Do you need a realtor to buy new construction?
You are not required to have one, but you should understand what you are giving up if you do not: the agent sitting in the builder’s sales center works for the builder, is paid by the builder, and owes their duty to the builder — so without your own representation, nobody in that room is on your side of the table.
That is not an accusation. New home consultants are usually professional, knowledgeable and pleasant to work with, and many of them are genuinely helpful. They are simply not your agent, and the contract you are handed was written by the builder’s lawyers to protect the builder.
In a new-construction purchase like the ones in this community, the builder compensates the buyer’s agent out of the transaction, and the price of the home is the same whether you bring an agent or walk in alone. Florida buyers now sign a written representation agreement before touring, and it should state plainly what your agent is paid and who pays it. Ask to see that in writing before you agree to anything.
What follows is the process we actually walk buyers through, in order, including the parts that are inconvenient to mention.
Why does naming your agent first matter so much?
Because most builders honor the first agent whose name appears on your registration, and that decision is usually final. Not the best agent, not the one who works hardest for you afterward. The first one named.
Here is how people lose representation without realizing it. They see a community online at 10pm, fill in the form to get a brochure or a price sheet, and drive out the following Saturday. By then they are registered in the builder’s system as an unrepresented buyer. When they later bring in an agent, the sales office declines, and there is rarely any appeal.
The fix takes thirty seconds and has to happen before the first touch: call or text your agent before you visit, before you sign a guest register, and before you complete any online form on the builder’s site. Your agent either accompanies you on the first visit or registers you in advance. That is the whole procedure.
Policies vary by builder and by community, and they change, so do not rely on a rule you read on a blog, including this one. If you have already registered somewhere and now want representation, ask directly — a good agent will call the sales office and get you a straight answer the same day rather than let you hope.
Before your first visit
Call or text (239) 208-0906 and say which community you are looking at. If you are touring Valencia Golf & Country Club we will meet you at the Lennar Welcome Home Center at 1809 Lema Court, Naples, FL 34120, or register you in advance if you prefer to look on your own first.
What should you look for in a builder’s contract?
Builder contracts are not the standard resale forms most buyers have seen, and they are not negotiable in the way a resale contract is. That makes reading them carefully more important, not less. We are real estate agents, not attorneys — have a Florida real estate attorney review any contract before you sign it.
| Clause | What to look for | The question to ask out loud |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit and escrow | How much is due, when the additional deposits are due, who holds the money, whether it sits in escrow or is released to the builder, and under exactly what circumstances it is refundable | “If I cannot close through no fault of my own, what happens to my deposit, and where in this document does it say that?” |
| Completion timeline | Whether there is a firm completion date or only an estimate, what the permitted extensions are, and what happens if the home is late. Weather, material and labor delay language is standard and usually generous to the builder | “What is my remedy if this home is six months late, and is there any date after which I can walk with my deposit?” |
| Change orders | The cutoff dates for structural and selection changes, the fee to make a change, and whether the builder can substitute materials of “equal or better quality” without your consent | “After which date can I no longer change anything, and who decides what counts as equal quality?” |
| Price escalation and cost pass-through | Some builder contracts allow price adjustments for material cost increases or for impact fee and permit changes after signing. Find out whether yours does | “Is my price fixed at signing, and if not, what can move it and by how much?” |
| Dispute resolution and arbitration | Many builder contracts require binding arbitration, waive jury trial, and may limit class actions. This is common and legal, and it changes how any future defect claim gets resolved | “Am I giving up the right to sue in court, and who selects and pays the arbitrator?” |
| Warranty | Ask for the actual written limited warranty document, not a summary. Read what is covered, for how long, what the coverage terms are for workmanship versus systems versus structure, and what voids it | “May I have a copy of the warranty booklet before I sign, and what is specifically excluded?” |
| Defect claim procedure | Florida Statutes Chapter 558 sets out a notice-and-opportunity-to-repair process before a construction defect action can be filed. The statute requires service of a notice of claim at least 60 days before filing an action, or 120 days for an association representing more than 20 parcels, with defined windows for inspection, response and settlement | “What is the process and the address for giving formal notice of a defect after I close?” |
| Assignment and resale restrictions | Whether you can assign the contract, and whether the builder restricts renting or reselling for a period after closing. Restrictions on flipping are increasingly common | “Are there any limits on renting out or reselling this home after I close?” |
| HOA and district disclosures | The governing documents, the budget, the reserve position, and any Community Development District or special assessment that appears on the tax bill rather than in the HOA fee | “What is the total of every recurring assessment on this parcel, from every source?” |
Statutory detail above reflects Florida Statutes Chapter 558 as published by the Florida Senate, checked August 2026. Statutes are amended, deadlines are fact-specific, and nothing here is legal advice. We are licensed real estate agents, not attorneys. Retain a Florida construction or real estate attorney for anything that matters.
