Do I Need My Own Realtor to Buy New Construction in Pace or Milton?

You don't have to have one, but you'll want one, and the timing matters. The builder's sales team works for the builder. Your own Realtor works for you. When you buy new construction in Pace or Milton, that means someone on your side of the table for the price, the incentives, the builder's contract, the build schedule and the inspections.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. New construction is one of my specialties. I work directly with D.R. Horton, Adams Homes and Holiday Builders, and I know how their contracts, incentives and timelines work.

The builder. The people in the model home are friendly and they know the floor plans well. Their job is to sell the builder's homes on the builder's terms. That's not a knock on them. It's just who they represent.

A builder can offer a brand-new house, fresh finishes and sometimes incentives. It also means you're dealing with a builder's contract, a sales team and a build schedule. Having your own Realtor means one person whose only job is your side of each of those.

Before your first visit to the model home. Bring me to the model home on your first visit. If you'd rather tour on your own first, let me know before you go, so we can plan it together.

Before any showings, local or new construction, we sign a written buyer broker agreement. How I'm paid is set in writing in that agreement, and I walk you through it before we visit a builder. You'll know exactly how it works before you decide anything.

You can see how I get buyers ready on the first step of how I help you buy.

Many buyers assume the builder's price is the price. It often isn't the whole story.

Builders sometimes hold the base price but negotiate on incentives, upgrades or closing costs, especially on homes that are already built. I regularly negotiate price, repairs, closing costs or incentives on new construction. What's possible depends on the builder, the community and how long a home has been finished, so I look at what each builder is offering right now before we ask.

I'm a Certified Real Estate Negotiator, and a new build is one place that training earns its keep. New construction does not mean the price is the price.

Builders use their own contracts, and they're written for the builder. The parts I help you read closely before you sign:

• The deposit. How much, when it's due, and when it stops being refundable.
• Delay terms. What happens if the build date slips, and what that means for your move.
• Upgrades and selections. What's included, what costs extra, and when your choices lock in.
• Inspections. Your right to bring your own inspector before closing.

If you have a move date, the delay terms matter most. If a build date slips past your move, your deposit and your housing plan are both on the line. I help protect your earnest money if that happens, and we keep a backup plan ready. For legal questions about the contract itself, a real estate attorney is the right person to ask.

Yes. Builders make mistakes too, and an independent inspection before closing can catch them while the builder can still fix them. A new home passing the county's own inspections doesn't mean nothing was missed.

I schedule independent inspections before closing and help you ask the builder to fix what the inspector finds. It's much easier to get a repair done before you close than after you move in.

In Pace, the two things I help with most are school zones and builders. Pace is one of the busiest parts of the area for new construction, and builders release new phases and lots over time, including Holiday Builders in Jubilee. So what's available changes from month to month.

That includes explaining how a builder's contract works, what a builder will and won't negotiate, and how to compare a new build with a resale home down the street. We confirm the school zone for the specific address before you commit. See new construction in Pace for more.

Milton offers more land for the money and new communities going in around town. In Milton, I also help buyers look past the model home: where the community sits, how established the area around it is, and how the drive works to Whiting Field or Pensacola. Some areas are still developing, and that matters for daily life and for resale down the road. See new construction in Milton for more.

It depends on your timeline, your budget and what you care about most. A new build gives you new systems and finishes, but it can come with a build schedule and a newer, still-growing neighborhood. A resale home may be ready sooner, on a more established street, with repairs to weigh.

Because I work directly with builders, I can compare a builder's offer against a resale home in detail, side by side. My post on new construction vs. an older home walks through the tradeoffs.

• Walking into the model home alone first. Bring your Realtor on the first visit, or check in with them before you go.
• Assuming the price is fixed. Incentives, upgrades and closing costs are often where the room is.
• Signing the builder's contract without reading the delay terms. Those terms decide what happens if the build date slips.
• Skipping the inspection. New homes can have mistakes too, and the time to fix them is before closing.
• Looking only at the model. The community around it, the drive and the school zone matter as much as the kitchen.

Here's an example of how I lay out the steps. It shows the process, and it isn't a real client's story.

• Consultation. Your goals, your timeline and your budget, plus the buyer broker agreement.
• Pre-approval. With your lender, before we tour.
• Model home visits. Together, with a side-by-side look at builders and nearby resale homes.
• The offer. Price, incentives, upgrades and closing costs, negotiated with the builder.
• The contract. Deposit, delay terms and selections reviewed before you sign.
• Building and inspections. Updates on the schedule, and an independent inspection before closing.
• Closing. Keys to a home that was checked on your behalf.

Does the builder's sales agent represent me?

No. The builder's sales team works for the builder. Your own Realtor represents you.

When should I bring my Realtor to a new construction community?

On your first visit to the model home, or check in with your Realtor before you go.

Can you negotiate with a home builder?

Often, yes. Builders sometimes hold the base price but negotiate on incentives, upgrades or closing costs, especially on homes that are already built.

Do I need an inspection on a new home?

Yes. An independent inspection before closing can catch mistakes while the builder can still fix them.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. I work directly with D.R. Horton, Adams Homes and Holiday Builders, and I sit on your side of the builder's table. Let's talk about your goals and your timeline before your first model home visit.

See how I help new construction buyers, or schedule a time to talk with Vivian.