Buying New Construction in Northeast Florida? Bring Your Own Agent and Your Own Inspector
A new home feels like the safe choice. Everything is new, the builder has a warranty, and the sales office is friendly and helpful. But the person greeting you in the model home works for the builder. That is not a criticism. It is simply how it works. It does mean two jobs are left open: someone to look out for you in the deal, and someone to look at the house itself.
Those are two different people, and I would not skip either one.
Reason one: your own agent
The sales rep in the model home is there to sell the builder's homes on the builder's contract. Your own Realtor is there for you. A buyer's agent can help you compare builders and communities, read through the contract, ask about incentives, and keep track of the timeline from contract to closing. They can also be with you at the final walkthrough.
Many buyers assume this costs extra. In many new-construction sales the builder pays the buyer's agent, but it depends on the builder and on the written agreement you sign with your agent. Since August 2024, a Realtor and a buyer sign a written agreement before touring homes that spells out the agent's fee and who pays it. Ask about it up front so there are no surprises.
The most important tip: many builders want your agent registered on your very first visit. Once you have visited a welcome center, sales office or open house without your agent, adding a buyer's agent afterward is nearly impossible. The builder will not recognize them as part of the transaction. If you are even thinking about new construction, call a Realtor before you visit a model home.
Reason two: your own inspector
A county inspection checks that the home meets minimum building code at set points along the way. It is not the same as someone walking the finished home on your behalf, testing everything, and writing down what they find. New homes are built fast by many different crews, and small things get missed. Think of an air conditioning duct that came loose in the attic, a drain that is not fully connected, a bath fan that vents into the attic, or ground that slopes toward the house.
Here is the part many buyers never hear: you are allowed to hire your own inspector on a home you are buying from a builder. It is normal and common. And the best time to bring it up is early, not the week before closing.
Whether or not you have an agent, the inspection is your decision. A good agent will remind you about it. But the inspection is the only thing in the process that looks at the actual house.
Two inspections, not one
Before you close. This is when you have the most leverage. A problem found now is something the builder fixes to get to the closing table. The same problem found after closing becomes a warranty request in a line behind everyone else's. Learn more about our new construction inspection.
Around month 11. Florida requires builders to provide a one-year warranty on new homes, and the details of your warranty are in your paperwork. An 11-month inspection is the same complete inspection, done while you still have time to send the report to your builder. It is priced the same as a standard home inspection. Learn more about our 11-month warranty inspection.
The simple checklist
Call a Realtor before your first model-home visit.
Ask who pays your agent and get it in writing.
Tell the builder early that you are bringing your own inspector.
Schedule your inspection after construction is complete and before you sign at closing.
Put your 11-month warranty inspection on the calendar the day you close.
If you are under contract on a new build and not sure where you stand, call or text me at 904-658-1009 and I will tell you honestly which inspection makes sense right now. I serve Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, Putnam, and Baker Counties.
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