Do You Need to Hire a Real Estate Agent When Purchasing a Custom Home?
After careful research, you've decided that building your own custom home is the best decision for your home buying needs. However, since builders have their own sales agent, you may wonder if you still need to hire your own real estate agent. The answer largely depends on your own personal preferences. Take into account the following when deciding whether or not to hire a real estate agent for your custom build.
Your Ability to Negotiate a Deal
Though there isn't quite as much to negotiate when you are building a new home versus when you are buying an existing home, there are still a few important details that you and the builder have to decide on.
For example, as part of your deal, you may ask that the builder throw in certain upgrades or contribute a portion towards your closing costs.You still have to agree on a closing date. Even these seemingly minute negotiations may require that you go back and forth with the builder a few times. Decide if you are comfortable handling the negotiations required to get the best deal.
The Time You Have to Dedicate to Potential Problems
Even the smoothest home purchases have an issue or two that pops up. The home inspection might show an issue with your new home, or your financing might be delayed.
When these problems show up, many home buyers like to have a realtor to help smooth things over. Realtors can help you negotiate fixes for the home or extend the time of your contract. Though you can certainly handle any issues yourself, it does require time to ensure they are handled correctly. Make sure you have the free time to devote to potential issues if you decide to forgo a realtor.
If You Need to Sale Your Existing Home
Many home buyers have an existing home that they need to sale. Selling a home requires extensive marketing and a whole new set of negotiations, not to mention the time spent showing the home to potential buyers and fielding questions.
Hiring a realtor makes the home selling process more simple and less time consuming. You can hire a realtor to handle selling your home without utilizing their services to buy a home, or you can have them handle both processes.
Incentives Offered by the Builder
Some builders offer additional incentives to buyers who do not use a realtor. Traditionally, the sellers of a home are responsible for covering the realtor fees. If you are comfortable with negotiations and have the time to devote to the deal, you may be able to save money by forging a realtor when you purchase your custom home. To learn more about your options, contact a custom home builder.