New Construction Homes
The person in the model home is paid by the builder. You should have someone who is paid to look after you.
New construction is not a simpler transaction. It is a different one.
Buyers often assume new construction is the easy version of buying a home — no inspection surprises, no previous owner's deferred maintenance, no negotiation drama. Some of that is true. But the contract you sign is written by the builder's attorneys, for the builder's benefit, and it looks nothing like the standard resale contract most buyers have seen.
New construction is one of my declared specialties, and most of it comes up in Doral and the newer communities across northwest Miami-Dade and Broward.
Register your representation before your first visit
This is the single most costly mistake I see. Many builders require that your agent accompany or register you on your first visit for representation to apply. Walk into the sales center alone, sign the visitor registration, and you may have permanently given up your right to independent representation on that community — at no savings to you, because the builder's pricing already accounted for it.
What I actually look at in a builder contract
- Deposit structure and what happens to it. How much, when, and under what circumstances it becomes non-refundable.
- Completion and delivery provisions. What the builder is actually obligated to, and what counts as an excused delay.
- Price escalation and change clauses. Whether, and how, your price can move after signing.
- Upgrade pricing. Which upgrades are worth taking through the builder and which cost dramatically less afterward.
- Financing contingency — or its absence. Some builder contracts limit your protection if financing falls through. This is where my lending background earns its keep.
- Warranty terms and the punch list process. What is covered, for how long, and how disputes get handled.
- HOA and CDD obligations. Ongoing costs that are easy to underestimate at signing.
The financing timeline problem
On a resale, you lock a rate and close in a month. On new construction with a delivery date eight or twelve months out, your rate lock, your credit profile, and your income documentation all have to survive that gap — and the loan gets underwritten close to delivery, not at signing. Buyers who do not plan for this discover the problem at the worst possible moment. Having spent nine years as a licensed mortgage broker, this is exactly the failure mode I watch for from day one.
New construction FAQ
What buyers ask before signing
Does it cost more to use my own agent on a new construction purchase?
No. Builders generally account for cooperating broker compensation in their sales structure, and the sales representative in the model home works for the builder — not for you. Bringing your own representation typically does not raise your price.
When do I need to bring my agent into the process?
Before your first visit to the sales center, ideally. Many builders require your agent to be present or registered on your first visit for representation to apply. Registering yourself first can permanently forfeit it.
Are builder contracts negotiable?
Less than resale contracts, but more than builders imply. Upgrades, closing cost contributions, and certain terms often have room. The deposit structure and completion timeline provisions are where you most need someone reading carefully.
What happens if the home isn't finished on time?
That depends entirely on what the contract says — and builder contracts are drafted to give the builder substantial latitude on delivery dates. Understanding your actual exposure before you sign is the point of having representation.
Thinking about a new construction purchase?
Call before you visit the sales center — that one phone call is what preserves your representation.