Hank Miller Team Real Estate Blog - new construction

Home Builders are Concerned Only About Their Bottom Line

Home builders are concerned only about their bottom line. Homebuyers are a means to an end, it is all business. Those of us that remember the ’08-’09 crash, see many similarities in the current environment.  Builder arrogance remains, but they now again must seek to court favor with buyers and agents. Don’t fall for the nonsense, the bottom line is their only concern. Anything done with builders must be done very carefully and with a complete understanding that they will make the rules.

Builders WILL Control Everything

Remember the Soup Nazi? With builders, you will follow their exact process; their rules, every step. Home builders are concerned only about their bottom line

Contracts. Every builder has their own contract. That contract is…

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Building a Home - Roof and Drywall

When building a home, roof and drywall completion tend to be significant milestones. Each signifies a turning point, the home has a "top"; something tangible that protects the inside. Interior walls now take shape, the rooms and floor plan come off the drawings. Much has changed with each system as the building industry becomes more efficient. "Old school" methods vs "new school" methods each have their supporters, but there's little doubt that building a home today is nothing like it was decades ago.

Installing Roof Trusses

Trusses have become common place, replacing rafters in most builds, even some custom built homes. It's safe to say that most of the roof truss installation crews have no idea what a rafter is or how use a rafter…

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New Home Issues - Problems with Framing

In this post, we look at new home problems with framing. Home builders excel as magicians; now you see it and now you don't as drywall hides all sins. Framing a home is literally building the skeleton, kind of important to get it done right. The majority of new builds are not "custom homes"; they are common plans that builders prefer. Typically, they have "framing packages" delivered to the site. From there, framing crews get to work. Builders always shop price (some might say always cheapest) for materials and labor. It's all about profit, never forget that.

Trashy Framing Lumber

When I'm stammering for words, it's not good. This builder shops the throw away bins at Home Depot and Lowes; wasn't just this one either. Framing lumber is…

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New Home Issues - Problems with Concrete

There's never a shortage of horror stories with home builders around Greater Atlanta. In this post, we look at new home problems with concrete. Problems here can be catastrophic; everything rides on the foundation being properly installed. Unfortunately, what should be done, sometimes isn't (some would say that's routine). While a company might strive to do things according to the "book", enforcing this at the build site while managing budget, time frames and labor often means things don't always happen as they should. The problem here is that a home is only as good as the foundation it sits on.     

Badly Cracked Basement Slab

That video was a spur of the moment thing born of pure anger. That was almost a $2M home, and as I walked around…

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Homes Built With Brick Enjoy Better Market Appeal

Once a very common sight around Greater Atlanta, brick is rapidly disappearing from the scene. Homes built with brick enjoy better market appeal, it's a recognized advantage over just about any other exterior surface. The brick is not structural, rather it's an exterior cladding independently supported and tied to the framing with "brick ties".  Brick is virtually maintenance free - when properly installed. The most common issues tend to involve cracking and drainage, cracks above wide openings in particular.

Brick Cracks Above the Garage

This is a pretty common occurrence and is often due to either the lintel supporting the brick sagging or one of the support columns settling over time. Here we saw the support post settle a bit, this…

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Builders Love Unrepresented Home Buyers

As the spring market heats up, home buyers will examine all options. Many will consider new construction, often visiting the projects and sales reps or calling the information lines. Seemingly innocent inquiries which often result in them being unrepresented by a buyer’s agent if they move forward. Builders love unrepresented home buyers. Not using a buyer's agent when building a home is the single biggest mistake new home buyers make and it will result in problems over the build.

What is Procuring Cause

Every home buyer should work with an experienced buyer’s agent. The buyer agent fee is almost always paid by the seller, there is no reason to be unrepresented.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) says procuring cause means the agent who…

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Problems When Building a Home

Let's dispense with the idea that building a home is an exciting and carefree event, far from it. Home buyers are naive when it comes to building a home, the vast majority have never done it and have absolutely no idea what they are in for. Problems when building a home are all but certain to happen, how they are resolved is another matter. A major point - the agent on site is LEGALLY BOUND to represent the builder's interest, not the buyer. Buyer's that go in unrepresented have no advocate when problems occur - and they will.

The issues in the video were resolved.  However sometimes it gets to the point where you literally have to dig in and start making it clear that the shoddy and poor work will not be tolerated. This is an example of such a…

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New Home Buyers Learn Hard Lessons During Construction

The “yeah but they said...” chorus is robust as unrepresented new home buyers learn hard lessons during construction. The value of an experienced buyer’s agent as an advocate when building a home cannot be understated. Especially now, and especially since the cost of representation is borne by the builder. Remember, the agent on site works for the builder only. Builders sign contracts with the site broker, they pay a set percentage on every sale. Need to verify that? Ask the site agent to show where the credit for not using a buyer’s agent is specifically written on the contract.

Speaking of contracts, know that builder contracts are written to protect them solely and allow them complete latitude at every stage of the build.  The majority of new home…

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Are New Homes Better than Existing Homes?

Some home buyers find themselves facing an interesting quandary; is a new home better than an existing home? Lately, many buyers just want to move into a home and live; they're either not interested in or able to update. It's hard to beat new for this segment. Others will consider homes in need of updates; existing homes tend to be more flexible on price and easier to negotiate. For those buyers, opportunity may be found. Many variables impact the final decision; however there are clearly identifiable differences that home buyers should consider. Both new and existing homes have advantages and disadvantages, the best educated buyers will examine both options.

New Homes are Better Than Existing Homes

What’s not to like with a new home? Most…

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How Buyers Can Limit Problems When Building a Home

There is a serious lack of skilled labor among home builders in the Atlanta area. Quality and issues exponentially increased over the prior few years, then a pandemic came to town and flipped the tables. A voracious appetite for housing met drastic labor shortages, limited inventory, rising prices and Covid-19 delays. Builders are racing to get homes built and sold; their site agents busy working getting buyers under contract for them. Who is representing the best interests of those buyers? Not the site agent

Who is Building Your New Home?

"ABC Homes" is not building your home; your new home is being built by subcontractors that bid for the work. A lack of  skilled labor is arguably the biggest problem with new construction. Many experienced…

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