Highpointe pulte or wilshire? (sale, mortgage, appliances)

[sonan]

We are planning to buy new home in Highpointe. Browsing through the posts the main conerns seem to be :
a) commute b) water.
Propane is mostly issue for belterra?

Can anyone help in pros/cons between Pulte and Wilshire?

[pwherman512]

Hello,
My wife and I are moving into Highpointe in November. Two of our neighbors have already moved and they are loving it. Two of us bought Pulte homes and one family bought a Wilshire. We loved the Pulte layout and what you see is what you get. The advantage to the Wilshire is you can make changes to the layout- you want a wall gone or two feet out- you got it. Good luck!

[sonan]

Hi Herman,

congrads on your home purchase...i am sure your family is excited with approaching move-in date

we looked at layouts of wilshire and pulte...and both are good and within the price range....however would need some changes in pulte layout...not sure how accomodating they would be....

besides plan modifications are there are any specific advantages with either in terms of
1) quality of product (type of wood, landscape, tiles, appliances etc)
2) warranty coverage
3) location of lots
4) overall experience with closing including mortgage

we are first time home buyers and tons of questions on the process, builders, community....looking forward to responses from the forum..thanks a lot for your help...

[LongTimeAustinite]

We bought a Wilshire in Belterra. We were totally pleased with the experience. We made many changes to our layout. No problem. They can also tell you exactly what it will all cost when you make the changes. You know what the bottom line is at all times. It helped us manage costs.

[vazzupp]

We are in a Pulte in HighPonite from past 8 months. Warranty and customer service is decent with Pulte, no complaints so far. I heard all of the wilshire lots back to a green belt and this is not alwasy true with Pulte. Wilshire would provide you with more options for upgrades and with Pulte, upgrade options are limited. I did not have a very good expereince with Pulte Mortgage but kind of struck with them, since incentives are tied with their mortgage.

[austin-steve]

Can anyone help in pros/cons between Pulte and Wilshire?

Not enough difference to make it a deciding factor. Like Coke vs. Pepsi.

I'd focus on which one can provide you with the best lot (mature trees and greenbelt are good for resale) and the best floorplan and value in upgrades.

But it can get very confusing if you allow too many variables to be factored in and compared. I ALWAYS think resale first, and what I like second. All things being equal, with similar price and finishouts, I'd go for the very best lot you can find with a floorplan you like.

Make sure you negotiate properly as there should be lots of wiggle room on those lot premiums and included upgrades. Try to find a top pick (lot+floorplan) with each builder. Then start finding out, by making an agressive offer to each, which one is going to work with you the most on price and upgrades. That will help you make a final decision.

Then, have a pre-set budget in mind for additional finishout upgrades later, and stick to it. Builders can compete on price with fewer upgrades up front knowing that once you get into the showroom, most buyers end up spending an additional $20K to $40K adding better finishouts, and the builders make really good markups on those design center additions.

Also, I would for sure find out what your expected utilities bills will be. Talk to others in the neighborhood.

Steve

[sonan]

thanks steve for the insights...does it mean that the quote of the building (without lot and no upgrades) is not negotiable?

vazzup...good to know that quality and service are not required to be factored...thanks....what kind of incentives are linked with pulte mortgage?...can you also provide a rough figure on utility expenses...

longtimeaustnite...are there any incentives with wilshire linked mortgage company?

a general question...if the site was primarily owned by Pulte then i wold have expected them to have most of green belt lots...seems it is not the case?

[vazzupp]

Water and sewage bills are more than expected and rest of them are not too high. Water + sewage averages to $200/mo (2 adults + infrequent watering of lawn), and this obviusly depends on your usage.

Not sure now, but back in Dec 5% was offered.

[LongTimeAustinite]

Originally Posted by sonan

longtimeaustnite...are there any incentives with wilshire linked mortgage company?

There are incentives. I can't remember exactly what it was. I think they paid a good portion of the closing cost.

They also had a "move up" program. They paid our the realtor we used to sell our old house 3% of the cost of our new home, and we didn't have to pay the full 6% for the sale of our old home. We only paid 3%.

In other words it cost us 3% of the sale price to sell our old home. Wilshire then paid our guy 3% from their sale of our new home. The new home was more money so the realtor came out ahead.

I hope that makes sense.

[pwherman512]

Hey again,
Wilshire will let you make changes to the layout, Pulte will not. I wanted to a door in the master (which they used to do) but the said no. Not happy about that but otherwise so far so good. If you are looking for a loan, check Bank of America- No Fee Mortgage is very nice!