Tons of questions to help us figure out our next move. (Goose Creek: sales, real estate)

[mamabearof2]

Hey,

Well we are moving. The owner of the home we are currently renting will be moving back into his home at the end of our lease. My husband and I are doing research on getting a home built. So we have some questions.

1. I know everyone says that Dorchester District 2 is the best school district. I guess I just wanted to know if its far better than the rest or if some other county's are comparable. Is Berkley county good too?

2. I also read somewhere that having your own realitor is good even if you are building. What can our own realitor do for us that wouldn't be done if we didn't have one?

3. We also have our own mortgage broker. However I find that the building companies offer incentives to use their loan people. Like closing cost. We are either getting a VA loan or USDA loan. Don't know if that matters but in you opinion should we switch to their loan people or is it just fast talk?

I'm sure I have more questions I just can't think of right now but these are the most important. Thanks for any help.

[IsNull]

While Dorchester II may be the best district, I wouldn't say it has the best schools....

[moneill]

I would start with high schools and work backwards. The middle and elementary schools are what feed into the high school -- so a good high school means good middle and elementary schools. Some of the schools that may not be ranked as highly may still be more than adequate schools. We sometimes forget that diversity in a high school can result in rankings that aren't as high but that doesn't mean the school doesn't provide a top notch education.
South Carolina State High Schools - SC School Rankings

As for the other questions, it all depends what your definition of 'building your own home' means. Are you buying the lot, the plans and hiring a builder? Are you buying a lot from a builder and building from one of his plans, etc.....So many variations out there.

I would suspect in this market that your lender could match any deal being offered by a builder's lender.

As for a realtor, unless you are super comfortable with the whole process, I would get one, except in the case of going into a subdivision like The Ponds. They have a sales office and I don't think a realtor is a necessity.

[OleTomCat]

Certain areas of Berkeley County are better than others, Cainhoy area really stinks, Goose Creek is a bit better, Cane bay is even better....

Are yall looking at a custom home on a lot or are you going to buy into a subdivision and have their builder build for you?

[Precious one]

Please remember that if you go to build a home and use the site agent that agent is working for the builder not you. You definitely need your own agent so that you have someone working for you. If you use the site agent and there is a problem who do you go to? No one.

[mamabearof2]

Thank you all so much! Yes we are looking to buy into a subdivision. We just went out today and looked at Cane Bay. So far we think the area looks nice. Also noticed how big the schools are.

[1lisat]

All new construction sites have a sales office. If you go to one and use their realtor, they write up the contract for you and that's it. Then your on your own with scheduled meetings with the contractor. It's a very good idea to have your own realtor with you from the beginning at choosing your "options" and at these scheduled meetings to have a trained extra pair of eyes to help you make decisions and make sure things aren't missed. Then also at the final walk through where any last minute problems are taken care of.

If you use your VA Loan benefit, you won't be limited to where you build your home. With USDA financing, the location of the home (must be considered rural) is the main qualifying factor.

As far as the lender is concerned; go with the one that can offer you the best all around deal.

[moneill]

I guess we are just comfortable enough to act on our own. We've built two new homes and never used another agent. We are familiar though with the business so maybe that made us more comfortable with the process.

If you are building a home in a subdivision, what does an outside agent bring. In any case, it is wise to hire a house inspector before closing and make sure the house is built correctly. I would spend the money on that!!!!!

[accufitgolf]

Originally Posted by moneill

I guess we are just comfortable enough to act on our own. We've built two new homes and never used another agent. We are familiar though with the business so maybe that made us more comfortable with the process.

If you are building a home in a subdivision, what does an outside agent bring. In any case, it is wise to hire a house inspector before closing and make sure the house is built correctly. I would spend the money on that!!!!!

I agree, especially if you are there to keep an eye on it while it is being built. I did not use a real estate person in my last two subdivision, new home builds.

My experience was that there was little to no wiggle room in the base prices but we could wheel and deal on the options.

[DJShymansky]

A outside agent could bring any or all of the following:

-Much more intensive look at your contract, as well as recent sales, options, closing costs, etc. of other homes that have been built than the site agent will give you.
-Your agent's own resource pool and relationship with outside lenders, inspectors, contractors, attorneys, warranty companies, etc.
-Advice with regard to options in the home and pass-through costs that the site agent will not offer.
-Knowledge of other neighborhoods that could potentially be a better fit for you.
-Someone who can actually take the time to schedule phase inspections, visit the property while being built, etc. Many times new buyers are not local until the home is completed. It's wonderful having that option.
-Also, bear in mind, this is all at no cost to the Buyer. Builder's agents don't discount prices simply because their is no Buyer's agent....