If you're thinking about moving to Boisee, Idaho, and trying to decide if you should buy a new construction home, then this video is for you I'll admit it can be pretty overwhelming looking online at all the different builders, who's reliable, who builds a good home And I'm sure you've probably found yourself on several different online forums [music] saying this builder's good, or this builder's good, or this builder's bad, or this builder's bad, and tons of conflicting advice That's why I'm making this video for you today I'm an Idaho native who's walked through thousands of these new construction homes, every single one of the builders, so that I can give you the no BS [music] facts on every single one of them So, today we're going to go over the different types of new construction homes here in the Boisee, Idaho area, pros and cons of each one, and whether or not a new construction home might be the [music] right fit for you Right off the bat, we're going to come across one major points when looking at new construction with two major options on that Option number one is going to be a spec home, and option number two is going to be a to be built Going off the inference of the name to be built, you probably drew the conclusion that the house isn't quite done yet.

And well, you'd be right This is the option where you start the build process from the dirt and go from there There are a host of different benefits for a to be built home, but we can largely lump them under the umbrella of personalization With a to be built home, you start from ground zero You're going to walk each of the developments, find the lot that you want, then pick the house that you want built on that specific lot As the building process goes on, you get to choose all the options that go into the house from the color of the house, the cabinets, the kitchen countertops, the flooring, everything of that And just having that personalization aspect is a huge pro for a lot of people For instance, how many times have you either walked through a home or just looked at pictures of a house online and you loved every single thing about the house, but you got to like the kitchen and then you saw the countertops or maybe the tile backsplash and you went, "Why on earth would they pick that option?" Well, with a to be home, you're not going to be dealing with any of that because you're calling every single shot Well, just making it my own Another one of the huge pros with to be built homes is that most of the builders who offer these to be built home options have several different developments in each of the different Boisee suburbs, which means you get to go figure out the floor plan that you like, and then you can go and check out each of their different developments, figure out which location fits you the best, which lot you like best, and then it's specifically personalized just to that aspect in the location.

The builders that do this, right off the top of my head, would be like KB Homes They're a bigger builder Hubble Homes does this and Toll Brothers So, there's three right off the bat that do those Now, you might be saying to yourself, "Hey, Isaac, this sounds like a pretty good option, but there have to be some sort of downsides to a to be built home." And you would absolutely be right There are some downsides The biggest one is going to be in regards to time frame Since the house isn't built, we have to go through the entire build process And well, it's going to take a little bit longer than just buying a house that's already built With the build time frames, depending on when the builder can start pouring concrete, like right now, I'm filming this at the end of December It's freezing out right now Builders can't pour foundations cuz the concrete won't cure right So, we have to wait until the weather gets a little bit warmer Who knows when that could be And then once we go from there, typical build time is going to be about uh anywhere from 6 to 10 months Just depends on a whole variety of factors So, if you don't have roughly 6 to 8 months to do a new build process, then a to be built home probably isn't going to be the right fit for you.

The other downside of a new construction home isn't necessarily a downside, but it's something that you really need to be cognizant of with the tobuilt homes because you're going through the entire purchase price You're going to get to select the lot that you want your house to be built on, the floor plan Then, you're going to go to the showroom Each of these builders has their own showroom It's kind of like a Lowe's or a Home Depot, but just on steroids Those are the options that you can pick in your homes They have different flooring choices, countertops, all that kind of stuff And most of them have their own their their base level choices So, you can pick these options There's going to be no upgrade cost However, say you don't like the countertop, the three, two, or three or four, whatever countertop choices that they have, but you might like the level two or level three that's going to come with an upgrade, which again is not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to pay attention to this because those small upgrades can add up pretty fast And with several builders, if you go above a certain threshold as far as upgrades, they might require you to put an extra deposit down For instance, with the builder KB Homes, I was just out there talking to them.

They allow you to select up to 10% of the home's value in upgrades without any extra deposit So, if you're buying a $500,000 home, you can select up to $50,000 in upgrades in their showroom, which is quite a bit, you might be thinking, but simple things like maybe you want to add a patio, a covered patio, or raise the trim height in your in your house from like an 8ft ceiling to a 9 ft ceiling Stuff like that adds up really fast And if you go over that 10% mark that they allow, then they require you to put a match every single dollar that you go above it So 550,000, you're totally cool and no extra deposit But if you go to 551,000 or 552,000, they're going to make you match that one or 2,000, however much you go above that Now, each of the different builders is different Some of them I've seen only require quarter% deposit or some of them require 50% deposit, stuff like that But that's something you need to pay attention to Another reason is because of appraisal If you're not buying a house cash, then you're getting a loan You have to have the house appraised That's where the bank is going to say, "Yeah, this house is worth the money that you're asking for it or the loan that the house is justified.

