Free Buyer Representation
An expert on your side.
Paid for by the builder.
On Austin new construction, the buyer-agent commission is already built into the price. Bring me and it costs you nothing extra. Skip me and the builder's rep keeps it.
The math
Why it costs you nothing
Texas builders build a buyer-agent commission, commonly cited near 3 percent for new construction, into the marketed price of every home. They pay it from a set commission and marketing budget, whether or not you bring an agent.
So the choice is not whether to pay for representation. That cost is already in the price. The choice is whether it buys you a licensed advocate, or whether it stays with the builder while their on-site rep negotiates against you. Bringing me changes nothing about your price and everything about who is on your side.
purchase price
What you get
Everything the model-home rep will not do
Free does not mean thin. This is the full buyer-side job on a new build, all of it on your side of the table.
Incentive negotiation
Rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, design-center allowances, and lot-premium waivers. Builders protect the base price, so the deal is in the incentive stack, and I push on it.
Contract review
Builders use their own proprietary contract, not the TREC resale form. I read the termination, arbitration, earnest-money, and change-order terms and tell you where you have leverage.
Lot and plan guidance
Lot premiums, drainage, orientation, greenbelt versus busy-road backing, and which structural upgrades hold resale value versus cosmetic ones you can add later for less.
Independent inspections
A pre-drywall inspection while the framing is open, a final walkthrough before closing, and an 11-month check before your one-year warranty ends. The builder's rep arranges none of this for you.
Lender comparison
The builder's incentives often require their lender. I compare that loan estimate against outside quotes on real numbers, net of the incentives, so you see the true cost.
Tax and disclosure checks
MUD and PID rates, the Texas Water Code district notice, and the true all-in monthly payment, so a low base price never hides a high tax bill.
The one rule
Bring me before your first visit
This is the only thing you have to get right. Most builders require your agent to register you on your first visit to the model home, sales office, phone line, or online form. Tour unrepresented first and the builder can refuse to pay an agent you bring later. So the move is simple: talk to me before you go.
Good to know
Free representation, answered
- Is buyer representation really free on new construction?
- For the buyer, yes, in the normal case. Austin-area builders generally set the price to include a buyer-agent commission and pay it at closing. Because that cost is already in the price whether or not you bring an agent, using one does not raise what you pay. You still sign a written buyer-representation agreement, which Texas requires.
- What is the catch?
- There is not one for the buyer, but there is one rule: you generally must register your agent on your first visit to a builder. If you tour or inquire unrepresented first, the builder can refuse to pay an agent you bring later, which would leave you without free representation on that home. Reach out before you visit.
- Do I have to sign anything?
- Yes, a written buyer-representation agreement, which Texas now requires before touring homes. It states that the builder pays the compensation in the normal new-construction case, so it costs you nothing, and it puts a licensed agent formally on your side for the negotiation, contract, and inspections.
- What if I already visited a builder without an agent?
- Tell me right away. Depending on the builder's policy and how far along you are, it can sometimes still be arranged. The first-visit rule is strict, but it is worth checking before you assume you have lost representation.
Free buyer representation
Get a buyer's agent on your side, for free
The builder's on-site agent works for the builder. Luke Allen works for you, at no cost to you, because the builder pays buyer representation. Ask him which communities fit your budget, what the real incentives are this month, and what to watch for in a builder's contract before you sign.
Luke Allen
Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149
Austin Marketing + Development Group