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Building A New Home In San Antonio? Consider this…
A Question I Hear A Lot
Being a Realtor® in San Antonio, I spend a lot of time looking at new homes and getting to know the different builders and neighborhoods. I enjoy this work immensely, but more often than not, I hear the same question from buyers looking to build a new home: do I need a Realtor® to buy a newly built home? Whether it’s in casual conversation with friends about real estate or speaking to San Antonio buyers or answering questions on Trulia Voices; it seems many buyers aren’t sure if they should hire an agent or go straight to the builder.
In many people’s minds, the benefits of not hiring an agent when building a new home is that there will be significant savings on not having any commissions included in the price of the home. In other people’s minds, the sales representatives at the new home communities are just like having an agent – they do the paperwork and make sure everything works out right. Let’s take a look at these two schools of thought.
No commission equals a better price.
If you don’t hire an agent to help in building a new home, you won’t have to pay the commissions in the price of the new home. Seems sensible enough. Although the seller typically pays the buyer’s agent’s commission, if you’re not using a buyer’s agent, logic would suggest you can just scrap that piece of the price of the home. Unfortunately, the logic doesn’t work that way. The builder has calculated a certain price for the new home and has included commissions in that price. If they were to discount all of their homes that were sold without a buyer’s agent to account for the lack of a commission, they would essentially be bringing the price of their neighborhood down. When a buyer came along with a Realtor® representing them, it would be possible to argue that the price is several thousand dollars out of line with other recent sales. It doesn’t make sense for the builder to do this and in the long run would affect their profitability.
Builders are a profit driven machine and have carefully calculated their profit margins on each and every home they build. Even when they offer higher commissions and cash incentives to both agents and buyers, they still have a target number in mind at which they will be profitable. If they’re not going to discount the price of your new home because you’re not working with an agent, guess where that extra money goes? That’s right – the builder’s profit. Does it make sense for a buyer to go into a new home purchase unrepresented in order to increase the builder’s profit? I think I can guess your answer.
The sales representative will take care of me.
I’ve met a ton of builder sales representatives. I’ve never met one I thought was shady or slimy, although I’m sure there are some out there. No, this isn’t about the reps pulling a fast one on you, but about simple representation. If you’re looking to build a new home, who’s going to look after you during the process if you’re not represented by a Realtor®? The sales rep gets their paycheck straight from the builder. Let’s look at an example for argument’s sake. Your dream home is coming along just fine and you’ve been thrilled with the process. As the builder begins to install the fireplace that you couldn’t wait to have, you realize they’ve installed it level with the floor – you swore on the original plans it was a raised hearth and you are correct in remembering it that way. The builder has just paid the contractor to install the fireplace and now you want it fixed. If they fix the fireplace, it’s going to cost them time and money. Do you think the builder will just shrug and start tearing down the mistake? Of course not, they’re going to try and preserve their profitability and try to come up with the solution that costs them the least. This actually happened to a client of mine. The solution? The builder offered them a few upgraded light fixtures. Lucky for my clients, we were on top of the situation and held the builder to the original plans. We wound up with both the light fixtures and a corrected fireplace.
The sales representatives represent the builder. It’s similar to buying a home with the listing agent which is a form of dual agency called intermediary in Texas. During the process of building a new home there are a lot of things happening, from inspections to financing to selecting the finishing touches…wouldn’t it make sense to have someone on your side during the process?
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Vista del Norte – San Antonio 78216
Welcome to Vista del Norte.
Vista del Norte is an interesting mix of older and newer homes (ranging from the 1980s to early 2000s) located off Blanco Road in San Antonio 78216 (map). Being so close to Wurzbach Parkway, 1604, IH 10 and 281, it’s easy to see why this neighborhood has maintained it’s popularity. Featuring a community pool, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and mature trees through out most of the properties, Vista del Norte offers many different styles and sizes of homes, many of which on larger size lots than can typically be found in this part of San Antonio.
One drawback for some home buyers is Vista del Norte’s proximity to the San Antonio International Airport and the flight patterns that put planes in and around the area. For most residents I’ve spoken with, they seem to get used to it and not notice, but it definitely is something to consider when thinking about buying a home in the area. As you can see from the departure and arrival flight path information (.pdf file) from San Antonio International Airport, most of the planes coming through the Vista del Norte area are landing (although they still make noise, planes tend to make much more noise as they take off).