That value is justified." Now, for easy numbers, let's say that you're buying a $500,000 house you put $50,000 in upgrades into this house and it looks great, beautiful, but the appraiser comes in and says, you know, just because you put $50,000 into this house on top of that $500,000 doesn't mean that it's worth that much more Say it only comes back at $520,000 The builder is going to turn around to you and say, "Well, it didn't appraise because you went extreme on your upgrades So, you need to fork up that extra $30,000 difference between the appraisal difference." So, that's something that you need to pay attention to Again, it it really depends on a whole variety of things, but you can't let your choices get ahead of yourself Oh, hold your horses Another thing to pay attention to with that, like I've gone through each of the build processes with each of the builders, and I've gone through their showrooms, and sometimes their upgraded options aren't what you like Like, I had a client, he bought a Hubble home, and he didn't like any of their chandeliers that hang over the kitchen So, he just had them plummet didn't have him put in any chandeliers over the kitchen or the drop lights and he went to Home Depot, I think it was, and he got the ones that he liked and they were a much cheaper price than what the builder was offering for a light that he did not like.

So, there's a lot of options that you have with that, but price point in the upgrades is something that you need to pay attention to So, wow, there's the first option, the to be build, and it's definitely a fun process if you really want that personalization and your time frame is really flexible Before we get on to the next option, I just want to take a minute to introduce myself My name is Isaac Grace I am a native Idahoan, born and raised here in the area, and I'm a third generation realtor here in the Boise, Idaho area I've also run this channel, moving to Idaho, going on 5 years now And what makes me different is that I am a one-man band behind the scenes You see this phone number right here? If you call that phone number or text it, you're going to get me Doesn't matter if you're going to call me at Sunday night I'd prefer you wait till maybe Monday morning to call me However, if you call that number, you're going to get me me showing up to our first appointment, me helping you get into the house that you need I'm not going to sell your contact information to somebody else I'm not going to run you down a lead funnel I'm not going to pass you off to a team member You call that number, you get me.

No bait and switch, nothing So, let's get on to the next option If simplicity, efficiency, and getting a good deal is a high priority for you, then a speck home might be a great option So, what's a speck home? A speck home is when the builder builds a home, makes all the selections, the lot, floor plan, all the color choices, and builds the home without having a buyer for that home prior They'll go through the entire build process and once they get usually within 30 to 45 days of that home being completed, they'll list it on the market and you can come make an offer on that house Almost all the builders in the Boisee area do speck homes, including the builders who do be built homes as well So maybe if that time frame on the to be built home doesn't work for you, but there's a floor plan that you really like or something along those lines, often times we can find a home that almost fits 99% of what you're looking for in a speck home And right off the bat, there's going to be two different types of speck homes There's going to be a move ready speck home and an under construction spec home I think you can probably draw an inference from the name, the difference between the two Moving ready home means it's ready to go.

you can move in tomorrow Granted, all the financing works out Under construction home means it's not quite done yet They've made all the selections and they'll put it on the market and you can go purchase it Usually, it's when they get the flooring, the countertops, and the cabinets in That's about the 30 to 45day mark That's when most of the builders list it on the market But there are a lot of under construction homes where it could be in any point of the build process Maybe they just poured the foundation and that home is listed Well, how do you know what that home's going to look like? Or they've just put the framing up or any any stage of the build process I've walked through hundreds of these types of under construction projects where we'll go talk to the builder and if you like that lot, we think we like that floor plan We've looked at one of their other houses that's complete with that floor plan We can get their selections that they've made for that house So, we can see the flooring, we can see the cabinet choices, we can see the countertop, tile, everything throughout the house so we can see and get an idea of what that finished product is going to look like and then we go and look at it while it's being built.

