Hire Your Own Real Estate Agent to Represent YOUR Best Interest! Hire a local Realtor who is a Buyers Agent and a member of the MLS to represent you. A good negotiating buyer's agent could save you thousands on your new home purchase. Your own agent will represent you, be your fiduciary and is required to disclose the positives as well as the negatives about the transaction. Builders agents don't discuss drawbacks. The vast majority of the time the builder's sales agents are paid to represent the builder. Many use high pressure tactics in an attempt to make a sale. Due to the high volume nature of new home sales, most builder's agents are paid less than a traditional real estate agents; some earn a salary plus incentives, so volume is important to their livelihood.

Don't Automatically Use the Builder's Lender! Ask your lender to guarantee its Good Faith Estimate. If the lender makes excuses, go elsewhere, because reputable lenders always honor this request. Builders often prefer to use their own lender because the builder will be kept fully informed of your personal progress; it's one-stop shopping for the new home builder. But a builder's lender might not offer you the best rate. In many cases the builder may even own the lending company or at least have strong financial ties to it. Consider alternate sources to find a lender. Your own credit union or bank may offer you attractive rates and terms, based on your banking history with them. Your real estate agent may even refer you to his or her private list of qualified and reputable lenders. Shop around and interview your lender. Find a banker or mortgage broker that you feel you can trust and whom you feel comfortable working with. Ask for a copy of your credit report and FICO scores. You can order your own free credit report before shopping for a new home. It's really a good idea.

Obtain Legal Advice Before Buying a Brand New Home! Before you sign a purchase contract, talk to a real estate attorney. The standard purchase agreements that builders like to use are designed to keep everyone out of court, especially them. However, they don't necessarily contain language that fully protects the new home buyer. Ask questions about removal of any contingencies and about your cancellation rights. Make sure that you fully understand your commitments and liabilities. Find out if any of the materials used by the new home builder contain any chemicals that may be hazardous to your health. If your purchase contract contains any warnings about health issues, it's may be because it's a valid concern and quite possibly other home buyers have gone to court over it.