Some questions on buying a new home

[farbet]

On this and other blogs we have been reporting on the realtors.Super Jennae realtor from Carlsbad etc It’s about time these builders are exposed.
I haven’t seen any real reductions in their prices have you?
Maybe someone who dealt with the buiders can give us an idea of what the real story is.

[Alex_angel]

The model homes do give you a bad representation. I remember looking through a model home and was in awe and when I walked outside saw the door open to a home that was just finished and decided to walk inside. It was night and day. I am not an interior decortor and realized no matter how hard I would try, I would never be able to get that plain home to look half as nice.

I do scoff when I see upgrades listed like

-brass door handle
-pewter spout in bathroom
-special cabinet handles etc…

Basically for me the key points that I would want the builder to put in would be

1. Nice cabinets
2. hardwood in certain areas
3. Kitchen sized correctly.

I would pass on the upgrade applicances since they are way cheaper.

[Alex_angel]

Why is replacing white appliances with stainless steel a full replacement and not an upgrade.

For example they will give you the white applicances but say to get the stainless fridge you must pay $3000. Wait a second, is that an upgrade or are you just paying full price?
I know that the price diff for the same fridge in stainless or white is not that much.

A friend of mine owns a home in carlsbad. The area where the fridge was put in was so oddly shaped that the only brand that would fit the entire cove correctly would cost $5000. Kind of crazy what these builders will do.

[Bugs]

Alex_angel has his critical thinking cap on. Good eye. These instances are not mere “oversights” nor are they coincidental. The options/upgrades operetta is as much a part of their marketing plan as the routine the car dealers use when they want to pack your car purchase with $2,000 or more of hidden spiffs.

By the way, another reason the builders want to do all the finishes is because they wouldn’t want you to see what the place looks like prior to them covering everything up. They have a cliche about that, the wording of which escapes me at the moment.

I have a brother-in-law who’s a building contractor. when he and his wife bought a new home he was walking through the house all through the construction process and noting the technical errors that were being made. He held that builder to correcting all those problems – they surely hated seeing him walk into their sales office because everytime he walked in he had a new list of fixits. Underneath the drywall and floorcoverings he probably has the best house in the subdivision.

Friends don’t let friends buy options and upgrades from builders.

[Author]

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