We had a realtor when we built our home. She didn't get involved in any of the building process or negotiations. She did all the work related to the mortgage, closing, etc.

He should at least be calling you to find out the progress, but as soon as you have an idea of when it's going to be finished, you need to alert your realtor so that he can prepare the documents for closing/escrow etc.

Your realtor is not obligated to negotiate anything to do with the building. However, he can be very helpful if something is not right prior to close of escrow.

I also encourage you to get an HI before you close. It's amazing the mistakes that can be discovered. Just because the house is new, doesn't mean it's perfect or without dangerous flaws.

Melrosgirl, we're also building in a subdivision & have a realtor who's our 'Buyer's Agent'. Our builder has a realto who's involved in this whole process also. So yes, 2 realtors involved. I did a post about having a Buyer's Agent on the Building a Home forum several weeks ago..... You can read it. It was titled "Too Many Folks Involved? (Buyer's Agent Question). That turned out to be a very heated post. We probably could have done w/o a Buyer's Agent, but it's been fine up to this point to have one. I'll be able to analyze the whole situation as to whether it was worth it or not, after we're done building.

Thanks, Everyone.

Sparksal...funny you should mention the HI. I asked my realtor about this about a month ago right before drywall. My realtor said a home inspection on a brand new house is totally not necessary. (He basically only sells new homes.) I questioned that, but his point of view was the builder had to get the city inspectors, etc. to sign off on things, so things are fine and if they aren't for some reason, you have the 1 year warranty, etc. Sounded strange to me.

Now that drywall is obviously finished, isn't it too late for a HI in your opinion?

From my readings on this forum throughout the years, even with a brand new construction,i would be hiring a home inspector. Read far too many negative stories.

No, it's not too late for an HI. You should absolutely refuse to close until you have one. Make sure it's a conducted after the house is finished. I've heard so many horror stories where buyer has been told something will be fixed, then they never see the builder again.

Definitely protect yourself. If you find issues, you can use that as leverage at closing.

Do not listen to your realtor. You must, must, must have a home inspection prior to closing. Attend the home inspection and take your camera with you to photograph any issues. I have first hand experience with this as do friends who have purchased new homes. You may want to check your contract or check with your lawyer regarding holding back a certain amount of money in escrow if any issues are uncovered during the inspection. Trust me, once they have your money you won't see them again and new home warranties (at least in my state) arent worth the paper they are printed on and often cover only major structural issues. I have a friend that closed on a new house only to have a major plumbing issue/leak 1 week after moving in. I repeat - don't turn over your money until you are sure everything passes inspection!!

Thanks. Isn't it sad that I get better advice from a message board than from my realtor? (Sad, but good. Don't get me wrong.) :)

When my dad built a house, we didn't even think to have a home inspection. My husband & I knew the builder, he's a personal friend; he also lives in this town. My dad was a regular on site. Every week he'd drive down, take pics, see what they were doing. I live 7 blocks from the site & also used to visit, I also have used some of the contractors that were used. Since the town inspected, we were fine. We were pretty happy with him, we had an incident where the washer leaked, he came right out, then there was another with the AC, again, he took care of it asap.

Our situation isn't the norm. Had we not known the builder, we probably would have spent the money on the inspection. Have you researched the builder? Have you spoken to anyone that's owned his homes?

Melrose, we recently closed on a new home and used a realtor and she was great negotiating with the builder standing firm on certain items that I was going to cave in on. She worked with the builder every step of the way and I'm glad that she did. She also recommended a HI and we used the list from the inspector as part of our punch list. The inspector noted things that we would not necessarily have known and the builder fixed them all.

I wish I had had a HI on my first built home not that there were many problems but it certainly helped the second time around.

Deborah

My realtor said a home inspection on a brand new house is totally not necessary. (He basically only sells new homes.)

WRONG! Get the home inspection. Actually, most home inspectors have a new construction package where they come out in phases. (3 or 4 times during construction).

My realtor said a home inspection on a brand new house is totally not necessary. (He basically only sells new homes.)

I couldn't disagree more. All kinds of things can get "signed off" on during new construction that could be potentially problematic later.

I had a girl buy a brand new house, and at the home inspection it was found that the roof was improperly flashed (bear in mind this roof passed county inspectors....) and would have caused her MAJOR problems in the next few years. Her $175 investment potentially saved her thousands.

Mostly my realtor helped me find and decide on a builder to use. I had been considering one and she did a little research and said that even though she found no outright bad info she didn't have a good feeling. I ultimately went with a different guy for other reasons but that one she had a bad feeling about did go under. That kind of info when your new to a town is what I think realtors get paid for. She also recommended a mortgage team, good bad or indifferent I don't know, I just decided to trust her and the bank as I'm really bad with the numbers end. I asked her advice on floor plans with the idea of resale and that was about it. I know she wasn't there when I signed everything off with the bank though I think she had planned to be (can't remember).