GreyRock Ridge Circle C homes- any info / reviews? (Shady Hollow: home sales, refrigerator)
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Depending what type of home you are looking for, and your ideal budget - there may also be some options in the newest section of Avana that is opening up (floor plans haven't even been released yet!) in addition to Grey Rock Ridge. Have a blessed holiday!
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I don't see any red flag for grey rock ridge based on my visit and feedback provided here. Taxes HOA and other things would be same like Circle C.
Like a lot of things in life, you don't get to find out if you are smart or not until later, when you try to resell.
The biggest secondary risk(s) in purchasing a new build home is selecting the wrong lot and florplan/size, and overimproving the home after visitig the design center. The latter is probably the worst mistake buyers make.
Greenbelt lots do enjoy much better resale value, but not if you paid the builder twice the esale bump when you bought it. Inless you personally value the greenbelt and it will affect your enjoyment of the home, and interior lot is usually fine, so long a towering two stories don't surround you on three sides.
The floorplan/size is another mistake. Ascertain the average/median size and price point for the neighborhood specifically, and the area in general, and stay withing those brackets. Too small limits your resale buyers, too big does the same. 2300-3200 is the sweet spot, with a 2,800 sqft home being able to offer 90% of what most people want and need in a home. Nowadys a home office is important even if you don't personally need one.
Finally, the visit to the design center is meant to get you to pay more. everything about the experience is crafted and designed to up-sell you on high-markup upgrades. Decide on a "upgrade" budget long before you set foot in that place, and have a clear understanding of which things are desirable in the resale market and which add no value at all to a home.
Also, some things that use to be standard, you now have to pay for and it's dumb to not do it. For example, having both electric and gas at the dryer. Builders have started shaving use-to-be-standard things off of homes because consumers who don't know the drill and/or are not well represented focus only on the "sticker price" but are then easily persuaded to over-improve at the design center, including $1,000s in things that use to just come with the home.
Finally-Finally, when negotiating, get the purchase price you want WITH NO UPGRADES. Negotiate on the base price of the home without upgrades. Otherwise, the builder can confused things by keeping the sales price high but offering upgrade credits. Those upgrades cost the builder 30%-50% of the value they are assigning, so it's not a good deal for you to substitute upgrade dollars for real dollars. Price first, upgrades second. Same concept as negotiating your purchase price on a car before even discussing trade-in value.
Good luck.
Steve
Last edited by austin-steve; 12-26-2013 at 11:12 AM..
Steve, will builders actually negotiate price in this hot market? I've heard that they won't do that especially in a new subdivision. Isn't it better to ask for 1/2 off upgrades?
Like a lot of things in life, you don't get to find out if you are smart or not until later, when you try to resell.
The biggest secondary risk(s) in purchasing a new build home is selecting the wrong lot and florplan/size, and overimproving the home after visitig the design center. The latter is probably the worst mistake buyers make.
Greenbelt lots do enjoy much better resale value, but not if you paid the builder twice the esale bump when you bought it. Inless you personally value the greenbelt and it will affect your enjoyment of the home, and interior lot is usually fine, so long a towering two stories don't surround you on three sides.
The floorplan/size is another mistake. Ascertain the average/median size and price point for the neighborhood specifically, and the area in general, and stay withing those brackets. Too small limits your resale buyers, too big does the same. 2300-3200 is the sweet spot, with a 2,800 sqft home being able to offer 90% of what most people want and need in a home. Nowadys a home office is important even if you don't personally need one.
Finally, the visit to the design center is meant to get you to pay more. everything about the experience is crafted and designed to up-sell you on high-markup upgrades. Decide on a "upgrade" budget long before you set foot in that place, and have a clear understanding of which things are desirable in the resale market and which add no value at all to a home.
Also, some things that use to be standard, you now have to pay for and it's dumb to not do it. For example, having both electric and gas at the dryer. Builders have started shaving use-to-be-standard things off of homes because consumers who don't know the drill and/or are not well represented focus only on the "sticker price" but are then easily persuaded to over-improve at the design center, including $1,000s in things that use to just come with the home.
Finally-Finally, when negotiating, get the purchase price you want WITH NO UPGRADES. Negotiate on the base price of the home without upgrades. Otherwise, the builder can confused things by keeping the sales price high but offering upgrade credits. Those upgrades cost the builder 30%-50% of the value they are assigning, so it's not a good deal for you to substitute upgrade dollars for real dollars. Price first, upgrades second. Same concept as negotiating your purchase price on a car before even discussing trade-in value.
Good luck.
Steve
This is very helpful. Appreciate your insights. Being first time home buyer, there are lot of things to consider
Steve, will builders actually negotiate price in this hot market? I've heard that they won't do that especially in a new subdivision. Isn't it better to ask for 1/2 off upgrades?
There is always room to negotiate something, in my experience.
The best deals are always vacant spec homes that have been sitting completed and ready for move-in for over 90 days. There are some of those in Austin, though not in the hot areas.
