Hello New Home Buyer. Montgomery Farms in Allen is a wonderful subdivision to consider. There are many reasons why it should be high on your list, if you haven't already signed a contract with them. The city of Allen is a great place to own a home because land is running out. With limited supply, demand will rise over the next decade and help home prices elevate. The city of Allen is not so big like Frisco or Plano where it can feel overwhelming, but not so small where you have to drive miles to get to a store. The population is in the mid 70,000's and the streets are rarely congested. The school district is top rated and many people move to Allen specifically for the schools. Montgomery Farms is right down the street and within walking distance to a first class lifestyle center called Watters Creek (www.watterscreek.com). In addition, The Meadows at Montgomery Farms has homes that are in the $800K+ and will help with the resale value of your home in The Arbor at Montgomery Farms, which is where Darling Homes builds. Darling Homes offers their classic Cape Cod style homes at Montgomery Farms. These homes are unique in the craftsman style features and detailing inside the house vs. getting the large square footage without the fine details. I am an Allen resident myself and love this city! If I can help in any way, please let me know as I am a licensed real estate broker. Visit my cutting edge website (www.janusREgroup.com) for more information on Allen. Thank you.

Wed Jun 11 2008, 12:55

Just bought Darling in Mckinney. I'm not an agent. Can give you tips.

only4raw at yahoo com

Wed May 28 2008, 18:34

Hire a Realtor! It costs you nothing and we are trained to assist you through the negotiation process. Please do not sign a builder contract unless you have a real estate professional look it over to see if there are any bulder incentives that you can be offered. Also, make certain that if you have any contingencies, such as needing to sell a home before closing on your new home is stated in the contract. This one step saved one of my clients from paying 2 mortgages simultaneously.
Also, make certain that there are inspections conducted when the electrical, HVAC system etc.. are installed. Visit the building site frequently. I have seen carpet being laid over construction worker's trash and yelled.. stop right there!
Let me know if this has helped you or if you would like me to represent you with this transaction.
Best of luck to you!

Thu May 22 2008, 07:58

Many good books on negotiation recommend getting a buffer between you and the other side via representation, which is why countries have ambassadors, celebrities, authors and athletes have agents, etc. Obviously, Trulia is a place agents try to find business, maybe yours, but please seriously consider the advice to get expert representation and not just react to the solicitation. If you insist on representing yourself, you will likely miss out on rebates and bonuses not disclosed or offered to unrepresented buyers before you even start. Alternatively, become an expert yourself in resale values, what Darling has actually sold the homes for compared to asking price, Allen land and development trends, comparison to other builders and surrounding communities and the construction process. This is a start, but only a fraction of it. As for strategy, be prepared to walk away if the terms are not right and hopefully you will get the deal you want. If you do not want to work with a Realtor, consider finding an Allen homeowner or friend who has built more than one home and get them to come with you and help evaluate.
I am curious, since buyer's agency is free and can literally save you thousands or even tens of thousands, why would you not use professional representation? Realtors would not facilitate 98% of transactions if we offered no value. Consider other ways of finding agents than yellow pages. The best source is a referral from a trusted friend or an experienced agent you personally feel comfortable with. Call if we can answer questions with no obligation. The Hollers Team 214-384-1169.

Tue May 6 2008, 18:51

If you have already started your new construction...congratulations. If not, here is what I would suggest.

Call...don't visit...the builder and ask them what incentives they have available. They will typically give you a number which may or may not require their lender and title co. Use the number...throw the lender and title co. info out the window. Now, a typical builder gross profit margin is 15%. So the List Price on the sales sheet includes the 15%. If you can negotiate a Sales Price which leaves the builder a profit margin of half that or less, that will be a respectible deal. So, take 15% of the sheet price, reduce that by the incentive and the difference between that and say 5% profit margin will be the additional discount you want.

Also, make sure all of your change requests are documented up front. The builder will make mistakes and it will be up to you to identify them quickly. So you will need to be onsite on a regular basis. Also, any changes that have to be made during construction can be costly.

There are a lot of other little things that are relatively important...but these are the major ones.

Hope this helps.

Alan Wynn
Like NO ONE Else!
214-729-5582
into@DallasHousesOnTheWeb.com

Fri Apr 25 2008, 10:41

WAIT ... you need a realtor involved .