A huge difference between speck homes and to be built homes are that speck homes you 99% of the time cannot change any of the options The builders once they've started on the build process and they've made all the selections they do not like to change their options I've come across it sometimes where if we can ask them if it's early enough in the build process, hey, can we do this paint color inside or something simple like that, we have been able to get away with it But 99% of the time, they do not like to make any changes Whereas with the to be built homes, you get to pick all those changes Now, if you're a deal shopper like myself, I can't pass up a good deal I will go and buy the price reduced ribe eyes because who doesn't like buying a ribeye for three bucks a pound? But anyways, if you like a really good deal, move ready homes can be a phenomenal option This is often times where I've seen the biggest price cuts on mo on new construction homes and incentives for people to buy those homes This year, the biggest incentive I saw was $60,000 incentive to purchase a new construction home, which is wild So, why would a builder give all these incentives on a move in ready home? Well, these homes have been sitting on the market for a while.

the builder isn't making any money It's taking up inventory So, the builder is just trying to get it out out Ideally, they like to sell the homes before they get all the way completed because once it's fully done, it's just taking up space in their inventory It's costing them money They want to get their money out of it and turn that over So, if you're looking for a really good deal, move in ready homes can be a phenomenal choice for that So to recap the difference between a tobuilt home and a speck home To be built home, you're looking right around 6 to 8 months build time Whereas a speck home, you're really about 30 to 45 days If it's a moving ready home, you could be even sooner If you're purchasing cash, you really could do it in like 10 business days or two calendar weeks Next difference is going to be customization versus no customization With the tobuilt home, you're getting all the customization You can pick all the choices With a speck home, you're not going to be getting that what's picked is picked and if you have an issue with it, then I guess you can move in with a paint bucket and paint the house when you move in And then one of the big ones for a lot of people is the potential deal that you can get on a move and ready home.

Again, if you want or if you're a bargain shopper and you want to keep looking for a while for the best deal possible, the best deals I've seen on new construction have been on those moving ready homes Like I was saying, the $60,000 was on a new construction Toll Brothers home that was moving ready and they were just trying to clear it out So, if you want a great deal, Moving Ready can be your option I want to try to help you guys understand what a great deal this is Okay Another thing to take into consideration is, is a new construction home going to be the right fit for you? Should you buy a new home or maybe buy an older home? There's several pros and cons for each of those One of the big ones that I have happen a lot, so I'm going to reiterate it in this video is people reach out to me and they're like, "Hey, Isaac, I want a new construction home I want new this, new that Absolutely want a new construction home I don't want an HOA Plain and simple, that doesn't exist unless you're buying like a 5 acre ranch Any of these new construction homes are going to be in a subdivision 99% of the times they're going to be in city limits, which means they do have HOAs Now, if you look at an older home, sure you can find subdivisions that don't have HOAs.

However, new construction home, 99% of the time you're going to have an HOA These HOAs aren't what I would consider strict A lot of them are just keeping up the neighborhood, making sure that you're not leaving your trash cans out on the curb, letting your yard go to heck But new construction homes have HOAs You're not going to find one that does not have an HOA, like I said, unless it's not in a subdivision, which Nick says 90% of the builders in the area The next con is one that some people have caught on to, but a lot of people don't realize when they come and talk to me and we're looking at houses, new construction houses With a new construction home, it's hard to tell what the neighborhood is going to look like, say 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 20 years down the road And that's an advantage that older neighborhoods have If you can go through an older neighborhood, say it's 5 years old, 10 years old, you can tell what the that neighborhood, the atmosphere of the neighborhood is going to look like You can tell if your neighbor has 15 cars parked on the street or if they let their yard go away, stuff like that With a new construction neighborhood, you can't necessarily tell that because they're moving in.

They haven't had the time to destroy the house yet Now, with several of these builders, a lot of their subdivisions, they've been building here for a while So, you can kind of get an idea what their subdivision is going to look like in the future For instance, Toll Brothers has been building here in the area for over a decade So, say you want to buy a new Toll Brothers house We can go and we can drive through an older Toll Brothers neighborhood and you're going to see what that development is going to look like 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the road Something to keep in mind when you're looking at new construction houses Another one, and I had some clients who actually veered away from new construction a couple years ago, and this is an interesting one with the new construction homes kind of plays into the other one, the neighborhood is new So, if you like that mature landscaping, you know, the large trees and the treeline streets, you're not going to have that in new construction neighborhoods You know, you're going to have to plant that tree and water it for 5 to 10 years before it gets big enough to give you shade So, if that's something that you're looking for, then new construction might not fit that bill.

Maybe you want to look at a little bit of an older neighborhood to get that mature feeling neighborhood aspect Another huge con that a lot of people don't realize when purchasing a new construction home is that just because your home is completed and you move in doesn't mean the construction in the neighborhood is done If you're buying one of the first houses that's completed in a development, guess what? You're probably going to be living in the middle of a construction zone for the next year or two years or 3 years Anytime you open that door, if you're doing construction nearby, especially here in Idaho in the desert, dust is going to come into the house But the other one is going to be construction traffic, large trucks, cement mixers, people coming to and from job sites, and of course the noise that those vehicles brings with it Plus, you're going to be hearing nail guns, saws, and I'll just be frank, you're going to be hearing a lot of music and people shouting all hours of the day, all week long So, that's something to keep in mind with a new construction purchase is that you very possibly could be living in the middle of a construction zone Now, [snorts] what about the pros of a new construction house? So, I've been talking a lot about the cons, but what about the pros? The biggest one right off the bat, brand new everything.

