You drive around the Frederick and Hagerstown area and see all those New Home Subdivision signs.  You pick up a brochure and see all the pretty floorplans and all the features you can customize.  And you think “Wow, I have to have a new house!”

New homes are great, that’s why I worked selling them. You get to pick your upgrades and features. You get a house that no one else has even lived in and is all shiny and new. You get to be part of the building process.  Yippee!!!

You also get to deal with the new home builder and their staff during the construction process, and sometimes you may not quite understand the questions they are asking, or what they are trying to explain to you.  You get to hear that there is no use in having a home inspection for new construction, I mean the house is new, what could be wrong?  Sometimes you get to let punch-out guys into your home for months after you’ve moved in because there is a problem that wasn’t fixed before closing.  I’ve actually seen new homes with rooms so full of nail pops that when the owner marked them for construction staff, the blue tape looks like you were plotting stars in the sky. Of course the builder fixed this, but it took persistence in reminding them again and again that it was not a normal issue. Home builders want to deliver a good product and do their best to do so, but sometimes there needs to be a little nudge to fix things that slipped past their watchful eye.

Some buyers get swept away with the NEW HOME EUPHORIA and don’t think about the big picture. Do you know which upgrades and features could be the biggest payoff in the end?   It’s more important to opt for the structural upgrades when building the house, then trying to do it at a later date. At a later date it is much easier to spruce up the cosmetic aspects of the house. So it’s a better idea to consider that bump-out or electrical wiring for overhead lights or fans, than it is to get that granite countertop when building.  You don’t know how many times people have been shocked when their home was complete and there were no overhead lights in the bedrooms! Yes, the model had them, but didn’t you see that $250 fan wiring option on the upgrade list? Buyers can sometimes be unclear on what are upgrades in the model and what won’t be making an appearance in your new home unless you shell out the bucks to make it happen.  Do you think you are getting those great 42′ maple cabinets in the kitchen? The huge soaker tub in the master bath?  The hardwood or ceramic floor in the kitchen?  The full-sized windows in your walk-out basement?  You better make sure…

Some people think that if they are buying a new house, then there is no need for an agent. That is not true. Having an agent when you are buying a new home will be an amazing help to you (and since I have worked with New Home Builders and I have worked for a New Home Builder so I know which questions need to be asked.) Do you have time to go to construction meetings, check on the progress of the house, touch base with the Mortgage Company, Title Company, Closing Company, Builder Representatives, and still have time to work a 40 hour week and spend time with your friends and loved ones?  Why would you even want to deal with all this stuff when you don’t have to! Speak with an agent, let them research Frederick and Hagerstown area homebuilders, come up with a short list that fit your needs, then go and visit the builders together so you can be properly registered.  Proper registration is important when working with an agent because some homebuilders will exclude your agent’s participation if they don’t go with you on the first visit and register you as a  client.  Then just pick out your home plan, exterior elevation, colors, features, upgrades, and then step back and let the your agent handle all the day to day stuff from there.

One day this week I had the joy of overhearing a fellow coworker speak of now former clients who decided to build a new home—without their agent’s help.  They rushed to the homebuilder and asked “well since we don’t have an agent that means we get a price reduction right?” The salesperson laughed them out of the office. 

PS. You should ALWAYS get a home inspection, regardless if the house is new or not!!