Building your Dream Home should not be a Nightmare!
Surround yourself with experience professionals….Building a New Home or Buying a New Construction is exciting and scary at the same time. Having guidance from professionals along the way can help you to avoid mistakes and save you dollars. While scoping out newer developments there are many more things to consider than just the floor plan and design choices. New developments may have street assessments, HOA fees, and other things to consider when projecting the budget. These added costs are sometimes offset with the energy efficiency a new home offers with lower utility and living costs. As your Realtor we will guide you through the steps by gathering information about the development, the building specifications, loan options, and community information important to you when making your decision.
With new construction, negotiations are limited as the builders basically go by the costs to build and cost of carrying the home financially. So purchasing a home earlier on in the construction period may translate into a better deal for both the buyer and the builder as the builder maybe able to pass along savings to you, instead of paying interest on the construction loan. When a buyer commits to purchase earlier in the process the builder maybe able to give the buyer options to select flooring, lighting, finishes and paint colors. Developers in new additions avoid bending on price because buyers already in the area expect new construction to be comparably priced to new builds that have already sold plus building costs rarely go down.
In situations where a builder won't budge on price you may find they may be open to other incentives, such as allowances towards buyers closing costs, landscaping allowance, adding a deck or patio, hanging closet shelving, adding doggy doors, or other extra installations that are done during the building process. If saving money is your focus and you are able to finish installing closet shelving and other finishing touches you may offer to take care of those items or upgrades and asking for a price reduction for those items.
When buying a new build I recommend getting a list of the subcontractors and verifying the builder and subcontractors are reputable, licensed if required, and make sure your contract includes verbiage indicating the home will be built to the Minnesota Building Code requirements . This gives you a guide and the contractors appreciate the level of expectations of all parties. Ask the builder who is acting as the “General Contractor” as there needs to be someone that is knowledgeable in overseeing the build and communicating between the suppliers and the subcontractors.
Lenders offer a special loan product known as a Construction Loan that is specific to your new home building needs which may require no payment until the home build is complete or it may require interest only.. I recommend connecting with a lender experienced with home construction, checking with your lender for options they may be able to personalize to your need. Iif you do not have a lender I can recommend one.
Whether the area your new home is in requires building inspectors or not, we highly recommend you get a home inspection sometime prior to closing. The home inspector is working for you to walk through and see the items are completed, using the Minnesota Building Code as their guide. Although many builders and their subcontractors do not want issues or disgruntled home owners it best to be a responsible buyer, communicating your expectations, asking for clarifications, and understanding the process. A home inspection walk through gives you the opportunity to create a punch list of items for the builder to complete before you move in, making sure the home and property meet your satisfaction in accordance with the agreement. Since an inspection is relatively inexpensive, some new home buyers may also consider a follow up inspection after being in the home for 10 or 11 months - that way, the builder can make the repairs before a 1 year warranty expires.
When you take all the right steps to understand the process and surround yourself with professionals you can count on, this will allow you to have some fun picking out the paint colors, flooring, cabinets, lighting and decorating your home with your personal design choices and enjoying your new home for years to come.
Our #1 objective is to assist you throughout the process in making your dream home a reality! I would be honored to find the builder and property that checks all the boxes on your dream home list, feel free to connect today text or call : 507-458-6110 Email: semnhomes@gmail.com