Sacramento Real Estate Views

“Do I Need A Realtor To Buy A New Home?”

Your Questions Answered!

When I check my statistics, “do I need a Realtor to buy a new home?” is one of the most prominent search terms that people find me for.  I wrote an article in September about this very topic but I thought I’d cover it again as it is an important question.

The answer boils down to one of trust.  Who can you trust to ensure you get the best representation and the best deal possible on your new home?

This question is easy to answer and I will explain why it’s important.  Right now, it’s easier to get a good deal in new homes than in resale homes.

Who Represents Who

When you buy a home without a Realtor, you have no one, essentially, who represents you.  You will be asked to sign a form that says that the new home consultant represents the seller, the builder, exclusively.

This leaves you to hire an attorney if you need clarification on the contracts because the new home consultant shouldn’t clarify them for you.  That said, if they did, would you be completely confident in their interpretation being that they represent someone else and don’t have a fiduciary responsibility to you?

This is similar to taking the advice of an attorney that represents someone you’re involved in lawsuit with.  Though not the same, the analogy is relevant.

You might be spending upwards of $400,000 for a home.  Why not get representation from someone who does this everyday and has established relationships with most of the builders in the area?

Professional Sales People

When I take a client into a new home community, I let the sales consultant do most of the talking.  The reason for this is that they know their community and product better than I do.  Additionally, I’m looking for anything they say that might not be accurate.  Although I’m a resale Realtor, I spent a year working for one of the largest home builders in the nation, Pulte Homes, Inc.  I’ve been through their sales training which is some of best training in SALES that I’ve ever had.

The goal of the new home sales consultant, the good ones anyway, is to move you from visiting to buying if you’re capable of doing so.

It can be intimidating to enter a community to be descended on by their sales consultants.  Going with a Realtor you trust has your best interests in mind can insulate you from the sales pitch so that you may comfortably view the models without feeling pressured.

Warranties & Construction Standards

Because I spent a year as a new home sales consultant, I got training on how the warranties work and also the construction standards used by the most reputable builders in the nation.

Largely, in California anyway, the construction standards don’t vary much builder to builder as long as you’re going with nationwide company.  That said, attempting to get a sales consultant to clearly explain the features of their homes to you could be difficult.

I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to the detail information about how these homes are constructed and their features.  I can easily explain the construction standards of most of the builders in our market to you clearly and easily.  Although they do add new amenities frequently, the basics are what’s most important.

The Most Important Reason to Use Me

My experience in new homes and how they are priced is the most important reason to allow me to represent you in your new home purchase.  This is my value add, so to speak. I know how to get you the best deal possible. There is a technique to it and it’s not that hard if you know what to do and how to handle it.

Additionally, it costs you absolutely nothing for my representation.  The builder pays me a referral fee for bringing you in and you pay nothing.  With that in mind, there is no reason not to let a Realtor, me or any other Realtor for that matter, represent you in a new home purchase as long as you trust them to be of service to you.

Can you buy a new home without a Realtor to guide you?  Sure you can but why would you.  To do so changes nothing.  You get free representation and someone with experience in new home sales to bounce questions off of.

Will I Get a Better Deal Without A Realtor?

It is a myth that builders will give you a better deal if you come without a Realtor.  Not once while I was working in new homes did my sales manager say that.  If the market were different, they wouldn’t cooperate with us at all.

I get emails every week from new home consultants offering me deals on homes they are selling that they would never tell a buyer walking in off the street about.  This site has many articles about deals in new homes that the builders don’t openly advertise.  I just got one while writing this from William Lyon Homes in Whitney Ranch, Rocklin.

So if you’re looking for a new home in the Sacramento area, give me a call.  I can help you as I have many others in the past to find the perfect home.

Thanks for visiting!

No related posts.

Tags: new homes rocklin roseville

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 12:07 pm and is filed under Your Questions Answered!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Ravinder Tulsiani (Family Budget Blog) said at December 2nd, 2011 at 6:53 am

   Ravinder Tulsiani (Family Budget Blog)…

   [...]Do I Need A Realtor To Buy A New Home? | Sacramento, Rocklin & Roseville Real Estate Views | Sacramento, Rocklin & Roseville Homes[...]…

Leave a Reply