The next best is an unsold spec home done or almost done. Still, builders don't like holding finished product so they become more motivated once it's complete or almost complete.
For the true "pick your lot and floorplan" purchase, it depends on some other factors, such as the neighborhood cycle (front end is harder to get better deals), end of quarter push for the public traded builders, and what they have remaining on the plate.
Examples would be corporate letting the sales manager know "we need to write 3 more deals before the 31st - make it happen". Or "we need to close out that section so we can vacate the Model and move over to the new section - make it happen". Sales goals and logistics factor in. A smart buyer and agent know how to probe for this info, or simply observe. Also, you can plainly ask straight up "is there a lot and/or floorplan you really want to move that you can give a better deal on if we sign today"?
Finally, if it is a red hot market and the builder is just not being flexible at all, then than means base prices are being raised every 2 or 3 weeks. Even paying "full price" is a good deal because by the time you move in 6 months later, the same floorplan is selling for $20K more and you have some instant equity through the appreciation that occurred during build time. Nevertheless, I'd still try to keep that base price as low as possible rather than trading dollar for dollar upgrades. If you're off by $10K on base price and they want to give $20K in upgrades to keep the higher base price, that would be ok. But that's just the builder wanting to protect their sales comps.
Finally, on the last one I just helped a buyer with, the builder was being stubborn. I pulled the sales rep aside and said "look, even though these are first time buyers, I've explained the entire process to them. I'll be answering all their questions and running interference. They won't be in your hair, or freaking out if the job site is a mess, or asking when this or that will be done, because they have me for that and I've already explained it all to them. This is going to make the process smoother and allow you to spend that time helping other buyers who don't have an agent and need more hand holding".
She called her boss, ran that all past him and we got the price drop. Sometimes you have to sell yourself as the buyer, and the fact (if it is a fact) that you will be easy to work with and not a PITA.
Steve
Last edited by austin-steve; 12-27-2013 at 09:00 AM..
Reason: typo
There is always room to negotiate something, in my experience.
The best deals are always vacant spec homes that have been sitting completed and ready for move-in for over 90 days. There are some of those in Austin, though not in the hot areas.
The next best is an unsold spec home done or almost done. Still, builders don't like holding finished product so they become more motivated once it's complete or almost complete.
For the true "pick your lot and floorplan" purchase, it depends on some other factors, such as the neighborhood cycle (front end is harder to get better deals), end of quarter push for the public traded builders, and what they have remaining on the plate.
Examples would be corporate letting the sales manager know "we need to write 3 more deals before the 31st - make it happen". Or "we need to close out that section so we can vacate the Model and move over to the new section - make it happen". Sales goals and logistics factor in. A smart buyer and agent know how to probe for this info, or simply observe. Also, you can plainly ask straight up "is there a lot and/or floorplan you really want to move that you can give a better deal on if we sign today"?
Finally, if it is a red hot market and the builder is just not being flexible at all, then than means base prices are being raised every 2 or 3 weeks. Even paying "full price" is a good deal because by the time you move in 6 months later, the same floorplan is selling for $20K more and you have some instant equity through the appreciation that occurred during build time. Nevertheless, I'd still try to keep that base price as low as possible rather than trading dollar for dollar upgrades. If you're off by $10K on base price and they want to give $20K in upgrades to keep the higher base price, that would be ok. But that's just the builder wanting to protect their sales comps.
Finally, on the last one I just helped a buyer with, the builder was being stubborn. I pulled the sales rep aside and said "look, even though these are first time buyers, I've explained the entire process to them. I'll be answering all their questions and running interference. They won't be in your hair, or freaking out if the job site is a mess, or asking when this or that will be done, because they have me for that and I've already explained it all to them. This is going to make the process smoother and allow you to spend that time helping other buyers who don't have an agent and need more hand holding".
She called her boss, ran that all past him and we got the price drop. Sometimes you have to sell yourself as the buyer, and the fact (if it is a fact) that you will be easy to work with and not a PITA.
Steve
Does having realtor while buying home (especially new home or to be built home) help? Apart from negotiating the price what else realtor can help with? Generally builder have all the processes in place so what value realtor can provide?
Does having realtor while buying home (especially new home or to be built home) help? Apart from negotiating the price what else realtor can help with? Generally builder have all the processes in place so what value realtor can provide?
That's a legitimate question. My experience has been that, with simple negotiating skills, not having a realtor for a new home can net you the 3% realtor discount. Now if the realtor can negotiate a much higher discount and if you have poor further negotiating skills, then, of course it can help having a realtor. Also, like Steve mentioned some builders don't like to deal with panicked buyers and might want to deal with realtors exclusively.
A good realtor who is experienced with the home building process IS INVALUABLE!! The builder does NOT have the interest of the buyer in mind, he is watching his own bottom line.
Now, all realtors are not created equal and some are clueless about the home building process, so you need to do some research. But the only one who benefits when a new home buyer doesn't have a realtor is the builder.
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