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Old 05-05-2008, 08:22 PM
 
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So after some negotiation we have contracted to build a house with Drees in the ranch at brushy creek development. Soon we go to the design center. Does anyone have tips for things to do or not do at the design center? I'm pretty handy so I can do things like put in cieling fans since all the rooms are pre-wired for fans.

I'm assuming the big items are the outside stone work and flooring.

I guess I'm asking what strategy we should take at the design center.
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Old 05-05-2008, 08:30 PM
 
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Anything you want that you can add to the price of the home and therefore the mortgage, let them do it. The cost is spread out over 15 or 30 years and may be under warranty.

Last edited by texastea; 05-05-2008 at 08:39 PM..
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Old 05-05-2008, 10:05 PM
 
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Doesn't that raise the tax basis as well for the house?
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Old 05-06-2008, 07:34 AM
 
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Not directly. The county appraisers don't know what you paid. And I'm thinking small anyway....for example, we wanted a better sink and it cost only $60 to upgrade it. We put the money we would spend on the house into 2" wood blinds throughout.
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Old 05-06-2008, 07:44 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
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I had a friend who used to work in the Drees design center, but just took a design job in Dallas, so not much help there . She really liked working for the company, though...again, irrelevant .

Anyway, I am not sure what options they have, but I agree that some of the easy things are a) cheaper for you to do and b) you will probablyhave more options than they will offer (i.e. ceiling fans).

There are some things that you can do yourself that may make more sense to let them do, however. Our house had 'base' hardware (door knobs, faucets, etc), which, over the years, we have been upgrading. Although this is easy to do, you DID pay for the old hardware, which is now just a minor tax write-off when we donate them to the reused housing materials store (can't think of the name right now). It may be worth pricing out the difference there vs. what it would cost you.

We also would consider upgrading the front door. It is functional, but now we are hankering for something that is a little nicer, and new doors are not cheap, nor are they easy to hang. It is something you might consider, as well.

We did have them put up all the 2" wooden blinds pretty much throughout the house, and glad we did (9 years later, and most are still there ).

Not really a design issue, but see what they charge for put in a sprinkler system - saves water and hassel.
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Old 05-06-2008, 09:06 AM
 
Location: SW Austin & Wimberley
6,331 posts, read 18,007,509 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodinvilleguy View Post
... Does anyone have tips for things to do or not do at the design center?
I'm assuming the big items are the outside stone work and flooring.
I guess I'm asking what strategy we should take at the design center.
First, go in understanding that 1) the builder will make a ghastly higher margin/profit from you in the design center than in building the actual home (if you negotiated properly) and 2) you would be wise to set a dollar amount limit/budget prior to going in and stick with it.

It's not uncommon for buyers to add $20K to $40K on top of the base price of a home once they arrive at candyland, otherwise known as the design center. The design centers are intoxicating and alluring. Everything looks so nice. Then you fall into the trap of rationalizing, "that would only add $230/mo. to our payment to go with the granite, upgraded tile, wood floors, and the stone kitchen nook".

The design center people are happy to help you do that math too. Don't fall into the trap of relating the upgrades to incremental mortgage payment increases. It's a bad idea to amortized things that last 10 years into a 30 year mortgage.

If you're not careful and disciplined in the design center, you may end up with a home over improved for your neighborhood and worth less than what you paid. You can't add all the retail value of all that stuff back to the price when you sell.

I would tour the spec homes and other under-construction homes in the neighborhood, get a feel for the level of finishout common in your neighborhood. Then keep your home middle of the road for the neighborhood. If you to want to splurge, do it first in the kitchen and master bath.

I know, somewhat negative, cautionary advice, but it's the reality of what happens and how people end up upside down in a two year old home with too many upgrades.

Steve

Last edited by austin-steve; 05-06-2008 at 09:08 AM.. Reason: typos
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Old 05-06-2008, 09:21 AM
 
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Thanks for the info. I think having a budget going in is great advice. We did negotiate well and we have significant allowances going into the center so hopefully we should do ok.

Luckily, The base set of options on the house are pretty decent. Granite counters tops are standard (although we don't know what the base level of granite is). We are definitly going to thinks like put in better front doors and getting the tile done the way we want. But the basic hardware will most likely be in the upstairs and wait for me to replace it over time.
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