Let’s spill some builder tea! why is it so hard to find information on builders?

This is a pet peeve. As with everything these days, it all comes down to money. Disclaimer: this is a personal opinion piece.

LOCAL ASSOCIATION?

Think you can simply go to the local association (that shall not be named) to get information? Think again. Only builders that belong to the association (pay annual fees) are represented on their website. Also, the content created is not a result of the colossal brain power that the organization is, but search output is outsourced to third party search engines. It can’t create its own content because it needs to treat all builders the same. Also, the site is simply frustrating. If you go into the website and click on a search for new construction communities in Richland, WA for example, it pulls up to-be-built scenarios for 2 national builders. It doesn’t pull actual photos and characteristics of actual neighborhoods. Further, the homes it pulls (in most cases) are what a certain model BASE price would be… the price does not reflect any additional lot premium costs, or any upgrades and landscaping that the average buyer would select.

AVERAGE REALTORS?

Think the Realtor that is representing you knows the best builder for you? Think again. Brokerages in town have signed contracts with specific builders and as their listing agents, it is their job to market them. This is also the case for subdivisions. Brokerages in town are finding the land and telling builders; “we must be the listing agents for you if you want to build your home in OUR neighborhood”. Thus entire neighborhoods are represented by brokerages. Do you think agents will be showcasing to you all the builders in all the developments including the ones that don’t offer Realtors commissions? On a side note here, I have friends that represent builders with larger firms in town and they are fantastic, this section is only meant to shine a light on how the system works.

ZILLOW SEARCH?

Nope. The search will pull homes that are not built yet. The photos are of homes that might have been built years ago and there is tiny writing across the bottom that says “previously built home”. The “listing” is a place holder for a possible scenario. If you choose that builder, if you choose that lot, if you choose that particular floorplan etc. etc. Also, you will notice that the giant national production builders are the ones that are in your face because they have the deep pockets that go with national advertising.

YELP?

Think you can go to YELP or review pages for a clear understanding of what is builder is about? NOPE. After working for my parent’s new construction company for years, I saw that out of the hundreds of homes built over 20 plus years, the only people that post reviews are the ones that had something go wrong, they are venting. Even after the builder goes back and fixes the problem (which is true for most cases) NOBODY goes back and changes their review to reflect that. So, if a builder builds thousands of homes, only the handful that have had a problem are reflected in the reviews.

Another issue these days is finding builders that want to build you a home. Sounds crazy right? but since Covid hit, lumber prices and availability of materials have made it difficult for builders to price their homes profitably. Many builders have decided to only build “spec” homes and will not do pre-sales -this allows them to build the home and get all of the bills in and THEN price the home to include profit and put it on the market. Sometimes you will see a new home being built and NO information about it anywhere because builders don’t want to give information on the house until it is 100% complete. Would you pay top dollar for a new construction home and not have the ability to pick out your own tile and flooring? How do you know which builders will let you do a pre-sale and which ones will not? In a recent example, I had a couple that purchased a lot in Walla Walla and we called over 10 builders to find a few that would be willing to build a custom home for them.

Did you know that there are production builders that are not on the MLS? they don’t use Realtors and don’t pay commissions. Thus, you will pay less money but have ZERO representation unless you as a buyer would be willing to pay them out of your pocket.

Another reason it is hard to find information on builders is that agents cannot share on social media anything about them unless they are the “official” listing agents. Seems strange but if I shared information on a new subdivision that was represented by another firm, I could get fined and my own license could be on the line. The current system is not in builders best interest. It is not in the consumer’s best interest.

It is convoluted. It is annoying. But guess what? If you call me I can give you all the tea. I will spill it all. I can’t show you photos on my facebook page of great lots, or show you my favorite builders but if you call me, I will email you EVERYTHING.