Advice on Buying a New Home or "Bulit to Order" Home

We bought a "built to order" home 9 years ago from Milburn (now Horton). Things we wished we'd done:

We went after my husband went off work one day, to the showroom where details were chosen. We were the last appointment of the day, and I guess the lady wanted to go home. She didn't try to talk us into nearly as many upgrades as we had expected her to. But there are some that, in hindsight, we wish we'd sprung for:

Paid extra to have a sprinkler system installed. True, it adds a little to your monthly payment, but that is a lot less painful than several thousand dollars all at once, further down the line. Especially since new developments tend to have homeowners associations, with rules regulating taking care of at least your front lawn, so you either have to buy a sprinkler system, or do what we're doing, and spend every Wednesday and Saturday evening carefully moving sprinklers around, so you get full coverage on the yard without running water down the street.

Getting an outside light installed on BOTH sides of the garage, instead of just one.

In the kitchen, get the deeper sink AND the tall faucet. We got just the deeper sink - wish we'd done both.

Get the bigger hot water heater, or a hybrid, if you can. The smaller one SEEMS like the better/cheaper option, until you have to take a cold shower, because someone forgot and ran the dishwasher after the kids took their baths.

You will have the option of where you want to put electrical outlets, light switches, cable outlets, and phone jacks. The electrical outlets and switches might seem intuitive, and we did okay, but we wish we'd had cable outlets put in every room. We aren't television-in-the-bedroom people, but we've moved our office three times, and the computer is hooked up through the cable. It's a pain to call and have a new cable outlet installed.

Our builder used cheap paint. We've had to primer AND paint every room - and the paint we had soaks it up like chalk, so we don't trust the paint/primer combo. So if they offer a higher grade of paint, you might look into that - it will save you time and money later, even if you don't decide to change colors.

Also, if you choose carpet, the builder will insist that you choose a neutral color, or pay a premium. This is because you still have the chance to back out, and they have a better chance of selling houses with neutral colors. Be aware of this, if you have your heart set on red or dark blue carpet.

Don't be afraid to ask what you can get. I remember our builder was offering a "combo" package that we didn't want, and were able to get the master bath upgrade instead. It never hurts to see what you can mix and match!

If you have the option to make a room bigger do it. We luckily added an extra 4' to our family room. Most of our neighbors with our model did not, and they all regret it.
Make sure there is an outlet by your fireplace, stairs and ouside your front door if you decorate with lights at Christmas.
If you want ceiling fans consider having the builder run electricity and a switch for future installation.
My grandfather told me to not to pay extra for upgraded carpet. New carpet is new carpet and the cost of the upgrade may allow you to simply buy new carpet in 5 years or so.
If you want tile in your kitchen, do it now because the builder puts extra support in the floor.
It is probably cheaper to upgrade plumbing fixtures and counter tops by hiring a contractor after you move in vs paying for the upgrade.
It is probably cheaper to upgrade to hardwood floors by hiring a contractor after you move in vs paying for the upgrade.
You can get windows inserted into your garage door after they are installed.
Get in writing what it means to have a "flat" yard.
Does your builder guarentee in writing your basement will be dry?
Be careful what lot you choose. In the morning we have the morning sun pouring in the front of the house...in the afternoon we have it pouring in the back of the house. We have blinds but still had to get our windows tinted (we have transom windows). Our patio is almost unusable due
to the afternoon sun.

Oh my gosh - my husband and I had a home built several years ago and it was a pain in the butt!!! It was wonderful when all was said and done and I loved the house - unfortunately, because of my husband's job we had to move after living there only eight years:(

Be sure to get EVERYTHING in writing!!! And I mean EVERYTHING!!! We sat down and went over everything including the upgrades we wanted and got everything in writing. So many times they tried to cut corners on us; my husband had to watch them like a hawk!! Thank heavens he knew enough about the building process, etc., to know where they were trying to cut corners and put in the wrong stuff or use cheaper materials, etc. Then we would show them the contract, etc. and they would do it correctly.

We also were very disappointed in the timing - they said we would be in for Thanksgiving! HA! We moved in about the third week in MARCH!!! I think they took some fees off for all the delays - since they were NOT weather related!! But it didn't matter by that point. I was just glad to be finished with the whole process!!!

Good luck!!!

Buying a home is very much like buying a car, you add on what you want and then negotiate. You have to be willing to say never mind I don't need that and generally if they can do it cheaper they will throw out a counter offer.

This was back in the dinosaur era, ya know, the 90s, but we built our home for 142,000 and it listed with all the upgrades at 170,000.

It all comes down to how much do they need to sell a house.

Unless your marriage is super duper strong and you have impeccable communication skills with each other, and the two of you absolutely love to pick out tiles and carpets and faucets and lights, etc together for what seems like forever, then consider the build to order home.

I have seen more marriages break up over the remodeling, because the husband or wife finally realize that their voice was never heard, and this experience heightens it.

Also, I'm not positive what you meant by a 'built to order' home. Do you mean a kit that is ordered and delivered and it's put together like legos? Or do you mean a tract home that you can customize and pre-order all the upgrades and add your personal preferences within reason?

I was in a 'kit' home this summer on a lake and it was pretty darn cute.

And we have built a home with custom upgrades and it was a pain in the tush because every subcontractor used is the absolutely, hands down, the very cheapest one that can be found. That was in Irvine, CA, BTW. I wasted months of my life, dragging nursing babies, all over, having to fix numerous issues because of idiot installers. Never again. I'd buy a lived in home knowing ahead of time what works and what does not.