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You are here: Home / Archives for new homes

new homes

McNair Custom Homes – Reputation Is Everything

June 4, 2018 by khproperties Leave a Comment

McNair Custom Homes

Reputation. You build your entire life based on it. You put it on the line with everything you do. Your reputation is everything. When your name is on the door and everything you do becomes a part of that reputation, it becomes even more essential to provide the best. That’s why Kimberly Howell Properties has teamed up with McNair Custom Homes to be their exclusive listing partner. For years we have sold their homes and joined them in various projects and we have always known their solid reputation for building quality homes with legendary energy efficiency. It goes beyond just listing the properties, these are homes we back with our reputation as well. When you buy a new home with McNair Custom Homes, you’re not just buying a home, but becoming a part of a family of owners who have seen that reputation firsthand.

McNair Custom Homes and Kimberly Howell Properties – Reputation is everything.

To see homes available, visit our McNair Custom Homes listings page or the McNair Custom Homes website.

Filed Under: Buying a Home Tagged With: builders, new homes, mcnair custom homes, kimberly howell properties

New Home Construction: Build Your Dream House

January 5, 2015 by khproperties 1 Comment

New Home Construction

With the availability of land to expand on in San Antonio, new home construction has remained a popular choice for many home buyers and with a wide-array of choices in builders, floor plans, and amenities; it’s easy to see why. Building custom homes is always a fun, exciting process. Brogan Group can provide all the essential equipment for large construction projects. From choosing your floorplan to picking out light fixtures, there are a lot of steps in the process and it does take time from initial purchase to the day you get the keys to your new home. You can find battery separators and thermal runaway protection by clicking here. Here are some tips to help make the new home construction process a lot easier on you.

Work with a Realtor

Obviously, this seems a little self-serving as we are Realtors. It’s one of those things we say all the time, and we understand why so many people think “well of course they would say that.” But there’s good reason we say it. The builder is offering the home at a particular list price. That list price includes a built-in amount of commission to be paid to your agent. The builder knows they will be paying this and as they are in the business of selling their homes for profit, they account for it in their pricing. Now, of course, you can go without an agent and the sales reps at the builder’s office will help you through the process, but remember, they work for the builder, not for you. Their job is to maximize profits for the builder. An agent’s job is to get you the best price and see you through the transaction smoothly. The agent is an advocate for you, the sales rep is an advocate for the builder (their boss).

Although builders do this every day for a living, every agent has countless stories about major mistakes made during the process of new home construction. We’ve seen it all: no insulation in the walls, fireplaces put in the wrong place, missing outlets, homes that were supposed to be stone but the builder started putting brick up instead, grass that was left to die (but came at a premium)…you get the picture. These details get overlooked sometimes and having someone to fight on your side is important to keep everyone on track. Using a real estate agent can save your time, money, and hassle.

Inspections

Speaking of things not being done, let’s talk about new home inspections. We’ve mentioned this before, but it is more important than anything else in this post. That’s right, ignore the rest of the post if you want, but don’t ignore this. Inspections cost money and yes, you can save a few dollars by relying on the builder’s inspections (they have to do certain inspections for code compliance, but they often do a series of inspections on the homes they build). Each builder will tell you how many steps they have in their inspection process and how great they are, but think about it for a moment…who’s paying the inspector? You guessed it – the builder. Like the old saying does, follow the money.

Take the extra time and money and hire a licensed inspector to perform a phased inspection. This will get you a series of inspections at certain milestones in the building process (foundation pour, framing, wiring, plumbing, pre-drywall, etc.). Not only will you be able to head off any problems, but it helps keep the contractors honest knowing that their work will be inspected by a professional. Zone Group offer innovative equipment hire solutions Australia-wide. For plumbing guidance during an inspection make sure you contact a nearby professional.

Use your Realtor

We hate that we even have to mention this, but when you and your agent head over to the community to sign your offer and you walk out the door, the builder often will ignore the fact that you have an agent. They won’t call us, fill us in, or tell us much of what’s going on. Your agent will have to stay on top of the builder at all times. What winds up happening is they call you direct all the time and your agent won’t know the details of what’s happening, because the builder won’t tell them. This can be super frustrating for the agent and you. Sometimes builder use this time to put you on the spot to make decisions that would best be answered after some discussion and thought with your agent. Do not feel pressured and call your Realtor and get them involved. Not only does your agent have the experience to deal with problems that might arise, but they also can help you weigh decisions with insight from previous experiences.

Of course, your real estate agent should be proactive and calling you and the builder and checking in on the progress of your new home. Your Realtor should attend all meetings with the builders and contractors along with you, as well as the closing. Remember, most these people work for the builder (sales reps, contractors…and sometimes title companies and lenders, depending on your situation), your agent works for you.

Bonuses

Builders often offer some incentives to agents when they sell their homes in the form of bonuses. They might also offer you some incentives. These incentives are often tied to you using a particular lender. We suggest you talk with their lender, but know that you should be shopping around as well. Talk to your agent and ask them for some recommendations for lenders. There are many instances where an outside lender can beat the terms of the builder’s preferred lender and it may save you money, even if you forgo the incentives being offered. A good lender will look at the big picture for you and show you both sides of the equation – how much it saves you today (cash at closing) and how much it saves you through the life of the loan. A great lender will tell you when they can’t beat those terms and recommend you go with the builder’s preferred lender.

