What's Not Included When Buying A New House?

When You Buy A New House...What's Not Included?

You buy a new house from a builder or you have a new house built, everything is included right? Maybe, depends on the builder and the price of the home you are buying. Every builder is different and you might be surprised at what is not included when you get to the end of the process. The following are some items that are either never or sometimes included when you buy a new home, and even if they aren't normally included if you have a good agent, they can sometimes negotiate them into the contract.

A Mailbox

Update 2018. The mailbox at the end of the driveway is quickly becoming a thing of the past. These days most new subdivisions are required to have a central mail station also know as cluster mailboxes. The developer of the subdivision is responsible for building the structure. The design of the mailbox cluster could be as simple as a parking pad next to the boxes or the developer could build something more elaborate with protection from the elements.

A mailbox you would expect to be included in the purchase of a house and most of the time it is. These days most subdivisions make everyone have the same mailbox which means it has to be bought from one supplier. Some of these mailboxes can be a couple of hundred dollars, not a very nice surprise when you get hit with that charge right before you move in. If the mailbox is in the yard you are getting it, if not I would make sure it is in the offer you are writing.

A Refrigerator

A refrigerator is not an appliance that the builder has to include. It depends on the builder, some do offer them as an incentive, but they are not required to. The appliances that are included with the house, here in Clayton, North Carolina are dishwasher, range, microwave. These appliances are normally required to fit in a certain spot exactly whereas a refrigerator can have space either size to accommodate larger models. Again it depends on the builder but it is not uncommon to ask the builder to provide a refrigerator in the offer to purchase. They get better prices on appliances as they buy so many. National builders often run appliance packages or window treatments allowances or they offer closing costs to entice buyers to their homes. If you are buying a new refrigerator, measure the opening in your new home first, width, height and depth.

Window Treatments

  Blinds are not included and if you have recently priced blinds you'll know they are not cheap. Window treatments are sometimes overlooked until the last-minute with the stress of moving and buying a new home. They very quickly become a priority the first time you turn the lights on in your new home. There are lots of options for blinds or window treatments, smaller custom blinds retailers will often charge by the window so you could do the important ones first. Curtain rods and drapes offer a less expensive option, a couple of screws and your modesty is restored.

Central Vacuum Unit

The Central Vacuum unit, the actual motor that does the work,unless it states that it is included, then it is not. If not then the builder will simply install the hoses throughout the house and run them to a central place in the house where the unit would be installed if you decide to purchase one. If you see little plastic panels near the floor in each room, check the garage, utility room or crawl space for the machine. Think of it the same way as running the cable lines, the builder will install them throughout the house... but you don't get a TV. This is not a common feature in most homes however you do see it in custom-built homes.

Propane Tank

A propane tank is not something the builder provides here in Clayton, North Carolina, this is something that you either rent from the gas company or you can purchase your own and just buy the gas. Most propane companies in Clayton and the surrounding areas lease the tank and provide the propane. This is for homes with gas logs where natural gas is not available. The fireplace is installed and the logs are in and a line is run to the outside wall where the tank would go. Once you decide on a propane company for service they will send a technician out to hook up the gas to the fireplace. If you are building a house ask the builder how much it would cost to run a gas line to your outdoor grill, you'll thank me.

Lots of Paint Color Choices

It costs the builder a lot of money for the painters to change colors If you have been in a house that is under construction lately when the painters are there you didn't see any rollers. These days the paint for the walls in the homes being built are sprayed on. The benefits are of course time-saving plus no brush strokes. So if there are multiple colors then the painters have to clean all of their equipment, hoses, guns etc before they can add the new color. That is why you only see two colors normally in new homes. You can have every room in the house a different color if you are building a new home...it will just cost you a ton.

Gutters

Gutters do not always come with a new house, again it comes down to the builder and what they offer as standard features. This is also a price point feature where typically once the house is at, or over a certain sales price the builder will have gutters built into the price. When it comes to gutters on new houses or any house for that matter it is worth the extra cost to have gutters installed with gutter guards. There is no worse job to do around the house than cleaning out gutters and when they are blocked they do more damage than if they were never installed in the first place. Some gutter guard companies offer a lifetime warranty or where they will come out and clean out the gutters if they get clogged. If you are negotiating with a builder over a new home you would like to buy in Clayton, NC, you should ask for them in your offer if they are not a standard feature. The builder will get a better price.

 Need Help Negotiating With A Builder

If you'd like help negotiating with a builder on your new home in Clayton, NC and would like to ask them to include some of these items in the sales price, give me a call at (919) 601-2268 and I'll see if I can help, there are a lot of things a builder will do to make a sale rather than lower their price. You can email me with any questions you may have about buying a new home in Clayton or having your new home built. My email is [email protected]