Should you inspect a brand-new home?
Yes, and the fact that it is new is the reason, not the excuse to skip it. A municipal inspection confirms code compliance at specific checkpoints; it is not a quality inspection performed on your behalf, and the inspector does not work for you.
Pre-drywall inspection
Scheduled after framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing and mechanical are in but before insulation and drywall close the walls. This is the only time anyone will ever see the bones of your house. Framing, fasteners, strapping and connectors, plumbing supports, duct runs, window and door flashing, and penetrations through the building envelope are all visible now and invisible forever after. Fixing something at this stage costs the builder a morning. Fixing it in year three costs you a wall.
Final inspection, before closing
Performed when the home is complete but before you sign. The inspector checks systems under load, tests every outlet, fixture, appliance and window, looks for grading and drainage problems, and produces a written report you can hand to the builder as a punch list. Schedule it with enough runway before the closing date that items can actually be corrected first.
The eleven-month inspection
If your warranty includes a one-year workmanship period, have the home inspected at around month eleven, while claims can still be made. A season of Florida heat, humidity and settling surfaces things nobody could see on closing day. This one is cheap and it is the most commonly forgotten step in the whole process.
Hire the inspector yourself, from someone with no relationship to the builder. Attend if you can. And go into it understanding that every new house has a punch list — a report with twenty items is normal, not a scandal. What matters is which twenty, and whether the builder fixes them in writing before you close rather than promising to handle it afterward.
How do builder incentives and the builder’s lender work together?
Most builder incentives are conditional: closing cost credits, rate buydowns and design allowances are commonly offered only if you finance through the builder’s affiliated or preferred lender and use its affiliated title company. That is legal and disclosed, and it is also the single place buyers most often mis-compare.
The incentive is real money. So is the interest rate. A large closing cost credit attached to a rate a quarter point above what an outside lender will do can cost you more over the years you hold the loan than the credit ever gave you, or it can be a clear win. Which one it is depends on your loan size, your down payment, how long you keep the loan and where rates are that week. There is no universal answer, only arithmetic.
So run it both ways, on paper:
- Get a written Loan Estimate from the builder’s lender with all incentives applied.
- Get a written Loan Estimate from at least one outside lender for the same loan amount on the same day, since rates move.
- Compare the interest rate, the APR, the total lender and title charges, and the actual cash you bring to closing — not the headline incentive.
- Ask what the incentive is worth if you decline the preferred lender, because sometimes part of it survives and sometimes none of it does.
- Ask whether the rate is locked, for how long, and what happens if the home is late and the lock expires. On a build that has not started, this question matters enormously.
We are real estate agents. We are not lenders, mortgage brokers or financial advisors, and we do not give loan advice or promise a rate. What we do is make sure you have both sets of numbers in front of you before you decide, and that the incentive you were told about verbally appears in writing on the contract.
Incentive structures change constantly — weekly in some communities — and vary by builder, community and individual home. Anything described here is general and was checked August 2026. Never plan around an incentive that is not written into your contract.
What happens if the appraisal comes in low?
On a to-be-built home, the appraisal usually happens late — sometimes many months after you signed and locked in a price. If the appraised value comes in below the contract price, your lender will generally lend against the lower number, and the difference becomes cash you have to produce at closing on top of your down payment. That is the appraisal gap.
Three things to settle before you sign, not after:
- Is there an appraisal contingency at all? Many builder contracts either omit one or limit it sharply. Find the clause, or find out that there is not one.
- What is your maximum out-of-pocket? Decide the number you can genuinely cover before you are emotionally committed to a house that is already framed.
- What are the recent closings in this community? Appraisers lean on comparable sales in the same community, including the builder’s own prior closings. Your agent should be able to pull them and tell you whether your price sits inside the pattern or above it.
The same discipline applies to the lot premium and the options. Heavy upgrade spend does not always appraise dollar for dollar, and a pool or an extended lanai may return differently than the invoice suggests. That is not a reason to skip them; it is a reason to know before you sign.
What should a final walkthrough actually cover?
Bring your inspection report, a phone with a charged battery, painter’s tape and enough time. Two hours is not excessive. Sign nothing that says items are complete when they are not.
- Every item from your inspection report, confirmed corrected on site rather than reported as corrected.
- Every window and every exterior door: open, close, lock, latch, screens present and undamaged.
- Every outlet and switch tested, every light fixture and ceiling fan operated, GFCI outlets tripped and reset.
- Every faucet run hot and cold, every drain checked for flow, every toilet flushed, under-sink cabinets checked dry.
- Every appliance run through a cycle, not just switched on. Confirm model numbers match what you were sold.
