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Homebuyer Education
Buying a new-construction home really comes down to three things: knowing where you honestly stand financially, understanding how building differs from buying a resale, and knowing what is coming once you are under contract. I have walked a lot of families through all three, and I have put everything I would tell you in person right here.
before anything else
The One Thing That Costs Buyers the Most
Please register your agent before your very first visit to a builder. I know that sounds like a formality, but it is the one thing I wish every buyer knew ahead of time. Most builders require your agent to be present or registered the first time you walk into their sales office or model home, so if you tour alone, sign in at the desk and start working with the builder's sales team, you can permanently lose the ability to bring your own representation into that purchase.
It is not anyone being difficult with you. The builder's sales agent earns a commission on your sale, so once they have registered you as their lead, there is not much reason for them to welcome another agent into the transaction.
So before you visit any model home, call your agent. If you already have one, bring them along or register their name before you walk in. If you do not have one yet, let's talk first. The consultation is free, and it honestly takes less time than the drive out to the model home.
What you would be giving up is someone who works for you rather than for the builder: someone who knows what is genuinely negotiable, who reads the builder's contract with you before you sign it, and who has sat on the builder's side of that table and knows exactly how things work over there.
It is a two-minute step at the front end, and it decides whether you have someone in your corner for the rest of the build.
step one
Are You Ready to Start Yet?
Almost everyone I sit down with wants to own a home, so that part is rarely the real question. What we are figuring out together is whether you are in a position to start right now or whether you would be better served building a plan and getting there over the next several months. There is no wrong answer, and I have happily helped families in both situations. The only thing that costs people is not knowing which one they are in, because that is when someone either waits years longer than they needed to or starts before they are ready and gets discouraged.
Income stability
Lenders start with your income, because that is what makes the payment every month for the next 15 or 30 years. They are looking for roughly two years of steady, documented earnings. Moving between jobs in the same field is usually no trouble at all, but changing careers, or going from a W-2 job to self-employment right before you apply, does make things harder. Not impossible, just worth timing carefully, so if you are considering a change like that, talk to me before you make it.
Debt-to-income
This one simply measures whether you can comfortably carry a mortgage payment on top of what you already owe. You add up your monthly debt payments and divide by your gross monthly income. The good news that surprises most people is that utilities, your cell phone, car insurance and groceries do not count toward it at all. Limits vary by loan program, and a higher ratio does not automatically rule you out. It usually just means the rest of your file needs to be a little stronger.
Savings, in three buckets
Saving for a home is really three numbers rather than one, and I find it helps to look at them separately. There is the down payment, which does not have to be 20% and can start as low as 3% to 3.5% depending on the loan program. There are closing costs, which usually come to a few percent of the purchase price. And there is a reserve of a few months of housing payments that you keep back after you close, not before. That last cushion is what keeps a new home from feeling like a financial cliff in the first year.
One more thing that catches people off guard: for about six months before you apply, try to avoid large deposits you cannot document. If a family member is helping you with gift funds, loop your loan officer in before the money moves so it gets papered correctly from the start. It is a simple thing beforehand and a real headache afterward.
step two
How New Construction Is Different
Building a home works differently from buying one that already exists, and most of the surprises I see come from people assuming the two are the same. The contracts are not the same, the incentives come with trade-offs, and the only person in that sales office whose job is to look after you is the agent you bring with you.
Builder contracts are not TREC forms
In a Texas resale, both sides usually work from TREC promulgated contracts, and the protections in them are familiar and standard. Builders write their own instead, through their own attorneys, and that can mean narrower inspection rights and shorter timelines, deposits that are not refundable, fees attached to change orders, delays on the builder's end that do not give you the right to walk away, and arbitration clauses that limit taking a dispute to court. None of that is a reason to avoid new construction, and I help families buy new homes happily all the time. It simply means someone who works for you should sit down and read that contract with you first.
The base price is not the real price
The number on the builder's sign is where the conversation starts, not where it lands. Lot premiums, structural options and design center selections all get added on top, and the design center is usually where the number moves the most. That model home you fell in love with is fully upgraded, which is worth remembering while you walk it. What is actually negotiable varies by builder, by community, and by how much standing inventory they happen to be carrying that month, and keeping track of that is a good part of what I do for you.
You still need your own inspection
The builder runs their own quality reviews and the city inspects for code compliance, but neither of those people works for you. The most valuable moment to get your own inspector out is pre-drywall, once the framing, electrical and plumbing are roughed in but before the walls close up. It is your one chance to see the bones of the house, and I would hate for you to miss it.
The 1-2-10 warranty
Most new Texas homes come with a builder's warranty in three tiers: year one covers workmanship and materials, years one and two cover the mechanical systems, and years one through ten cover structural defects. Read the warranty document before you close, keep notes on anything you notice from day one, and always put warranty requests in writing. Having a written record makes every later conversation easier.
step three
From Contract to Keys
Once you are under contract, things settle into a fairly predictable rhythm, which most people find reassuring after all the decisions at the front end. You sign the builder's purchase agreement and put down earnest money, which is held in escrow and credited toward your total at closing. Your loan officer works through your file while the lender orders an appraisal, a title company confirms clear ownership, and a survey confirms where the home sits on the lot.
Then come the walkthroughs, and I am there with you for these. The orientation, which most people call the blue tape walk, happens once construction is finished: the builder's representative shows you how everything in the house works, and the two of us mark anything that needs attention. The final walkthrough comes shortly before closing, and that is where we confirm every marked item was actually corrected. If something has not been fixed, we ask for it in writing before you sign.
In the last few weeks you will see the title commitment, then the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing, then wire instructions. Please be careful with that last one, because wire fraud is a genuine risk in this business. Never send money based on emailed instructions alone, always call the title company at a number you already know is correct, and if anything ever feels off to you, call me first.
Through all of it, keep your financial picture steady: no new credit, no large purchases, no job changes. The lender re-verifies your credit and employment right before closing, and this is a genuinely common place for things to go sideways, usually over a new car that nobody thought to mention.
take it with you
Free Download
No form and no email on this one, it is just yours. Print it, write on it, and bring it with you to your first conversation with a loan officer.
Homebuyer Readiness Checklist
Sit down with a pen and work through it, and you will come out the other side knowing exactly where you stand.
free download
The Complete Texas New-Home Buyer's Guide
Twelve chapters covering credit, down payment assistance, property taxes and MUD districts, builder contracts, inspections, and everything between contract and keys.
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Open Your GuideMary De Pinho | Texas Real Estate License #579203 | Dalton Wade Real Estate Group
Mary De Pinho is a licensed real estate agent and is not a lender, mortgage broker, or credit repair organization. Information about down payment assistance programs, credit readiness, and mortgage financing is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or credit repair advice. Assistance program eligibility, terms, income limits, and available funding are subject to change and are determined by the administering agency, not by the agent. Results vary by individual situation. Figures cited in this material were current as of the date of publication; verify all program details with the appropriate agency before making financial decisions.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Mary De Pinho does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability, or any other class protected under federal, state, or local fair housing law.
Buyer representation is provided under a written buyer representation agreement. The agent's commission for new-construction purchases is paid by the builder at no cost to the buyer. Terms of representation are disclosed in writing before services begin, in accordance with current Texas Real Estate Commission rules.