The New Home Buying Process

There is a lot of excitement involved with buying a new home and a lot to think about to ensure the process is successful and your new home investment pays off.

Planning and consultations are the keys to this process. If you don't know, ask because it can be too late once a home starts construction.

Here are the suggested basic steps involved in buying a new home.

Lender-Approval So You Know Your Borrowing Capacity

Learn your borrowing limits. Understand that building requires up to a year in some cases, so you may want to inquire about an interest rate lock. You have the option to use your ARG New Home Rebate to buy down your mortgage rates. If you have a home to sell, this would be the time to get your existing home ready to sell. The builder's lender also offers beneficial incentives, but there are many choices for financing your home, and I can make solid recommendations. 

If You Have a Home To Sell, This is the Time to Begin to Prepare to Sell

If you're buying a new home, ARG has the best new home move-up in the business designed to reduce or fully eliminate your listing commission substantially. We can handle both your new home purchase and the sale of your current home professionally with our full-service listing system for DFW Move-ups.

Understanding and Managing Your Expectations with New Home Builders

New home builders can either be track, semi-custom, or custom builders. Track builders come in all shapes and sizes and quality levels but offer few structural customizations other than what they have internally approved. Track builders cost less money because of the efficient systems they have developed. If you try to make a "track builder" do custom changes for you, the answer will nearly always be no.

If you need or want custom or semi-custom, I can suggest a number of DFW area home builders. Do not assume that all DFW New Home Builders are good or worthy of your business. Know who you are dealing with before you contract.

Understanding the "Timing" aspects of building a new home

Constructing a home can take anywhere from 6 months to a year or longer depending upon the builder, community, weather, and ability of subcontractors to do the required work. Some builders have better manpower staffing and can finish in 6 months, while some builders can take more than double the time. If you have a home to sell, it is critical to understand when you need to have your current home sold to keep your new home contingency intact.

Searching and finding the Right Community

ARG offers what we believe is the best new home and general real estate website in North Texas. Simply create an account, and begin searching. You can have as many "Saved Searches" as you want in your user account and can save unlimited favorites, and get automatic email updates daily for free. You can also search our builder direct database, where you can find builder specs, view floorplans, and community photos. We are New Home Specialists, and this website offers visitors a unique new home search experience.

Choosing the Right Floorplan, Upgrades, and Negotiating Price

We made it easy for web visitors to review thousands of floorplans and photos. Whether a one-story, 1.5-story, or 2-story plan, you can quickly find the exact floorplan you require here. We can advise new home buyers about what plans are easier to resell years later and for more money. Mistakes here can really hurt your future equity. As experienced top-producing new home agents, we can help you understand what the majority of buyers are wanting in a pre-owned home. So buying the right floorplan can help you earn even more money should you ever decide to sell your new home.

Once you find your builder, community, and floorplan and after negotiating for your best deal, you will need to engage all design center appointments and builder and red line meetings so your builder can submit your new home plans to the city for permitting. Permitting can take up to a few months depending upon location.

Getting Your Current Home Sold

If you're moving up and have a local pre-owned home to sell, and depending upon timing aspects and your selected home builder, you may need to begin your selling process earlier in the new home construction process or perhaps late. If you need to sell in advance of when your new home will be ready, then you'll need to find both storage and a short-term living accommodation such as an apartment. Depending on your loan approval, you may wait a few months before your new home is set to close or even list your current home after you have closed your new home. We can help advise you of your best course of action.

Get ARG Free Move-up Listing Information.

New Home Inspections

"Don't regret you didn't Inspect!" Many people mistakenly believe that inspections are not necessary or are a bad use of their money. That thinking could not be further from the truth. As an ARG client, we believe that inspections are your only real opportunity to prevent a bad new home experience months and years after you close your new home. We can help you understand the various inspections you may want to employ to help ensure the highest quality new home is being built.

Finding the Right Home Owners Insurance Agent

You'll want to shop for insurance before automatically committing to the best-advertised brands. Insurance premiums can vary greatly, and you may not get better or more complete coverage with a more expensive premium. New home premiums should be the lowest premiums you'll ever pay. If you're an ARG client, we can help suggest quality and cost-effective insurance providers.

Getting Your Utility Accounts Set Up in Advance of Closing

 Your new home sales associate will provide you with contacts so you can set up your utility, telephone, TV, and internet services. Builders typically provide a few-day grace period, but if you are to avoid utility disconnection, you'll need to be proactive and either uses a FREE Utility Connect concierge or will need to set up your utility accounts yourself.

Final Walk-Through Time

 Prior to your walk-through, you should have your inspection results to share with your builder. There are two aspects of your final walk-through, a cosmetic review for cosmetic flaws and a mechanical inspection for other flaws. Since builders do not offer warranties for cosmetic insufficiencies or mistakes, you'll want to bring a roll of blue tape and a notebook to record any cosmetic flaws you find. Before you close, you will need to confirm all repairs and cosmetic corrections.

 Closing Your New Home

If you have followed all the steps above, you should be confident that the home you selected will provide years of problem-free living. Closing is essentially the "execution" of the terms of your purchase agreement. If you are an ARG client, you'll see a rebate credit on your closing statement and or receive a valuable check worth thousands after you close. Now, how's that for a going-away gift?

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