If you’d like to take a tour through Vista del Norte and see the homes currently available for sale, contact me.
If you’re thinking of buying a home in Vista del Norte, you can view the homes currently available by clicking the link below:
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281 Superstreet Project Moves Closer To Reality
Construction to begin March 15.
Finally the 281 Superstreet Project has some legs and will finally begin construction. It was a little over a year ago that we first spoke about the idea on this blog and it looks like we’ll see the 281 superstreet completed before the end of this year. With traffic choking the neighboring areas between 1604 and Marshall Road (especially the Stone Oak area), it’s about time.
Signs have started to spring up along 281 announcing the superstreet construction will begin on March 15, 2010. Plans have it slated to be completed by late September of this year. Knowing how long construction projects in San Antonio take, this new superstreet will be finished super fast. According to the plans I noticed in John Honore’s KSAT 12 report, “Superstreets Ready For Go In SA” it looks like additional u-turn lanes will be added, hopefully preventing problems with drivers being forced to race across lanes to make their way into single turn around lanes.
While the impact of the 281 superstreet on local commute times through the area has yet to be seen, at this point, at least something is being done. Although ideas like overpasses and toll roads have been suggested along the 281 corridor, this is what we have and I can only hope it truly reduces traffic and travel times through the area. The hardest part is going to be in September when the project is complete. Will this be a confusing nightmare for travelers? San Antonio has an interesting mix of traffic solutions – from interchanges to overpasses to access roads to turn arounds…and now the superstreet. All we need is a few traffic circles like England and we’ll have out of town visitors truly befuddled by our road system!
I do think a slight alleviation in commute times and traffic will help the Stone Oak area immensely. As mentioned in my previous post on the 281 superstreet project, Stone Oak homeowners have suffered with a decrease in desirability in their neighborhoods, largely in part to the stigma of the traffic. Any improvement will hopefully help lift some of the negative connotations of living in the area and improve house values overtime.
photo courtesy of thisisbossi
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Panther Creek At Stone Oak – San Antonio 78260
Welcome to Panther Creek at Stone Oak.
Drive down Blanco Road, outside Loop 1604 and you’ll see the DR Horton signs leading you to Panther Creek at Stone Oak. Located on the western edge of the Stone Oak area and to the east of Camp Bullis, Panther Creek at Stone Oak is a large community spread out over the hillside in the rocky, hilly section of San Antonio that begins the edge of the Texas Hill Country.
While other builders have built many homes in this neighborhood, DR Horton is definitely the dominant player at the moment. As you can see by the video slide show (below) of Panther Creek, there are many homes in various stages of construction. With a wide variety of styles and sizes to choose from, plus several resale home available, Panther Creek at Stone Oak offers plenty of choices to suit just about any need. The subdivision also has a community pool, park, and basketball court maintained by the Panther Creek at Stone Oak Homeowner’s Association and is served by the North East Independent School District (NEISD).
If you’d like to take a tour through Panther Creek at Stone Oak and see the homes currently available or consider building a new home, contact me.
If you’re thinking of buying a home in Panther Creek at Stone Oak, you can view the homes currently available by clicking the link below:
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Huebner Village – San Antonio 78248
Welcome to Huebner Village.
Huebner Village, located off of Huebner Road, just south of Bitters Road in the 78248zip code (map), is a small custom home community built by McNair Homes. Featuring Mediterranean style homes with clay tile roofs, this neighborhood of thirty-three homes offers beautifully designed homes and a close-knit community feel. Although the entryway to Huebner Village is rather unassuming, the homes are grand in style and the subdivision is anything but.
Part of the North East Independent School District, you’ll find yourself conveniently located near shops and restaurants (including the ever popular and one of my favorites, Brasserie Pavil), Loop 1604, IH 10, and 281. Need to get somewhere in the city – this area is an excellent choice for convenience and access. Huebner Village may be small and have fewer homes available than some of the larger neighborhoods in the area (such as Deerfield), but if you’re shopping for a home in 78248, it’s definitely worth considering.
If you’d like to take a tour through Huebner Village and see the homes currently available, contact me.
If you’re thinking of buying a home in Huebner Village, you can view the homes currently available by clicking the link below:
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