4pumpedCL

I'm looking to have Pulte Homes build me a new home. This question is directed towards people who have purchased a new track home.

Is there room for negotiation in the price? I know they offer inscentives, but is there room for negotiation beyond that?

If you guys have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. I'm probably going to put my deposit down in the next few months and just wanted to see what other people's experience is.

Thanks,
Aaron

Fibonacci

Generally speaking, no they will not negotiate beyond the standard incentives offered to the general public. They usually tie you into using their mortgage company.

Reason being, they risk losing their credibility in the marketplace if they offer different deals to various homeowners, and because they are a major homebuilder they can afford to toe the line.

You may have better luck negotiating discounts with smaller homebuilders who are a bit more desparate to move inventory.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Everything in life is negotiable.

We built with a production builder here in NC and in addition to the incentives we got through the builder (some tied in to their mortgage company, some just promos they were running at the time), we got about $15k-$17k or so worth of additional things thrown in... so yeah, you can negotiate things. If they believe you are serious, they will work with you. The funniest thing is talking to all of our other neighbors to hear what deals they got. It seems like we all negotiated, but everyone got something different, and some got more then others depending on how far they wanted to go with it... so it's great comparing stories.

Even when we were contemplating building a larger home with another builder late last year we negotiated. From the time we started to the time we finished negotiating we had knocked $50k off of the price of the home on top of all of the incentives and promos.

And now we're working with a few custom builders and we have been negotiating back and forth with each of them for the last few weeks. So yeah, I'd say go for it. Remember, it's always free to ask. Worse they can say is no, but if they think you're really ready to buy and you have been in touch with the sales guy or walked through the model a few times and they remember you, you should be able to get somewhere with them.

Good luck!!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

BTW, I forgot to add... did you mean tract home?

GreenMonster

Yeah, I was trying to figure out if there was some kind of housing development that was near a race track. Sorta like condos on a golfcourse, except for the racing enthusiast...

Fibonacci

The threadposter is asking specifically about Pulte procedures. They have a sign in their sales offices stating that they do not negotiate prices. Because they are a national builder and better capitalized, they are more rigid than regional or smaller homebuilders.

That's not to say the incentives they offer when you agree to using their mortgage company may differ somewhat - but standard pricing applies to their plans.

We even tried to get a discount by not using a realtor, but they wouldn't budge.

We did negotiate on some non-standard options though.

Will Y.

Fllowing up on the other posters' thoughts above, you can negotiate additional upgrades and maybe work with the developer's recommended lender if you are using it. See also http://www.latimes.com/classified/re...ealestate-news
G/L!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Well, for one, nowhere does he mention he was asking specifically about Pulte's negotiating practices nor did I see him asking for advice dealing with Pulte salespeople. Let us review: He mentions he is looking to build with Pulte, but he specifically asks if anyone has ever built with a tract builder and if they were negotiable. Therefore, I stand 100% behind my original reply

Plus, the examples I am referencing all refer to national builders as well (well minus the custom builder obviously). I did not realize Pulte was the Saturn of national production builders b/c we never considered them when we were looking, so if that is the case then the OP is shit out of luck (although you said that you negotiate non-standard options which means they are negotiable to a point). However, our experiences (both first hand and through friends/family) with other national tract builders is that yes, they are negotiable.

There's actually a Pulte community going up about 2 miles from us... I may swing by this weekend to see if they actually have a sign. I know one of our neighbors checked them out before moving to another community by another builder, but she never mentioned that they were non-negotiable... and she buys and sells houses for a living. I wonder if this is something they do in all of their markets, or just in markets where they have little competition. Things that make you go hmmmm.

.

Fibonacci

Mmmkay. If that's the case, then I'm just a sucker for a smoking hot saleswoman, wouldn't be the first time!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Well, don't beat yourself up just yet... I don't know for sure if they have a sign or not... just saying I never heard of that, even from people who have been to their models. I'll swing by this weekend to see if they do or not

Fibonacci

Oh, I'm not - we got a spectacular deal.

I'm just saying we got the "standard" (significant) incentives offered by using Pulte Mortgage, we weren't able to negotiate any additional discounts.

They were also very flexible and accomodative of our requests for non-standard options, such as an external french door instead of sliding, one-off tile, range hood, yada yada.

Also, we've been very pleased with the build quality and attention to detail from what we've seen so far. They actually score higher in customer satisfaction than Toll Bros.

MR1

Not totally sure but I think it depends on the market that they are competing in. Just about all of the builders in my area of California are dealing either officially or unofficially.

I've seen them cut prices from published or play games with the prices and terms when you have an unsold 'contigent' home that isn't selling. Once they are sure that you are interested and can qualify, certainly doesn't hurt to ask.

Fibonacci

jb, given the weakening conditions, you could very well be right on this. I popped into the office today and:

Smokin' Hot Saleswoman: Hey, whatcha doin' here today?

Me: Just wanted to check up on things.

Her: You must have been reading my mind, cuz I've got some really, really, really good news for you. :wink:

Me: Really? What could that be...

Her: Well, we just took another write down on our land holdings and everyone who's signed a contract and hasn't closed yet gets an extra $15,000 discount!

Me: Wow, that really is good news!

mattg

hell yes it's negotiable, and now is a good time to get a great deal. I would highly recommend using a Realtor as your buyers agent, instead of going direct with the builder. It's very beneficial to have someone who's working for you and has only your interest in mind.

A knowledgeable Realtor in your are will be able to give you the best advice for your situation.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Nice.

We have a unique situation in our area. The market is slowing down, however, there are still a lot of people moving out here. The new problem is that the water treatment plant is at capacity. They are just wrapping up an expansion which is supposed to be complete by Sept. 2007, however, even with that expansion, they will be over their threshold on capacity (I believe the threshold is 80% and they will be at 90%). Due to this they have put thousands of new home permits that were originally approved on hold. This means that over the next 6-12 months, demand will start to exceed supply, which is good news for people who will be looking to sell their homes. We've already seen a small jump in our neighborhood since people started finding out about this, so hopefully it will continue for a little while

So there are still deals here and still room to negotiate, but they're not getting desperate just yet...