I recently worked with a couple who were purchasing a larger home for their growing family. The husband also wanted a basement and three-car garage to fit his toys. After weeks of searching and viewing homes on the market, they decided that a new construction home was the way to go in order to fulfill their family’s needs.
Once they narrowed down a particular Greenville SC builder, we were able to find a beautiful basement home that fit their needs.
Prior to sitting down with the builder’s onsite agent, I sat down with this client to discuss other features that they wished the home had to make it the perfect home for their family. They explained to me that they wished the home had all hardwood floors downstairs instead of the carpet that was already there, all stainless-steel appliances, a refrigerator, fenced backyard, and garage door openers. I explained to them that we would be able to negotiate with the builder to have those things done for them, and that not only will we get the builder to do those things, we could probably get them to do it at no additional cost to the buyer or even at a lower sales price.
I could tell they felt they were asking for too much as I presented their offer to the builder on their behalf. However, as an expert in the Greenville real estate market, I knew we weren’t being unreasonable with our offer on that particular home, at that particular time. I assured them to trust my expertise as the onsite agent stepped away to call her manager with our offer and requests.
They were very glad that they trusted my expertise because we ended up getting the builder to remove all the carpets on the main level of the home and replace them with hardwood floors, remove the black appliance and replace them with stainless-steel, include a side-by-side refrigerator, install garage door openers, and fence the backyard. We were also able to get the builder to reduce the sales price by a little over $21,000 and pay $5,000 in closing costs on the buyer’s behalf.
These clients were so happy with the value we brought to their home buying process that they have since referred two of their friends to me. They may not have gotten such a great deal had they went directly to the onsite agent, rather than having an expert Realtor on their side advising them and looking out for their best interest.
The results may vary based on your situation, but it is important to understand that these onsite agents have a fiduciary duty to the builder, and their job is to represent the builder’s best financial interest. Having an expert Realtor on your side will always add value to your home buying process. The fee for the Realtor that is protecting your interests is already built into the financial budget for each new construction because the builder anticipates that the buyer will have a Realtor representing them. Don’t assume that you will be saving this fee by dealing directly with the builder’s onsite agent. If they do tell you that you are, they are probably just giving you part of the money that your Realtor would have negotiated for you, and you will probably be leaving money on the table.
If you are interested in buying a home in the Greater Greenville SC area, contact Victor Amadi of Producer Realty at 864-438-5050 to discuss your needs. We will be an invaluable resource for you during your home buying process.
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