Of course they can! Your real estate agent can provide some great tips and cover different angles you wouldn’t necessarily look at on your own (and that the builder may not consider their purview).
Here are three ways an agent can provide valuable insight during the new home building process.
Finding a Good Fit
Your agent will help you find a good fit for what you’re looking for by researching and understanding the neighborhood, the surrounding houses, and what living there is going to be like. For example, maybe you want to be in a certain school district but those houses are valued at $100,000 less than the one you want to build.
Your agent will help you to look at the bigger picture before jumping into building in a certain area.
Covenants
One thing you may overlook is the covenants, restrictions, and minimum requirements of the neighborhood you’re building in. You and your builder need to know these in detail to protect you while you’re building your new home.
Here’s a real-world example: Buyers worked with a builder to purchase two lots in an up-and-coming area and were planning to build a larger house on that land. As they were making their plans and working with their builder to develop the house, it became apparent that some of the other houses getting built in the neighborhood were just meeting covenants, not exceeding covenants as the clients were doing with their house. This situation would impact the overall value of the home, which the buyers wanted to be around a million dollars. After talking it over with the agent and the builder, the builder ended up selling the two lots, and the buyers instead built their home in an acreage development where the houses were closer to the value they wanted.
Selling Your Home
Speaking of resale value, your agent will know which areas and neighborhoods are better for resale down the road when you’re ready to move and will be able to compare based on the different price points at which you’re looking.
Do you need help building a new home? Whether you’re just starting out considering builders and lots or are working with a builder, Amy Birkholz can help you. She has over 14 years of experience in new home construction and residential real estate to put to work for you. Email her at amy.birkholz@homerealestate.com or call (402) 730-6788.