The Sales Process

We attempted to be the best and well informed consumers when it comes to pricing and buying a house.  I did a great deal of research and found other blogs very helpful.  I also have a background in accounting and construction so I knew the best thing I could do it include everything on the first past with the initial price.

One of the most confusing things in this process is looking at a model home and knowing what is an add-on and what is not.  I asked for a complete options list and I got their standard structural options list which didn’t include the option pricing for upgraded flooring, bathroom tile, countertops or guardian.  We negotiated a price at the end of May and we’re a good 5k above it now for things we thought were included or underbudgeted.  Here are our examples:

Electrical Fixtures – We budgeted for a ceiling light in every room, 8 extra outlets, and some recessed lighting.  We were pretty much right on the budget with the exception of adding some extra switches.  This wasn’t bad as the basic electrical options were in the options list given to us.

Guardian – We budgeted 1,300 for some ceiling speakers and ended up being at 3,880.  We had no pricing when we were trying to make our budget and plan our mortgage.  I found some other bloggers who posted their prices, but I found them to be minimal and not all inclusive.  We ended up with a 2 room sound package (Deck & Kitchen) and family room surround system.  If Guardian allowed Ryan Homes to give out a price list, we would have removed a structural item to get more features.

Flooring and Tile – When we spoke to a Ryan Homes sales person, we flat out asked, “What else should we budget for that people add later or would be a pain to do on our own?”  He responded, “Don’t skimp on the kitchen cabinets or the bathroom tile.”  This made sense.  Cabinets are extremely expensive and would involve gutting the kitchen.  I recently gutted my bathroom and found tile is a pain to rip out and replace.  His suggestion made sense.  He suggested we budget $1,000 for wall time as we could do a vinyl floor and replace it easy.  The cabinet upgrade is in the options price list but not the bathroom tile.  RiteRug would tell us differently.  They say the upgrade is a package and would be twice our budget to get the nicer tile we attempted to budget for.

Suggestion for future purchasers – Budget at least 10,000 for flooring or electronics

We had a few other special requests.  We wanted our walk in closets to be the same size and we wanted to move the morning room door so it faced the biggest part of the yard.  Our sale rep told us the closet is a simple discussion with the project manager and the door move is a customer order.  They did approve it and it cost 495 to move.

Finally, be prepared for the mountain of paperwork they shove in front of you to sign and complete.  After the fact, I wished I had asked to go over them together, then take them home and read them for a few days and then come back and sign them.  I had no time to read the fine print and know the terms and conditions.    This is important considering the thousands placed as a deposit.

Suggestion for future purchasers – Take the sale document home and read it and avoid the pressure to sign it all the day you agree on a price.