Do you need your own REALTOR® for a home build?

Hello, Renee Hahn, your Naples real estate expert, and today I wanna talk to you about if you are thinking about building a home, do you really need a realtor? It's a great question, and one that many buyers will ask when considering new construction. Because new construction usually has a salesperson built into the process, so why not just go to the sales office, sign your contract, be done with it? Well, there's a lot of things to consider, and while it might seem like going directly to the builder is the simplest route, Bringing your own real estate agent is one of the smartest moves you can make, and here's why. I'm gonna talk about a number of those things, and I will tell you, builders expect to deal with agents. In fact, I need to say this, whether you have an agent there to represent your needs or not, you're paying the exact same purchase price. They're not giving you a discounted sales price simply because you left your agent at home. So, you know, even more so, it's really kind of cost neutral to you worst case, and there might be some upside. So let's talk about representation. The sales agent at a builder's office works for the builder. In fact, they're oftentimes on salary. They may even get bonuses for being able to talk you into buying it. Their job is to get the best deal for the builder and not necessarily advocate for your interest. Your real estate agent, on the other hand, works exclusively for you, helping you navigate the process, negotiate terms, and avoid common pitfalls. Now, when you're dealing with Trac Building, what is track building. It's, you go into an existing neighborhood, they have A, B, C, D, E, F, G floor plans, you pick your lot. You're not going to control the, um, terms of the agreement. Those are canned, uh, construction contracts. And yes, most of them are there to benefit the builder, but having somebody who understands what, how the contracts work and some of the nuances that you need to be made aware of is really, really important. And I oftentimes, when I'm invited in to these discussions. It's not always at the very first point, right? It's not necessarily when they said, hey, I'd like to move to Naples, I may or may not be thinking about building a home, you know, what can you do? Those are the best case scenarios, right? Because I can early on provide value. But sometimes people will come to me and they'll say, hey Renee, there's this community of X and I'd like to go build a home there, can you help me? And what I will oftentimes say is, hey look, I don't want to take you back through rework where you've already done it, but I can't tell you how many times I've pulled back just for a second. I don't want to get in the way, that's not my purpose, but to say, hey, look, tell me a little bit about what other new build communities you've considered. What other areas have you been? How did you get to the decision of building in that community? Sometimes they've done the due diligence and they legitimately are looking to pick the best home in that neighborhood. Great, but I'll tell you, there's a lot of times when I go back through those backup conversations that we change course because they may have jumped to what they thought was the right answer right away without doing the due diligence to understand their options. So a good real estate expert understands what the options are, whether they're new builder or in some cases resale that may be better for you. They understand the different builders, and even national builders can have very different experiences locally. So having somebody guide you that, and then getting into the build process of making sure you're not only getting a good deal and a competitive deal, but as you go through and do things like making selections, you know, there is a piece that is very strongly weighted towards, "Please pick what you like," but there's also a piece of, "And if you like these two options, let me tell you why one may be a better resale decision than another." That's important to know during your selections. So I am very, very involved in guiding my buyers who ultimately, or even upfront, decide they want to build into the right build scenario and community for them while helping them make the right trade-off decisions along the way to making sure that the money that they're investing is protected when one day they have to go sell it. So when you think about most builders are already set up, in fact, I can't think of a single one where they aren't willing to pay agent commission. And again, they don't have price A for the buyer without an agent and price B for the buyer one. That cost is already baked into that, and you're getting the same build price whether you're buying with or without an agent. And a lot of times, because we agents are, are involved in deals, depending on the climate and what's going on, there are, there are markets where a builder is not going to give any incentive away, but there are markets where we get incentives. And if you don't know to ask for the right incentives or how builders can give those By the way, I'll tell you it's not going to be off the base purchase price, and I can have a longer conversation with you about that, but there are other ways that we might be able to bring you financially value— financial value that you may not even be aware of. But those builders understand and know that we have information from other deals, that we, we know what a good deal is, and we know what some of the incentives may be. So again, don't be penny-wise and a pound-foolish. It's like having a personal expert in your corner, and somebody else is footing the bill for that. So So keep that in mind. You also get expert guidance through the contracts. So builder contracts are not what you're used to seeing in a resale contract. It may look very different, and there are things you need to know about those contracts before you enter into it. Now again, I'm not gonna promise you that I can get a contract language changed, 'cause that's not gonna happen. They're not gonna change their language for one buyer. I don't care how influential you are, it doesn't happen. Their contracts are their contracts, and if you want to purchase through them, you'll sign them. But I can sure make sure— I can make sure that you understand some of the, the, the tension points, I'll call them, that happen in the contract so that you enter into that contract fully knowledgeable about what to expect, because I don't want you disappointed later. So a good agent can help you understand what you're signing and again, be able to point out some of what could be the hurdles that inevitably would happen without that guidance. They can also help you with options, upgrades, and incentives. I talked about this already, but someone with the expertise in the new construction will know which upgrades add values, which ones don't. They can also help you evaluate builder incentives, compare different communities, and steer you toward builders that have a strong reputation and stand by their product later. Because it's not just getting through the build process, it's making sure that that asset stays protected through the warranty period and whatnot. It's also an extra set of eyes on quality and a timeline. Your agent can help keep tabs on things like construction quality, milestones, delays. They can recommend independent home inspectors when you get to the final hour, and they're there to ask the right questions throughout the build process. Again, that's about protecting your asset. Even with new builds, there is sometimes room to negotiate when it comes to things like upgrades, timelines, closing costs, and a savvy agent knows when and how to push for more value. So the bottom line, even if you're building— excuse me— and there is a sales agent in that office, it is really important to know that you have the ability at no additional cost to you to bring in an expert who's there to to really look out for your best interest without any conflict. So buying new construction isn't as simple as just picking finishes and waiting for move-in date. A knowledgeable real estate expert can help you avoid surprises, keep things on track, and ensure that your interests come first above anyone else's. So if you're considering a new build or if you're just considering something in the area, you don't know whether it's going to be a new build or not. Allow me to help you sift through some of those big decisions. This is an important and an expensive decision that you need to make and an investment that you're making. So don't hesitate to reach out. Again, Renee Han, your Naples real estate expert. I can be reached at 239-287-2576, or you can find me on yournaplesexpert.com. I'm here for you, so take advantage of it. Look forward to working with you in the future.