I can get a better price by dealing with the builder direct. Sounds reasonable, after all, with one mouth to feed, there's more money
to go around? Well, like many things that seem reasonable, once you dig deeper the situation changes.
Builders, we're talking Houston area multi-home builders not one-off spec builders, are very concerned about the price for which
they sell their homes. Selling for less makes the original buyers very unhappy and that often comes back to haunt the builder, even
in future projects. Builders will do almost anything to keep the prices up. That's where your opportunity is.
Builders must maintain the feeling of fairness and value. Fairness keeps everyone happy. Feeling that someone else got a better
deal makes people very unhappy. Houston neighbors talk! Keeping value is important. If appraisers sense softness in price, they
will appraise at the lowest common denominator. This hurts the loan market and the word gets out and potential new home
construction buyers will insist on buying for less.
So where's your share? It's not in the price. There are ways to get a good deal from a Houston new home builder. It requires
negotiating and knowing what's important to the builder, that's where having an experienced agent will benefit you.
It's a new home! I don't need a home inspection. Another reasonable supposition, after all, the Houston home builder has to
provide a ten-year warranty, right? Sure. Of course, if the builder goes out of business, that warranty isn't worth much. New home
construction warranties are only as good as the Houston builder’s ability to stay in business over the length of the 10 year
warranty that accompanies the new home.
But that's not the point. A new home is a very complex and detail integrated process. There are hundreds of thousands of parts
that go into a house. It is beyond expectation that all those parts will be put together properly. An axiom in real estate is that a new
home takes 12-18 months to shake down.
O.K, fine, you say. So what is a Houston professional real estate inspection going to do for me? After all, that's another $250-$350
out of my pocket.
Fair enough. Here's the ticket. A renown located but well regarded Houston builder had framed a house, put in the plumbing and
had the floors laid, tile, in the master bathroom. One of the workers for the tiling sub-contractor had cleaned out his grout bucket in
the toilet. Get the picture? The grout had gone deep into the pipes and solidified. The first time the new owner used the toilet, it
overflowed. Plumber couldn't fix it. The builder took several months to come around. Then, they had to pull up the tiling, remove
the toilet, grind through the concrete slab, this is Texas—no basements, new Houston houses are built on concrete slabs, replaces
the pipes, pours new concrete, fits the toilet back then re-tile the bathroom floor.
Do you think the new home owner was somewhat put out about this? A simple home inspection would have revealed this problem
and the builder would have fixed it before the home buyer closed on and occupied the property. Why? Because the buyer wouldn't
have paid the builder the rest of the money until it was fixed.
That's the point of hire and independent third party professional real estate inspector to perform a thorough home inspection. It
provides you, the buyer, with leverage over the builder. This leverage is crucial to not only having problems fixed in a timely matter,
but it is also a new negotiating point.
Before you move into your new home, the builder will ask you to do a walk-through. We recommend always having the home
inspected prior to your walk-through. We provide you with a detailed 30-35 page home inspection report that includes thorough
descriptions of your new home’s deficiencies with detailed digital photographs. Forward this report to your Houston new home
builder ASAP where they can begin repairs immediately. We also recommend bringing a printed copy of the home inspection
report with you to discuss repairs already made prior to the walk-through and items still requiring repairs. The builder will ask you
to sign-off on the walk-through. Wouldn't it be nice to have everything fixed before you move in? Having construction workers
tramping through your new home while you are getting settled in is not conducive to pleasant living. It can be a dusty hassle.
Beginning to see the value of a good home inspector when you’re buying a newly constructed Houston home?
Give ATEX Inspects a call if you are ready to buy and what your new home inspected right the first time at 281-216-1171. Even
better, contact us when you first decide to buy a new construction home and ask us about performing a full-home new construction
phased home inspection. A phased inspection started when the plans are made, during the complete new home construction
phased inspection we perform a thorough inspection of the home during its three primary building phased: Pre-pour or pre-slab,
pre-sheet rock and final or finished home inspection.
CONTACT US TODAY BY PHONE AT: 281-216-1171 OR EMAIL AT: robert@atexinspects.com
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