Texas New Home Buyer Services
We provide buyer representation services for home buyers planning to build a new home or purchase a spec home from a builder in a planned community. If you are thinking about using us to buy your new home, it’s critical you tell this to the new home consultant or builder sales rep in the model home when you first visit.
Pre-Construction |
Construction & Closing |
— Identifying Communities --
Many cities will have several new home communities under construction simultaneously. Get help identifying which communities will best serve your needs based on floorplan price, HOA dues, proximity to work, schools, and a number of other factors. — Builder Brochure Mailout -- If you are out-of-state or need to visit many communities, a new home specialist can go to the communities on your behalf and get you a brochure of floorplans and builder incentives. These can then be mailed to you. — Evaluation of Builder Specials -- Builders in new communities will often offer builder incentives when a community firsts opens to generate buzz. You may also get incentives on the tail-end when builders are trying to sell their last few homes or lots. While thousands of dollars towards the design center for carpet and fixtures may sound good, it may not be the best deal if you’d prefer to have that money used some other way, like a finished bonus room that you’ll need down the road. Some things are cheaper to have built-in early, other items can wait once you’ve lived there awhile. — Floorplan Advice -- Get guidance on which features are great if you plan on living in the home long-term versus possibly selling in 5-7 years. — Design Center Selection* -- If you wish, a buyer agent new home specialist can attend your design center meeting to help you select all the finishes that will go inside your home. — Color Correction* -- Well, not really correction, but if there is a granite or brick color you are not sure about, but the builder has a model home on the other side of town, a buyer agent can go out and take pictures. — Floorplan Sign-off* -- Buyer agents will attend floorplan sign-off with your construction manager and/or new home consultant to be a second pair of eyes and ears on what plan, elevation, and features you select for your new home. Honest mistakes can and do happen. |
— Construction Photos* --
Seeing the various stages of your home under construction can be very exciting and stressful. Having an archive you can later go back to is always helpful. “Can’t remember if there was a pipe behind a certain wall;” don’t worry you’ll have a photo to know. — Walk-Thrus* -- There are typically two walk-thru meetings you will do on your home to ensure it is the right plan and elevation. A buyer agent can attend both meetings to help identify any issues. — New Home Inspection -- Most reputable home builders will give a 1-2 year warranty on the home appliances and structure. If you choose to have your own home inspection, your buyer agent can coordinate getting an inspector out there and attend that meeting with you. — New Address Mailout -- Let your agent tell your friends and family you’ve moved. They can send out postcards on your behalf with your new address. — Post Closing Reminders -- Closing shouldn't be the last time you see your new home buyer agent. Get reminders and tips to manage and maintain your new home. |
* Not all services are available in every city in Texas. Please ask your agent what they will provide during your free 1-hour consultation
FAQ
Q: ARE YOU A BUILDER?A: New Home Counsel is not a builder. We work with buyers to help find them the right builder in a new home community and provide value added services throughout the construction process. If timing is quick, we help buyers find a new inventory home (i.e. a home built by a builder for no specific owner). In certain cases (if distance is too far), we work with new home buyer representatives in our private network to refer customers who would like similar new home services that we provide.
Q: WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PRICE OF A NEW HOME (NEW BUILD, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED) IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH VS. HOUSTON?A: If you want to have a good selection of communities to choose from, you will need to buy in the $350K range. Hot markets like Plano and Frisco will command higher prices starting around $400K. The minimum sales price you should expect will be $220K. While you may find new construction for as low as $180K, these won’t be from top builders, and they won’t be in communities that have amenities like a pool and clubhouse. Houston is generally slightly less expensive than Dallas when it comes to housing. Dallas has been getting a lot of national attention and major corporate relocations like Toyota North America in 2017. This has driven housing up. While Houston has its fair share of higher end cities like Sugar Land, Bellaire, and The Woodlands, you can get a very nice house for $275K in a good neighborhood.
Q: WHY DO YOU FOCUS ONLY ON DALLAS AND HOUSTON?A: We have spent many years living and traveling between both cities on a regular basis so we know these markets better than other major cities in Texas. Our time in both cities has also allowed us to develop a strong list of new home specialists that we can refer buyers to that need representation.
Q: DO I REALLY NEED A REALTOR WHEN I’M WORKING WITH THE BUILDER REP?A: Yes, you do. Many builder reps/home consultants in the model homes wear many hats. They have hundreds of contracts to manage, check-ins on construction progress for every home, marketing to get more buyers to the community and more. These people do an amazing job, but can’t give you a personal concierge treatment for 9 months while your home is being built. Secondly, having an extra set of eyes helps everyone. Simple mistakes are made all the time and our services help catch those when they can often still be corrected.
