How Picky Should You Be With New Construction?
- Matt Miner,
- February 1, 2018
One of the reasons why many people choose to buy new construction in Seattle is that it’s efficient, doesn’t need to be remodeled, and (hopefully!) problem free.
It’s important to remember that houses are not mass produced (no matter how “cookie cutter” they might look!); they are handmade, and not all perfect. In fact, you might even find a few things (or several things) that need to be fixed and repaired before you close on a new construction home.
Part of our process of helping clients buy new construction includes our “Blue Tape Party.” Once you make an offer and win the home, we’ll go through the house with our blue tape and mark all of the things that need to be fixed and taken care of. And while we’re thorough in identifying any issues we come across, we also want to help our clients understand norms. For example, recently we did a client’s walk-through in a new construction home, and they said if they were buying a resale home, they never would have pointed out so many repairs like they did with this home. But that’s why we’re here—to give some perspective and let you know what you can and should expect!
While we want to make sure that important repairs are resolved, we also want to be reasonable with what we request. For example, sometimes the baseboard moulding doesn’t line up absolutely perfectly because there’s a slight dip in the floor. The truth is, we see this on every single house out there, and this might not be a reasonable thing to expect your builder to fix.
When you’re asking your builder to make repairs, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
While we are serious about getting things done and serving as an advocate for our clients, the big takeaway that we want people to have is that new construction is never perfect. Some problems are worth pursuing, some are not, and we’re here to help you figure it all out!
So, what’s so great about new construction? Read our blog post on the benefits of new construction here!
In everything that I do as your REALTOR®, I have one guiding principle in mind: To make certain that your home-buying or selling experience is a happy, successful, wonderful life experience! We build trust and security with our clients using knowledge and transparency.