Buying A Home
carcrashheart
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Q about building
we're not really looking to do anything for awhile, but i would like to start gathering up some information so that hopefully in a year or so we can either buy or build (we have purchased and sold once before and are back to renting for the time being).
anyways, here's my stupid Q about building (not a custom build): am i correct to assume that the vague prices that are listed on home builder sites are basic models and that every upgrade you make is at your own cost? is there a way to know what those standard models are like?
Re: Q about building
DIY & Home Decor Blog
Yes, the prices listed are base prices.
The upgrades are a lot extra and they charge for crazy things too like an extra phone jack can cost $90. Extra wall outlets were $90 for us too.
Know your top amount you can AFFORD.
DH and I put in all the extras we wanted at the start of the planning phase and came in $20k over budget, then we began subracting them until we were at budget.
For example, we added a laundry tub in the laundry room and that ran us a few hundred dollars. We swapped to hardwood throughout the whole main level and that was multiple thousands. Upgrading carpet and pads is a sizeable cost. BUT you want to do this! Builder grade carpet is really, really awful.
If you and your DH are handy and like DIY stuff, you may want to build your own deck or patio and save money.
Also, if you are building in a new subdivision, try to build on a lot where the homes around it are already complete. Many times builders and developers go bankrupt and then you are the lone home of a certain style in a part of the neighborhood and another builder comes in and now your home sticks out in a funny way, either by size, materials used, or style, compared to the homes around it.
One thing to watch out for is the way doors in your floor plan open. The model homes typically have no doors on the hinges. Well you therefore cannot tell if doors will hit one another when they open. Especially watch for this in bathrooms and entry ways off the garage.
Remember that upgrades are sometimes negotiable too. We are talking to a realtor about building a new home as well. She said the best thing to do is go to several builders ( with your realtor of course) and price out the top upgrades ( as a general rule ask for the third upgrade). This will be your starting point. Do this with several builders and then go back and forth between them and see who can give you the best offer for what you truly want. This way you or your realtor can say "Well so and so builders down the street will give us vaulted ceilings, a fireplace and hardwood in the entry for the same price, can you do any better ?
Now, this doesn't always work. Sometimes they really don't negotiate the upgrades at all, but as PP mentioned, it can't hurt. I know of a few people that got great deals on upgrades when they built their home simply because they were good negotiators.
Also look for subdivisons that are closing out of all their lots. Sometimes they will give you a good deal just to get out of the subdivision. Another good thing to do is go to a builder of a new subdivision and negotiate before a display home is even up.
Again, these tactics don't always work. It depends on the location, your housing market and of course the builder themselves, but it doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.