How to Buy a New Construction Home in Charlotte
How to Buy a New Construction Home in Charlotte
So you’re considering buying a home but think how am I ever gonna find one? There are no existing homes on the market. We’ve all heard the horror stories of endless bidding wars just to still end up without the home of your dreams. The answer that more and more folks are coming to is to buy a new construction home.
But where do you even start?
We have a whole series of tips for new-home buyers. But for now, let’s just talk about a couple of the things that make buying a new home different.
#1 THE SEARCH
It’s not like searching for an existing home where you can jump on a million different sites and see every home that’s on the market! You’ll likely have to go to each individual builder’s website and search for communities in the area that you’re interested in.
On our site, we’re building out a database of all the top-selling communities in CharlotteDiscover New Homes. It’s not 100% of all the communities yet, but it’s getting there. Tools like this and agents who are connected to the new construction world are going to be your best bet to easily finding the right builder for you.
It’s not impossible to find a new construction home in Charlotte on your own, but working with an experienced agent makes the search so much quicker and easier.
#2 WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET
Those builder model homes have so many upgrades in them. When I worked for builders, I designed and opened dozens of model homes and almost all of them had $50,000 to $100,000 worth of options.
Ask questions about what’s included in the base price. Compare standard options to the upgrades that you see in the models so that you don’t get disappointed when you realize how much extra it’ll cost to make your home look like the one in front of you.
#3 THE BUILDER CONTRACT
Builders use their own contracts made by a team of attorneys. Some are like 80+ pages long, that’s a lot of opportunities for confusion or misunderstanding. And these are not your standard real estate contract forms.
Take the time to review the contract prior to signing it. Make sure your agent explains it to you so you know what you’re getting into.
#4 OH YEAH, YOU HAVE TO BUILD A HOUSE
Just like existing homes, there are VERY few finished new-homes that are ready for you to move into. You’re likely gonna have to build it from the ground up.
You’ll go to a design center to make selections. Meet with the builder to confirm those selections before construction begins. There will be pre-drywall meetings, homeowner orientations, final walkthroughs, and your weekly drive-bys just to check in on your future home.
There are dozens of contractors building your home. Thousands of parts and pieces. Something will go wrong, but it will end up being okay. Be patient. The builder will make it right for you. You might not think so at the time, but they want you to be happy.
If you have questions or want to dig into the other categories of buying a new-home, give us a call!