New roof, new siding, new HVAC system, new foundation, new everything Now, with that, all of that brand new stuff is going to be a higher quality It's kind of like the way that vehicles go You know, I'm a classic vehicle guy I have several uh '7s Fords and they're great like an older home, but the technology for today's vehicles is just far superior They're way more efficient on fuel Newer homes are going to be way more efficient They're way safer They're longerlasting on a lot of different things The windows are more efficient The construction is a whole lot better The roofing is better It's going to last a lot longer The floor plans are designed a little bit better The quality and construction of the materials used just to build these houses is a lot higher quality One of the bigger ones, a lot of newer homes in comparison to older homes are, for instance, I would say better built They have 2x6 construction where a lot of older homes maybe only have a 2x4 construction I'm talking about the the framing, the walls And a lot of these newer homes have far better floor plans And that plays into efficiency a lot Builders have gotten a lot better at making sure the HVAC functions a lot more efficiently by making a floor plan that flows a lot better.

It circulates air a lot better in turn just happens to be that it creates a better flowing floor plan for us to walk around in Another thing with a lot of these new construction homes is warranties A lot of the builders have their own warranty, whether it be a year or 2 years or 3 years or so forth and then a lot of them come with like a 2 to 10 warranty that's taken through somebody else But a lot of the other stuff in the home like your HVAC system has its own warranty through the manufacturer Your appliances have their own warranty Your flooring might have its own warranty Your roofing is going to have its own warranty, windows, all of that kind of stuff It's kind of like buying a new car If any issues arise with that car, you don't have to deal with hopefully you don't have to deal with paying for those issues You just take it to the warranty department at the dealership They're going to correct all those issues But going back to the construction part, as time goes on, building codes get way more stringent A lot of codes increase So buildings have to be built at a higher quality And one of the big things that a lot of people say is maybe you're looking at an entry-level home You're right around that $400,000 mark, just trying to get into your first home, and you're worried that buying maybe a smaller home, you're seeing people say online that, "Oh, these homes are built crappy.

Oh, this and that and the other." Guess what? The entry-level home is built to these same exact building codes and has the same exact building inspections as the multi-million dollar house that you're going to find maybe in the foothills somewhere So, don't be afraid just because maybe there's a price difference that the home isn't going to be built good The building codes today are far more stringent than they were 10, 20, 30 years ago So, anything you're building today is going to have a lot less stuff slipping by than it would back then Oh, there's no need to worry One thing I have to make note of before you reach out to any of these builders, get in touch with me first Even if you don't want to waste my time, you're like, Isaac, I'm super early in the process I don't want to waste your time I just want to go and check out one of these builders Uh maybe go walk through their model home Please reach out to me first It's imperative that you reach out to me first and have me go with you Trust me, you're not wasting my time The reason I say this is because if you go into that builder without taking me with you for the first visit, the builder will not let me help you through the purchase process.

So, you're going through the entire process unrepresented Now, I've had this lots of times I've had several buyers this year that were like, "Well, the builder told me that I don't need representation and this, that, and the other." It's just plain not true The only person who benefits from you not taking me into the the the builder with you to check out homes is the builder because he's saving the money from not paying me to represent you through the process Anybody who works for the builder is legally obligated to have the builder's best interest in mind and get the best price for the builder I just had a first-time home buyer He went in to a new construction house here locally and he went without me and the builder said, "Well, you don't need an agent Uh, and this is the price It's a great price and we don't haggle on prices." So, he got that without me Now, he's a first-time home buyer who's buying a house without any representation And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at getting a lot better deals than the builder is initially getting I just got one under contract last week The builder does not come down in prices Guess what? I got $10,000 in concessions for my clients.

So, do not go into the builders without reaching out to me first I promise you're not wasting my time, no matter how early it is I got you Trust me So, if I haven't scared you away from new construction and you think that you still want to go forward with a new construction house, I have done several videos on each of the builders And if I haven't done the one that you're looking for yet, just hold on to your pants because it is coming You can find any of those like this here or check out the entire new construction playlist right there.