Touring a model home is exciting. Before you visit a new construction community, though, speak with a real estate expert who can help you evaluate the purchase from your perspective.
The right time to get advice is before your first visit - and, with some builders, before your first online inquiry or conversation with their sales team. Early guidance helps you understand registration requirements, compare the full cost, and ask important questions before making a commitment.
1. Your first contact can affect builder registration
Builder policies vary, but some require you to identify and register your agent at your first interaction and have that agent accompany you on your initial tour for the brokerage to qualify for any offered commission.
For example, Lennar's published policy addresses initial online, phone, in-person, and certain virtual interactions. KB Home also publishes first-visit registration and accompaniment conditions. Requirements can differ by builder, division, and community, so your agent should confirm the applicable policy in advance.
These are builder compensation conditions, not a universal rule that you lose the right to hire an agent after visiting alone. If you have already contacted a builder, tell your agent exactly what happened so they can check your options. Do not assume a later registration will be accepted.
Before touring, discuss your agent's services, representation agreement, and compensation. Builder-paid compensation is not guaranteed, and using an agent should not be described as automatically free.
2. Understand who is helping whom
The builder's sales team is an important source of information about its homes, options, and purchase process. Its role is to sell the builder's product. Do not assume the onsite consultant is acting as your own adviser.
Your real estate expert can help you compare that community with other new homes and resale properties, identify tradeoffs, and keep your budget and goals at the center of the discussion. Ask each professional to explain their role and relationship to you.
3. The advertised price may be only the starting point
A model home may showcase upgrades that are not included in the base price. Before deciding a home fits your budget, request a written breakdown of the specific home and selected options.
- Base price and homesite premium
- Structural changes, design upgrades, and included appliances
- Estimated closing costs and required deposits
- Association dues and applicable community development district assessments
- Insurance, estimated property taxes, and items you may need after moving in
In Central Florida, also consider how the lot, planned surrounding development, commute, and outdoor space fit your daily life. An attractive model should be the start of your evaluation, not the entire basis for it.
4. Compare incentives by their actual value to you
A closing-cost credit, rate promotion, or upgrade package may be useful, but ask for its conditions in writing. Some promotions depend on using a particular lender or other provider, meeting deadlines, or purchasing a specific home.
Compare the full financing package with your lender: rate, points, fees, loan terms, cash needed at closing, and payment changes if a temporary buydown is involved. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau encourages buyers to shop around even when a builder has a preferred lender.
Your agent can help organize the comparison and ask about available terms. Your lender should explain financing details. Negotiation opportunities vary; a price reduction, incentive, or additional concession is never guaranteed.
5. Review the purchase terms before signing
Do not assume a builder's purchase agreement works like a resale contract you have seen before. Ask about deposit refundability, financing provisions, construction delays, change orders, substitutions, inspection access, completion requirements, and warranty procedures.
Your agent can help organize questions and coordinate the process. Have an attorney review legal provisions you do not understand before you sign. Getting advice early gives you time to evaluate the answers.
6. Plan for inspections and the final walkthrough
A brand-new home still deserves a careful review. Discuss independent inspections with a qualified inspector and confirm the builder's access rules and scheduling requirements before you commit.
Depending on the construction stage and permitted access, ask about inspections before drywall and before closing. Clarify how findings will be submitted, which items the builder agrees to address, and whether follow-up inspections are allowed.
Keep written records of agreed items. Review the warranty documents and the process for reporting concerns after closing. Your agent helps coordinate; the inspector evaluates the home's condition.
7. Build a plan for timing changes
If construction is delayed, how will that affect your lease, current home sale, moving arrangements, storage, and financing? Ask which dates are estimates and what the agreement says about changes.
An experienced agent can help you coordinate the purchase with the rest of your move and identify questions to resolve before a deadline becomes urgent.
Before you visit a model home
- Contact your real estate expert and share the communities you want to see.
- Disclose any previous inquiries, appointments, registrations, or tours.
- Review your representation agreement, services, and compensation.
- Have your agent confirm each builder's registration requirements and arrange the visit.
- Prepare your budget and a list of questions before touring.
Tour new construction with a plan
At Young Real Estate®, The Veteran Owned Real Estate Brokerage, we help buyers compare their options and approach important decisions with clear information.
Thinking about a new construction home in Central Florida? Call 407-633-4663 or contact Young Real Estate before your first builder visit so we can help you plan your next steps.
Related reading: Central Florida Home Buyer Guide | Why Hiring an Expert Realtor Matters
Sources and builder policies
- Lennar: Broker Participation Policy
- KB Home: Agent registration requirements
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Compare lenders
Builder requirements and incentives can change. Confirm current terms directly with the specific community before making contact or touring.