New home in Hudson Valley with brick front entrance, at Sleight Farm in Dutchess County
 

Community Meets Luxury

Sleight Farm’s blog about building a custom home and living in Dutchess County, NY.

Top Tips for Buying a New Construction Home

October 25, 2019

For many people, the process of buying a new construction home is, quite literally, a dream come true. How do you avoid common problems and make it the exciting, memorable experience it should be? We asked Sleight Farm’s sales director, John Kuroda, to share his advice for new construction homebuyers.
Find A Reputable New Home Builder
Your first step should be to find a reputable new home builder who has built custom homes many, many times before; a builder who can tell you what you can do and what you can’t; what’s included and what’s not. Your builder should be able to provide you with exact floorplans and the pricing structure. “Any good, reputable builder will be forthcoming about what is standard and what is not,” says John.
Ask Questions
Once you’ve established trust with your new home builder, don’t assume a feature is included in your purchase price, even if you think it should be. Ask from the beginning, and ask often, about what comes standard. If a question pops into your head at any point in the process, express it. Any issue not brought up might be a missed opportunity to get a home feature you want, or potentially an extra cost if a change is last-minute. “We tell our buyers that no question is a dumb question,” says John.
Get It In Writing
Along these same lines, never be afraid to ask to put something in writing. “We encourage that,” says John.
Remember that any changes to your floorplan after a contract is signed can delay the building process. “We ask Sleight Farm homebuyers to make the big choices ahead of time,” says John. “When you work with your builder and sales team to frontload all your decisions, you know far in advance where all the numbers sit, and there are no surprises.” Decisions made at late stages can feel pressured or rushed, so your builder should help guide and document the process. “There’s a lot of fine print in new construction,” John adds, “and we believe in being completely transparent about it.”
The key to all this is confidence in an experienced, trusted home builder. Remember: find one with a good reputation, ask questions (early, often, and at any point), and never hesitate to get something in writing.
The new construction home buying and building experience should be seamless, smooth, stress-free, and even lots of fun. It will hopefully bring you many positive end results: the feeling of planning something that fits your lifestyle and reflects your tastes; the satisfaction of a home site and neighborhood you love; and the peace of mind that your home will not only require less maintenance but is also a sound investment.
Then, of course, there’s the best part of it all: you’ve made your dream home a reality!

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