Buyer’s guide
New construction runs on different rules than resale. Here's the process I walk every client through — including the one mistake that costs buyers their representation.
How it works
My commission is already built into the price of the home — you pay the same with or without me. The only difference is whether someone is looking out for your interests.
The agent in the builder’s sales office represents the builder — their job is to protect the builder’s price, terms and timeline. As your buyer’s agent, I represent only you: your budget, your negotiation position and your long-term interests.
Buyer-agent compensation is already built into the price of every new construction home. Builders price homes the same whether you bring an agent or not — so having representation is effectively free, and going without it doesn’t save you a dollar.
I compare builders and communities across the whole Austin area, negotiate incentives and terms, review the builder’s contract line by line, recommend independent inspectors and stay with you through warranty claims after closing.
Tell the builder you have an agent on your very first visit — or better, bring me with you. Most builders won’t honor your representation if you register alone, and you lose nothing by having me in your corner from day one.
Step by step
Talk to an outside lender before you walk into a model home. You'll still compare the builder's lender later, but you need an honest baseline — including MUD/PID fees and Texas property tax rates, which vary sharply between Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
This is the one that costs people money. Builders require your agent to be present or named on your very first visit to a community. Walk in alone and you may lose representation for that community entirely — at no savings to you.
Two homes at the same price can carry very different tax rates, HOA dues, lot premiums and resale outlooks. We shortlist communities that fit your commute, schools and long-term plans before touring.
Move-in ready means fast close and usually the deepest discount. A to-be-built home gives you plan and lot choice but a 6–12 month timeline and price risk. Inventory homes mid-construction split the difference.
Builders protect base price to defend community comps. The real negotiation is in rate buydowns, closing costs, design allowances and lot premium — and it's strongest at quarter-end on standing inventory.
Builder contracts are written by the builder's attorneys. Completion dates, escalation and change-order clauses, arbitration terms and earnest money conditions all deserve a line-by-line read before you sign.
Get an independent third-party inspection at pre-drywall and again before closing. Pre-drywall is the only chance to see framing, plumbing and electrical before they disappear behind sheetrock.
Most builders offer 1-year workmanship, 2-year systems and 10-year structural coverage. Track issues from day one and submit before the first-year deadline — that's when most fixes are still free.
Send me where you are in the process and I'll tell you what happens next.