- Air conditioning run long enough to reach temperature, and the thermostat programmed and tested.
- Floors, walls, ceilings and countertops inspected in daylight for chips, scratches, seams and touch-up paint. Tape anything you find.
- Cabinet and closet doors and drawers aligned and operating.
- Garage door opener, remotes, keypad, and the manual release tested.
- Exterior: grading away from the house, downspouts and gutters, irrigation zones, sod condition, driveway and paver work.
- Lanai, screening, and any pool equipment, with a demonstration of how the equipment runs.
- Documentation handover: warranty booklet, appliance manuals and registrations, paint colors and codes, all keys, remotes, gate codes and access credentials.
Get the punch list in writing, signed, with dates against each item. Photograph everything, including the things that are fine, because a photographic record of closing-day condition is what settles a disagreement in month four. If a significant item is genuinely incomplete, ask about escrowing funds until it is done rather than accepting a verbal promise, and ask your attorney whether that is available to you.
What buyers ask before they sign with a builder
Do I need a realtor to buy a new construction home?
You are not required to have one, but the agent in the sales center represents the builder, not you. Their job is to sell the builder’s homes on the builder’s contract, and they are compensated by the builder. Your own agent reads the contract with your interests in mind, pulls comparable closings before you agree to a price, keeps you on the inspection schedule, and makes sure verbal promises land in writing. In a new-construction purchase like the ones here, the buyer’s agent is compensated by the builder out of the transaction and the home price does not increase because you brought representation. Florida buyers now sign a written representation agreement before touring; ours states what we are paid and who pays it. See how our representation works.
I already visited the sales center alone. Can I still bring in an agent?
Possibly not, and you deserve a straight answer rather than false hope. Most builders honor the first agent named or registered, so if you signed a guest register or completed an online form without naming anyone, representation on that community is often already closed. Policies vary by builder and community and they do change. Call an agent anyway and ask them to check with the sales office directly — you should have the real answer the same day. If we cannot represent you at a particular community, we will tell you plainly.
Is a home inspection worth it on a brand-new house?
Yes. Municipal inspections verify code compliance at set checkpoints; they are not a quality review conducted for you, and the inspector is not your inspector. Do a pre-drywall inspection while framing, wiring, plumbing and ductwork are still visible, a final inspection before closing with enough time for corrections, and an eleven-month inspection if your warranty includes a one-year workmanship period. Hire someone independent of the builder. Expect a punch list on any new home — what matters is that the items are documented and corrected before you sign, not promised afterward.
Do I have to use the builder’s lender to get the incentive?
Frequently the incentive is conditioned on using the builder’s affiliated or preferred lender and title company, which is a common and disclosed arrangement. It can be a genuinely good deal or an expensive one depending on the rate, the fees and how long you keep the loan. Get a written Loan Estimate from the builder’s lender with all incentives applied and a written Loan Estimate from an outside lender on the same day, then compare rate, APR, total lender and title charges, and cash to close. Also ask what portion of the incentive survives if you use your own lender. We are real estate agents, not lenders or financial advisors, and we do not give loan advice — we make sure you have both sets of numbers before you decide, and that any incentive you were promised is written into the contract.
Are builder contracts negotiable, and should I have a lawyer review one?
Builder contracts are far less negotiable than resale contracts — the base form is usually presented as fixed — but what you can negotiate is often on the terms rather than the price: which items are included, what goes on an addendum, what the completion language commits to, and what happens to your deposit. That is exactly why a Florida real estate attorney should read it before you sign. We are licensed agents, not attorneys, and nothing on this page is legal advice. An attorney review on a purchase this size is inexpensive relative to what it protects, and no reputable builder objects to one.
Bring us in before the first visit and none of this is your problem
We do this work every week in this corridor: reading the contract with you, pulling comparable closings before you agree to a price, booking the pre-drywall inspection, holding the punch list, and getting verbal promises onto paper. If you are looking at Valencia Golf & Country Club, start with the four floor plans or the homes that are already finished. If you are looking somewhere else entirely, the process above still applies, and you should still name an agent before you walk in. Incentives here change week to week, so we confirm what is genuinely available on the day you are ready rather than quoting a promotion that has expired.
Call or text (239) 208-0906. We meet buyers at 1809 Lema Court, Naples, FL 34120, the Lennar Welcome Home Center.
General guidance only, last reviewed August 2026, and subject to change without notice. Builder policies, contract terms, incentive structures, lender programs and statutes vary and change. We are independent licensed Florida real estate agents. We are not Lennar or any other builder, not a homeowners association, and not lawyers, lenders, mortgage brokers, insurance agents, home inspectors or financial advisors. Nothing here is legal, tax, lending or investment advice — retain your own professionals.