Bring your own agent before you ever walk into a new construction sales office. It is not something to ask the builder about once you are standing there, because by then it can already be too late.
Beyond that, ask who actually wrote the purchase agreement, what happens if the home is late, and what your earnest money really protects, since a builder’s contract is not the same document you would sign on a resale home.
Bring your own agent before you go
The sales rep at the model home works for the builder. Not for you, even when they are friendly and helpful and seem to be looking out for you.
Most builders require your agent to be registered with them before, or during, your very first visit. Walk in alone one time, and some builders will treat you as unrepresented from that point forward and tell you it is too late to add an agent to the deal.
You will likely be asked to sign paperwork stating plainly that the sales rep represents the builder, not you. Builders typically pay the buyer’s agent’s fee themselves when that agent is registered from the start, so bringing one usually costs you nothing extra. Skip that step and decide later that you want representation, and it can come out of your own pocket instead.
Who actually wrote this contract
A builder’s purchase agreement is written by the builder’s attorney, for the builder. It protects the construction schedule and the builder’s margin first.
That is normal and legal. It just means nobody wrote this particular contract with your interests as the priority, the way a standard resale form tries to balance both sides.
What happens if the home is late
Ask what the contract says about a delayed completion date. Many builder agreements give the builder wide latitude on timing, sometimes with no hard outside date at all.
Ask specifically what you are entitled to if closing slips a month, or three. In a lot of contracts the honest answer is an extension and nothing more, so it is worth knowing that before you sign rather than finding out at month two.
What the lot premium and options actually include
Builders price a base house, then add a lot premium for a bigger yard or a better spot in the community, then add design center upgrades on top of that. Get a full, itemized number in writing before you sign, not a verbal estimate at a desk.
Ask which upgrades are genuinely optional and which ones you would regret skipping, since landscaping, a garage door opener, and window coverings are not always included the way buyers assume.
What your earnest money covers
Ask what actually triggers forfeiting your deposit, and what does not. Builder contracts vary a lot here, and the amount at risk is often larger than a typical resale earnest money deposit.
Get the answer in writing rather than from whoever is at the sales desk that day. Sales office staff turns over, and a verbal answer will not help you later.
Simple summary
Bring your own agent before your first visit to the model home, since the sales rep there works for the builder, not for you, and some builders will not let you add representation afterward. A new construction contract is written by the builder too, not a neutral form, so ask what happens if the completion date slips, get a full written breakdown of the lot premium and every option, and understand exactly what puts your earnest money at risk.
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