You should always have someone looking out for YOUR best interests when buying a new construction home, not just the builders.
If you want to buy a new construction home, wouldn't you want someone on YOUR side representing your best interest? Delaware Real Estate Broker, Kathy Sperl-Bell of Active Adults Realty explains the importance of using a REALTOR, even when purchasing a new construction home.
Transcript:
Why do I need to use a REALTOR if I'm going to buy new construction?
Hi, this is Kathy Sperl-Bell at Active Adults Realty in Delaware. I get this question often. In fact, I got a call with exactly that question just this morning. I guess I would phrase it somewhat differently. Why wouldn't you want to use a qualified real estate professional who specializes in working with buyers to help you make an informed decision?
You see, if you get in your car and just drive around and go visit these new home communities, at least the ones you know about, on your own, you are walking into a sales office. The salesperson is an employee of the builder. They are not licensed REALTORS. They do not represent you. They represent the company they work for, and their job is literally to talk to you about and sell you a home in that community, preferably one that they can deliver quickly, preferably today. That's their job.
It's not that they're not very lovely people. They are very charming, but that's their job. Their job is not to represent you and help you compare and contrast different communities, different locations, to help find what would work best for you. That is the job of a REALTOR working as your buyer agent.
So how does that person get compensated? Well, in Delaware at least the seller of the home is the one that actually pays the commission. So if you're selling a home you pay the commission. If you're buying a home you're not the one that's paying the commission. If that seller happens to be a builder, then that commission was factored in from the very beginning. It's a marketing expense. It has absolutely nothing to do with the compensation paid to that salesperson that works for the builder. It has nothing to do with the price of the home. It was simply a marketing expense that was programmed into the price of the home right in from the very beginning.
So you would get the assistance of someone like one of my agents that does this every day. We work with people that are constantly looking to relocate to Delaware from other states, so we know all of the communities. We know all of the builders. We know all of the questions you may not have even thought of, and we know quite a few of the answers.
It's kind of like going to buy a car. The person working for that Chevy dealership, it's their job to sell you a Chevy, not to help you evaluate whether a Chevy is better than a Ford. So keep that in mind when you're thinking about new construction. Why not have somebody that's on your side helping you make a really good decision, one that you'll be happy with for many years to come. So my recommendation, give us a call.
Have a question you want to be featured in our Ask The Broker series? You can submit your questions directly by visiting here or you can email Kathy at Broker@ActiveAdultsRealty.com.