though, to keep in mind that the waiting period will likely be longer than if you buy a pre-existing home. To help maintain your excitement, you can drop by the building site on occasion to check out the construction progress.
Home Warranties Are Encouraged
There's no doubt that home builders work hard to produce the best homes they can. However, that doesn't mean that a home warranty is not a smart idea, even when the home you're protecting is brand new. If one of your appliances should turn out to be a lemon, for example, you don't want to have to pay to replace it when you're already working hard to pay down your mortgage. Before you move into your new home, it's important to understand the warranties that are available to you so that you can take advantage of the options that are best for your situation.
It's Good to Have a REALTOR®
Even when buying a new construction home straight from the developer, it's a good idea to have a REALTOR® to represent you. A real estate professional can help make the paperwork process much easier and ensure that you've completed all the small details to make your transition into your new home far smoother. Plus, a REALTOR® will ensure that you're getting a fair price and you didn't miss any details that could turn out to be problems later on.
Even when the completion of your home seems a long way off, the reality is that moving into a new construction home is usually worth all the effort involved. Knowing that you're the first family to make memories in a home serves as a daily reminder of the hard work that has gotten you to this point. Plus, with the right planning in place, buying a new home can be as simple as buying any other home!
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, N.M. She recommends new construction homes. For more information, contact Chaplan via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan
This is a great list, especially #2. We want to complete your project as fast as possible too but the job also needs to be done correctly. There are many moving pieces to new construction and all of them have to line up in order to stay on schedule.
Overall a great write up. There are many aspects that go into new construction and communication is absolutely key.