Q: DOES NEW HOME COUNSEL WORK FOR THE BUILDER?A: New Home Counsel is the website name for services provided by Brian Wright, a Texas Licensed Real Estate Broker. If a buyer representation agreement is signed between Brian Wright and the potential new home buyer (client) then Brian is working for said client. All commissions to Brian are paid from the builder unless other arrangements are made between Brian and “client”. In cases where a potential home buyer is not in the immediate service area of Brian Wright, Brian Wright will refer the customer to another real estate agent that can offer similar new home services to the buyer. Brian Wright may receive a referral fee.
Q: CAN’T I SAVE MONEY IF I DON’T USE A REALTOR?A: As a new home Realtor, the agent can typically get paid 3% or more by the builder for helping the buyer through the home purchasing process. A certain amount of a builder’s budget is set aside for these commissions to agents. Sometimes buyers think that by not using an agent they can get the builder sales rep to knock 3% off the price of the home. While this may work with some small builders, it is not common practice and very risky. Marketing budgets are separate costs from the sales price. Builder reps just can’t dip into the overall marketing funds bucket to give you a better deal on your one home. Doing this would also cause problems for people who did use a Realtor to find their new home, as they would feel that they had overpaid for the house. To avoid these problems, builders tend to keep the price of the homes pretty fixed for a certain length of time. Choosing not to use a Realtor means you won’t get the money and you don’t have a second pair of eyes to help you see and think through major decisions.
Q: WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PRICE OF A NEW HOME (NEW BUILD, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED) IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH VS. HOUSTON?A: If you want to have a good selection of communities to choose from, you will need to buy in the $350K range. Hot markets like Plano and Frisco will command higher prices starting around $400K. The minimum sales price you should expect will be $220K. While you may find new construction for as low as $180K, these won’t be from top builders, and they won’t be in communities that have amenities like a pool and clubhouse. Houston is generally slightly less expensive than Dallas when it comes to housing. Dallas has been getting a lot of national attention and major corporate relocations like Toyota North America in 2017. This has driven housing up. While Houston has its fair share of higher end cities like Sugar Land, Bellaire, and The Woodlands, you can get a very nice house for $275K in a good neighborhood.
Q: WHY DO YOU FOCUS ONLY ON DALLAS AND HOUSTON?A: We have spent many years living and traveling between both cities on a regular basis so we know these markets better than other major cities in Texas. Our time in both cities has also allowed us to develop a strong list of new home specialists that we can refer buyers to that need representation.
Q: DO I REALLY NEED A REALTOR WHEN I’M WORKING WITH THE BUILDER REP?A: Yes, you do. Many builder reps/home consultants in the model homes wear many hats. They have hundreds of contracts to manage, check-ins on construction progress for every home, marketing to get more buyers to the community and more. These people do an amazing job, but can’t give you a personal concierge treatment for 9 months while your home is being built. Secondly, having an extra set of eyes helps everyone. Simple mistakes are made all the time and our services help catch those when they can often still be corrected.
Q: DOES NEW HOME COUNSEL WORK FOR THE BUILDER?A: New Home Counsel is the website name for services provided by Brian Wright, a Texas Licensed Real Estate Broker. If a buyer representation agreement is signed between Brian Wright and the potential new home buyer (client) then Brian is working for said client. All commissions to Brian are paid from the builder unless other arrangements are made between Brian and “client”. In cases where a potential home buyer is not in the immediate service area of Brian Wright, Brian Wright will refer the customer to another real estate agent that can offer similar new home services to the buyer. Brian Wright may receive a referral fee.
Q: CAN’T I SAVE MONEY IF I DON’T USE A REALTOR?A: As a new home Realtor, the agent can typically get paid 3% or more by the builder for helping the buyer through the home purchasing process. A certain amount of a builder’s budget is set aside for these commissions to agents. Sometimes buyers think that by not using an agent they can get the builder sales rep to knock 3% off the price of the home. While this may work with some small builders, it is not common practice and very risky. Marketing budgets are separate costs from the sales price. Builder reps just can’t dip into the overall marketing funds bucket to give you a better deal on your one home. Doing this would also cause problems for people who did use a Realtor to find their new home, as they would feel that they had overpaid for the house. To avoid these problems, builders tend to keep the price of the homes pretty fixed for a certain length of time. Choosing not to use a Realtor means you won’t get the money and you don’t have a second pair of eyes to help you see and think through major decisions.