You should also look at the incentives being offered. Many come in the form of credits for upgrades to the home. The builder typically has a markup on these items, so the incentives true value may not be the face value of what they’re offering. We recommend carefully considering your new home upgrades as some are worth the price, some are not. As with anything, you need to find the balance between what you want in your new home and how much you’re willing to pay for it.

image courtesy of ** RCB **

Filed Under: Buying a Home Tagged With: new homes, new home construction

The Gardens at Greystone Continues to Grow

November 18, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

19534 Brooke Place - Floorplan

The Gardens at Greystone Adding Two New Inventory Homes

McNair Custom Homes’ The Gardens at Greystone continues its growth with two new custom inventory homes set to be completed in early 2014. Featuring standard upgrades and energy efficiency, these garden homes are gorgeous. The two latest under construction are 1507 Melanie Circle and 19534 Brooke Place. Additionally, 19530 Brooke Place, has been under construction for some time now and is expected to be complete in January 2014.

Each of these homes is unique in their design and finish out, creating a truly custom look and feel to the neighborhood. They are just starting construction, so if you purchase one of them now, there will be plenty of time to choose flooring, colors, extra upgrades, and other custom touches. Additionally, there is a completed home waiting for its new owners at 1515 Melanie Circle. Have questions about the community? Contact us and we’ll set up a private tour of the neighborhood and homes.

Filed Under: San Antonio Places Tagged With: new homes, the gardens at greystone, mcnair custom homes

Lots and Land: Do You Know What to Ask?

July 16, 2013 by Linda Mosse Leave a Comment

5 Admirals Way - Sweeping Views

Buying a lot or land for your new home?

The quest for your dream home often starts with a search for the perfect lot or piece of land. As with anything in the home purchasing process, the land you choose is an important factor and is not something to be taken lightly. There are many questions to consider about the land you want to build on and having a real estate agent with land experience can really help smooth out the process. As if deciding on the right builder and the right style of your new home isn’t enough!

There are several questions you need to ask your Realtor when you are searching for a lot, especially here in Texas. Let’s consider some of these questions (in no particular order):

  • Is the lot in a floodplain?
  • Are there any zoning restrictions?
  • Are there any potential environmental hazards such as endangered species?
  • Are there restrictions in the neighborhood or with the Home Owners Association?
  • Are there potential issues with impervious surfaces?
  • What easements are on the lot (and what will be left to build on once these easements are taken into consideration)?
  • What size home can be built?
  • Does the lot already have utilities on it and can you hook up to a public sewer or will you be required to have a septic system?
  • What types of cost will be incurred due to the topography of the lot and will your preferred builder be able to help you grade and level the site you have chosen?
  • Do the mineral rights convey with the property?
  • How do I obtain financing for a lot and the new home I want to build?

Each of these questions has its own set of questions, so look forward to more answers on these and any other questions you may have regarding lot and land purchases.

Filed Under: Buying a Home Tagged With: new homes, land, lots

Should I Work With a Realtor When Building a New Home?

May 30, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Construction Industry

Building From the Ground Up

I’m often asked (or see questions) about whether one should work with a Realtor when buying and building a new home. When you visit a new home community and sit with the sales representative for a builder in San Antonio, you’re sitting with the seller. The sales rep is working for the seller (the builder) and although they are friendly and shouldn’t take advantage of you, the fact is they are not required to have your best interests at heart. Since they work for the builder, their job is to a) get you to buy the new home and b) make the builder as much profit as they possibly can. Alternatively, you may hire a home builder yourself and sign a contract with them.

Some people assume that if they don’t work with a Realtor when building a new home they might be able to shave a few dollars off the price. Some are even told this by the onsite sales rep, which is a terribly deceptive practice – and if they do offer you any savings, it is often in the form of upgrades, which are usually marked up in price significantly and are not a true dollar for dollar representation of what they may be offering you. The builder calculates Realtor commissions into their pricing structure. If they sell the home for less, it could potentially drag down the prices of their other homes (remember market pricing is based off of local sales trends – if homes of comparable size and quality start selling for less, depreciation in value will occur). I’ve seen many builders offer higher percentage commissions and large (tens of thousands) buyer incentives on homes at times – do you think they would offer all of this if they didn’t have their profit calculated down to the penny?

Your Realtor will act as your adviser, watchdog, point of contact, advocate, and master of ceremonies during the process (which is much longer than the closing time needed to buy a house that’s already been built). Because of the length of time it takes to build a new home, things can go wrong and before you know it, there is pressure to shrug it off and move on with the process. Your agent will help prevent that and fight for you in the event it does.

One Huge Note

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it a thousand times more. Whatever you do, even if you don’t work with a Realtor when building a new home (I’m a realist, I know some people won’t no matter how much I point out the value), get a phased inspection of the home from a reliable, local inspector who is available only in www.seepageseal.com site. Most inspectors offer a series of inspections during the build process after certain milestones (foundation pour, framing, wiring and plumbing, etc.). This is the most important thing you can do. The builder will tell you about their 7-step (or more) inspection process when building a new home, but those inspectors do not work for you – they work for the builder. It will cost you some money, but it will potentially save you headaches and more money down the road.

photo courtesy of jongrant33

Filed Under: Buying a Home Tagged With: realtor, builders, new homes

The Gardens at Greystone Neighborhood Website

May 8, 2013 by khproperties Leave a Comment

The Gardens at Greystone

We’re proud to announce that we have launched www.gardensatgreystone.com, a new neighborhood website focusing on McNair Custom Homes’ The Gardens at Greystone. This website will serve as a source of information about the community, the homes, and the local area for those interested in this neighborhood of forty three Tusan-style garden homes. We are excited to list these homes and showcase them for McNair Custom Homes and hope you’ll take a few moments to check out this new site.

Filed Under: San Antonio Places Tagged With: new homes, the gardens at greystone, mcnair custom homes

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