Representation
Why use your own REALTOR® with a builder
The smiling person in the builder's sales office represents the builder, not you. Their job is to sell homes in that community at the best terms for the builder. A buyer's agent, Tamily, represents you. Builder-paid buyer-agent compensation is common and is agreed in writing before you tour. We confirm it community by community so there are no surprises.
That matters when you are comparing multiple communities, reading a 30-page builder contract, deciding whether to accept an incentive or a price reduction, or walking a home during the pre-drywall and final walkthroughs. Tamily has your back at every step.
Before you sign
What to watch before you sign
Incentives
Closing-cost credits, upgrades, or rate buydowns can look generous. Compare the real net price and make sure the incentive is not just buried elsewhere.
Upgrades and allowances
Builder base prices often assume basic finishes. Ask what is standard, what costs extra, and how allowance overages are handled.
CDD fees
Many Tampa Bay master-planned communities add a Community Development District fee on top of property taxes and HOA dues. It can last decades.
HOA rules and costs
Review dues, reserves, and restrictions before you fall in love with a community.
Timelines
To-be-built homes can take 8–14 months or longer with permit and weather delays. Plan your move, lease, or home sale around realistic dates.
Builder contracts
They are builder-friendly. Look at deposit schedules, extension rights, inspection clauses, and walk-through remedies.
Financing
Builder incentives, decoded
Temporary buydown (2-1, 3-2-1)
Lowers the rate for the first years, then resets; show the reset payment before you sign.
Permanent buydown
Lowers the rate for the life of the loan; usually costs more up front.
Most incentives require the builder's affiliated lender, and the price may already reflect the incentive. Compare total cost across the years you'll own.
The process
How working with Tamily looks
Compare communities
We match your lifestyle, commute, school, and budget needs to the right builders and areas, including resale alternatives you may not have considered.
Negotiate incentives
We structure the offer so incentives actually reduce your net cost or improve your financing, not just pad the sales price.
Review the contract
Tamily flags risky clauses and explains what is negotiable before you commit a non-refundable deposit.
Represent you through closing
From pre-drywall walkthrough to blue-tape items, final inspection, and closing, she is your advocate, not the builder's.
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Related new-construction guides
Questions
New construction FAQ
Why talk to a buyer’s agent before you tour?
Builder sales teams represent the builder. A buyer’s agent helps you compare communities, incentives vs true cost, contracts, deposits, and resale alternatives before the model-home pitch locks you in. Touring first is how shoppers accidentally negotiate against themselves. Call or text 813-669-0857.
What’s the catch with builder incentives?
Incentives (rate buydowns, upgrades, closing help) can be real value, or they can be priced into the home, tied to preferred lenders, or offset by lot premiums and option markups. Read what’s included vs upgrade, how long the incentive lasts, and the monthly payment after the buydown ends. Compare to resale. Education only: structure incentives with your agent and lender before you sign.
What are CDD fees?
A CDD (Community Development District) is a special district that often finances infrastructure in newer communities. Owners may pay CDD assessments in addition to taxes and HOA dues, sometimes as a sizable monthly add-on. Always ask for the full ownership stack: HOA + CDD + taxes + insurance. Amounts are community-specific; verify current figures in writing. Not legal/tax advice.
New construction vs resale: which costs less now?
It depends on incentives, lot premiums, CDD/HOA, insurance, and wait time vs turnkey resale condition and negotiation room. New can win on warranty and modern systems; resale can win on established neighborhoods and fewer assessment surprises. (As of September 2026. Compare live inventory, and don’t trust viral “new is always cheaper” clips.) Bring both paths to a buyer’s-agent consult.
Deposits and contracts in plain English?
Expect a purchase agreement with deposit schedule, completion/closing windows, option deadlines, and cancellation terms. Deposits can become non-refundable after certain milestones. Know that before you design the dream kitchen. Have your buyer’s agent and, when needed, a real-estate attorney review before you sign. This FAQ is plain-language education, not legal advice.
Warranties in plain English?
Most builders offer a limited warranty (often shorter coverage on finish items, longer on major structure/systems; terms vary). Warranties don’t replace inspections, and coverage has exclusions and claim processes. Keep paperwork, photo issues early, and know who services what after closing. Ask for the warranty summary in writing before you commit. Education only: read the actual warranty document.
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