There were some difficult and confusing answers to this qeustion, if you are still in the market YES .. you can offer what ever you feel justified to. Good Luck

Sun Jun 29 2008, 20:48

You can offer anything you like. For an opinion on whether or not it might be accepted, ask your Buyer's Agent. If you don't have an agent, why not? The seller has an agent. The commission will be paid at closing. The commission has already been established when the seller signed the Seller's Agency Agreement with the agent who is representing him/her. At closing, if you are represented, your broker/agent takes 1/2 of the commission agreed upon between the seller and their agent/broker. If you are unrepresented, the selling broker/agent takes all. They will do all of the paper work. They will check the "unrepresented buyer" box in the contract. But you will not be represented. Why would you spend a quarter of a million dollars of your hard-earned money without getting professional representation?

Tue May 13 2008, 18:52

I hope you got your question answered and although we are all buyers agents vying for your business the answer is YES, you can always negotiate. It is very difficult to determine what that magic number is but you need to get a feel for the other homes in the area before you can be sure if you have made the right offer or not. Feel free to call if you need any non-sales advice and I would be glad to help you anytime day or night. (816) 536-7653

David Van Noy Jr.

Mon May 12 2008, 15:51

You have a few options: ask the builder to pay closing cost which can save you 3-6% off sales price. You can ask for upgrades for free. You can do both. You can just offer a lower bid than what the house is on market for. You have many options. Builders are willing to work with buyers, but you also need to know builders are pricing homes today with how the market is currently. Most have already lowered their margins. Feel free to email me at jdraut@equity1mortgage-kc.com or contact me directly at 816-777-5098 xt. 101. We are local and a member of the Better Business Bureau with a perfect record.

Sun Apr 27 2008, 21:26

I get asked this question alot! The answer is "It depends"...who is the builder, what is the name of the neighborhood, how long has it been sitting or is it under construction, has the price been just reduced? All of these make a difference in the right answer. Give me a call and we can discuss it. In this market you should definitely get a Realtor as your buyers agent who is in the "know" about the LS builders. You may want to do an inspection, will this builder be in business in a year? Has he been living off of his house building loans? Will he have enough money to finish the house? An experienced agent will know the answers or will know who to call and ask to get the answers. Generally, a builder hopes to make a 10% profit on the house. The longer it has been there, the longer he has been paying mortgage payments. He will either work with his bank to get it sold or he may have some equity in it and may be wanting to "unload" it. There are a few select neighborhoods that have been selling well (like Legacy Woods, Fields of Highland Park) that won't need to take your lower offer...they know another buyer will be coming. I hope this helps you and I hope you will call me, I know I can help you!

Wed Apr 23 2008, 11:49

D Tracy -
I also agree with the previous REALTORS - you really need to have a REALTOR in your corner. I work in the Kansas City Area, but don't know Lee's Summit well. I do know that some builders are taking less for their inventory. It will depend on the Builder. A buyers Agent who knows that area and that Builder will be able to tell you if that builder will negotiate or not. If you need a local Agent my company has an office in Blue Springs and I have an associate there who I use when I have clients wh want that area.
Susan Reagan
Coldwell Banker -Moffitt & Associates
Overland Park, KS

Wed Apr 16 2008, 09:13

D Tracy -
I concur with all the previous REALTORS have said about working with a buyers agent on your behalf with the builder. They know what questions to ask and can research the history of the subdivision AND of the builder. Not all builders are created equal just as all REALTORS are not created equal. You want them to be in business to make good on their builder warranty. Service after the sale is just as important as negotiating price.

Builders are rightfully proud of their product and hate to be haggled on price but can always work with you on other things (like upgrades both inside and outside...landscaping and fencing for instance). Unless you know the worth of the product how can you compare? I'm not in Lees Summit but can recommend several wonderful REALTORS for you to work with if youhave not already started negotiations with the builder. If you have started working with the builders REALTOR, remember they WORK FOR THE BUILDER (not you).

Hope this was helpful. Get in touch if you would like the KC/Lees Summit REALTOR names.
Trisha Lee REMAX Boone Realty, Columbia, MO 65203

Tue Apr 15 2008, 10:47

I would like to reinforce the statements of the previous 2 Realtors, that you are a lot better off at new construction developments when you use a Realtor. With that being said, hopefully you did use one and they will be able to check to see what the builder has sold homes for recently in that development and guide you appropriately. It does make a difference if you are building from scratch or buying a home that they already have completed. You may find that you can get your $10-$15K off by getting free options or discounts on the options, and/or having the builder waive the lot premium. Caution - do not settle for a lot with a less than desireable location (backing to main road, near pool, at entrance of subdivision, on main street in subdivision, etc.) just to get the price you want because in the future it will still require a discount by you to sell it. Good luck!

Sun Apr 13 2008, 08:02

In Missouri, I have never seen a builder who would not work with a Realtor, HOWEVER, the very first time you go to visit the development, the builder's rep will ask you to fill out a card with your information. If you do not put down at that time that you are working with a Realtor, the builder will not pay the Realtor a commission to represent you later. That is because many years ago some unscrupulous Realtors would wait until after people found the homes that they wanted to buy at developments then suddenly "befriend them" and want to be paid a commision without being part of the procurring cause to buying the home. SO, if you have already been talking to the builder, it's probably too late to bring in a Realtor now, which is really sad, because the Realtor would be able to help you negotiate a better deal than you will probably be able to negotiate on your own. (The Builder's automatically build the Realtor's commission into their marketing budget. They will not lower the price if you don't use a Realtor since the majority of their homes are sold through Realtors and they can't afford to lose the Realtors bringing them clients or have an uproar if you get a lower price than your neighbor because you didn't use a Realtor and the neighbor did.)

Now, the builders, in MO aren't hurting as much as the builders in FL and on the coasts are, but it is more difficult for them at the moment - they have money tied up in inventory of new homes, land, and materials, plus they have to pay their laborers and subcontractors. As a result, they are anxious to get their homes sold and will negotiate more than in the past. There are still some developments, though, that are commanding top dollar due to their location and amenities. Check to see how fast the complex is selling. If it's taking the building a long time to sell, he's going to be more willing to negotiate than if he's selling quickly.

If you did give your Realtor's info when you signed in with the builder, then get him or her involved quickly. It's a LOT easier to have someone else negotiating on your behalf than to do it yourself, and you'll typically end up with a much higher return since they can do it without the emotional attachment to the issue that you will have.

Good luck!

Sat Apr 12 2008, 22:50

Yes, you can make an offer on new construction. But, be sure that you hire a buyer's agent to represent your best interests in the transaction. It costs you nothing (provided the builder is willing to co broke with a REALTOR-not all of them are.)

I am assuming this is a house that is already built. How many other homes do they currently have in their inventory?

In our area of Florida builders have an overabundance of new homes sitting vacant. They are offering free swimming pools, upgraded appliances, to pay buyers closing costs, etc.

Have the REALTOR do a market analysis to determine where the comparable sale prices are in the area and that will give you a place to start. Look at the list price and then determine what you are preapproved for, and go from there.

Best wishes.

Sat Apr 12 2008, 21:26