We address so many emails and phone calls a week where a buyer and builder did not see eye too eye or the buyer assume something that the builder should do. Allow a real estate agent to assist you and represent you. therefore if anything should happen you fall under the Dallas real estate agent errors and ommission insurance policy.

Excited you are purchasing a home !

Contact our office or visit our website, we look forward to working with you !
Lynn
972-699-9111
911@lynn911.com
http://www.lynn911.com

Sat Mar 15 2008, 14:39

Great neighborhood. Lots of new retail. Darling is a great family owned builder. Personally I prefer Highland Homes.Please call me if you do not have a realtor and would like some special buying incentives.972-342-7217http:// www.pamgossick.com

Tue Mar 11 2008, 15:47

If you are set on building, then build. If you want a better deal, submit an offer on a house already built. Builders are wheeling and dealing right now.

Mon Mar 3 2008, 23:06

Definitely use a Realtor. I myself give up to 5% cash back on new home builds in Texas. What builder are you looking at? What time frame do you have in mind? This could also depend on if you are building or buying a home the was just built. I have worked with a few over the last few years.
J.

Sat Feb 23 2008, 08:51

Use a Realtor..... I think there are some better than others, but almost any experienced realtor will save you time and money versus going to the builder directly. Just asking the question tells me you're not ready to negotiate directly with them. It's not an intelligence issue, it's an experience issue. I'm sure you're an expert at whatever you do, but likely not an expert negotiating contracts with builders. Even as a Realtor myself I would always hire someone to negotiate for me when I sale my own house. If you want to see some of the things that go wrong when you buy a house from a builder check out my website under New Homes..... There are certainly cases where things go right, the builders give you a great house at a great price, but why would you risk what is likely your biggest investment, when you can get an expert negotiate for FREE and potentially even save more money than going at it alone.

Fri Feb 22 2008, 08:33

Thank you all for responding, but if I was looking for a realtor I would have used the yellow pages. Please respond with actual suggestions and not just attempts to gain business. Thank you.

Thu Feb 21 2008, 07:50

My team would be delighted to assist you with your real estate needs..let's visit and discuss your goals and time line.

Once we have an idea of your plans we would guide and assist you from start to finish...


Mattye Smith
Realtor
972-733-5265



Ambiance Realty

Wed Feb 20 2008, 14:22

Definitely use a Realtor to provide you advice and experience. This is a high $ community and you do not want to regret the purchase of your home. So it may seem that you can buy without assistance (and many do); sometimes even the smallest items that are overlooked initially cannot be changed once you begin the process. And the process can be long and sressful with walkthroughs and inspections. Ask about upgrade allowances or discounts. This is a Highland Homes and Darling community—both excellent—and excellent community. If you are looking at the Darling product, there is an existing one year old home for sale near the elementary school.

Wed Feb 20 2008, 10:41

What I would recommend is having a Realtor represent you in this transaction. There is no cost to you as a buyer (the builder pays real estate commissions). Having a professional on your side is important, and they will be looking out for your best interests. Realtors go through the home buying on a regular basis and their experience will be very helpful to you.

If you still feel that you must do it alone, you can still negotiate a price with a builder. Having comparable home sales data is a good place to start. Most realtors can give you this information as well.

Keep in mind, all real estate transactions are negotiable! Good luck!

Melissa Hailey
Coldwell Banker Jane Henry Realtors
214-418-0180

Wed Feb 20 2008, 09:01

My best advice is use a REALTOR to assist you in your purchase. Alone, you represent one customer to a builder. With an agent, you represent potentially hundreds of purchases. A REALTOR can often get the builder to include upgrades or incentives that they might not provide one customer. But beyond just assisting you in negotiating your purchase, I will be with you through the entire building process. I follow the construction progress for my clients and will also recommend an inspector to monitor the construction at various phases of the build. This gives you two experienced partners in monitoring your new home during construction. And we work for you, not the builder. Yes, even the best builders like Darling are only as good as their worst sub contractor. Don't you want someone working for you to be monitoring the process? Best of all, Darling pays your agent through their advertising fund. You don't pay more because you work with a REALTOR. Darling is a great builder who is willing to customize their homes to fit your needs. And I believe Montgomery Farms will be a great investment for you.

Start off on the right path. Work with a REALTOR.

Wed Feb 20 2008, 08:58