Tag: Show House

10 Things Before You Pay The Deposit

OK you have looked round lots of show houses and found one you like.

The sales representative is now asking for a $500, or more, initial deposit.

Do you pay straight away?……..Well you are currently in your best position to negotiate so don’t rush!

10 Actions

Here is what I would do next:

  1. Tell them you need a week to think about it.
  2. For the house you like get copies of all the Floor Plans, facade plans, specification and standard list of inclusions. (Once you have got the plans don’t think you can shop them around other builders)
  3. Walk through the Show House again checking what fixtures and fittings are extras so you understand the difference between what you will get and what you might have thought you will get.
  4. Take the plans and specification home and go through every room one by one to help you decide if the rooms including fixtures and fittings are what you want.
  5. Make a list of all the changes you want, for instance:

It will be easier, and cheaper, to make the changes before you commit!

6. Go back to the representative and ask them to price the changes.

7. Remember that there will still be extra costs such as site works, fences paths etc. See “What Will It Cost?” for typical details so make sure you will be able to afford the estimated price, with some extra for things you forgot! You don’t want to be paying a loan on a Ghost House.

8. If you are happy with the price pay the deposit and you are on your way.

Limited Time Offers!

Some builders make limited time offers to get you to sign up quickly.

I’ve never let this rush me . . . as at the end of one offer they always seem to have another ‘Offer’ of similar value.

For similar posts see Starting Off

 

Choosing a House . . . A new E-book for only $4 to help you buy your new house

 

Show House Sales Tricks

The thing you need to remember when visiting a display house is it is not a real home, it’s more like a television set with tens of thousands of dollars of upgrades.

The builders want to show off their houses in the best light so you can’t blame them . . . but don’t forget you are buying your home.

Here are some of the tricks that big builders can use to make the house feel more desirable:

    • Internal doors removed to make it easier to walk around.
    • As much open plan as possible, but remember this won’t work as well when using it has a home. . . For example if someone wants peace and quiet while someone else wants to watch TV.
    • Higher than normal ceiling height.
    • Lots of mirrors and glass furniture.
    • Less furniture, for example just a bed and a bedside table in a bedroom.
    • If there are a couple of different sizes of the same model – the show house will be the bigger size.
    • Build on a larger than normal block to make it seem that there is more space around the house. . . or build two or more show houses with no fences between the houses.
    • Large windows to make the house seem light and airy. Remember the builder is happy to pay for higher heating and cooling bills for a year or so, if they get sales.
    • The minimum number of power sockets, remember the home entertainment units don’t have to work and nobody has to cook in the kitchen.

Some smaller builders may not even furnish the show house, which can make the rooms seem much bigger than they really are.

These are some of the things that you could see that won’t be in the standard package:

    • High quality kitchen and bathroom fittings.
    • Gas log fires
    • Expensive light fittings.
    • High quality tiles.
    • Landscaped gardens
    • High quality paving.
    • Water features
    • Fences.
    • Decks.

Other subtle tricks I have seen to make a show house more home like are are:

    • Coffee or baking smells to give a subtle message.
    • A few tins in the larder and cups in the cupboard but nowhere near how much you might need if you lived there.
    • A few clothes hung up in the Walk In Robe.
    • Toys in bedrooms.
    • A lace nightie laid across the bed in the master bedroom to make it more like a home.
    • One builder in the UK even paid someone to live in the house at the weekends, and show people round “our home”.

What things have you seen in show houses?

For similar posts see Starting Off

 

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