Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 02, 2008 5:41 pm We have paid a $600 fee to lock in the building price for our new home. The price was based on land titling in May and I thought a build start of May.
Just came back from the land office and they said if it titles in May then most likely they wont be able to build for 6-8 weeks owing to soil and site tests etc That means a July start and not much point in me locking in the price until May when they can up the price between May and July. The land sales office rep seemed to think they should have been aware that a May title does not mean a May start. We have already had a couple of problems with the director of the company not happy locking in the price until May and we are waiting to hear back from our sales rep to see if they will honor the price we have deposited and been told we had locked in until May. We just sent the rep an email asking about the may title/july start and what this means in terms of our price lockin as we have said all along the land titles in May and we want the price based on that. Just wondering what you would do. Would you accept a May price lockin and suffer whatever difference in cost between May and July? If they wont give a price based on a July start would you wait a few months and see what they are prepared to offer then? So confused. Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 2Jun 02, 2008 6:25 pm It seems to be fairly standard that it takes 5-6 weeks AFTER land is titled before they can build... mostly due to permits. So if the builder new the land was titling in May, there is no way they could expect to start in May.
In terms of price lock in, well in my book when you pay a deposit that is the price you get. But unfortunately, it appears that builders are happy to use "price rises" as a means to lock someone into a contract as early as possible. My understanding from what I've seen is that you're hard pressed to get a price locked in unless you've signed a contract. For us on the other hand, our builder was happy to lock in the price with a deposit... so who knows! Alan and Thuy in Melbourne Building a second time! Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 3Jun 02, 2008 6:56 pm I was under the impression that the price was locked in with the $600 deposit but it appears not to be the case. Certainly the tender was going to lock it in.
Actually I havent really said anything abouit thinking the $600 locked in the price. I dont know if I have a leg to stand on when push comes to shove The brochere says "Pay $600 to secure price site start allocation and promotion (if applicable) The receipt doesnt say anything about locking in a price though. Seems pretty unprofessional to me in any case Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 4Jun 02, 2008 7:26 pm If you really love PD and its house plan, then i don't think you have much choice but to stick to it
For me, i chose to walk away. PD was my first preference, however they cannot give me a site start in Oct (my land title in July, and i want a site start in Oct), instead they can only give me a site start in April (no sense at all), and pay 1000 (cap price) each month for 3 months to get a site start in July. If i want a site start in Oct, then i have to pay 1000 each month until Oct, that's a lot of money so i refuse. Now i am not sure if the builder i choose is any better than PD, but at least it is another house that i like too with a much better price... Personally i don't regret at all Blog - http://clageonewhouse.blogspot.com/ Building Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=10886&hilit=milan I am in, with my husband and my beautiful bunny Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 5Jun 02, 2008 8:51 pm claego PD was my first preference, however they cannot give me a site start in Oct (my land title in July, and i want a site start in Oct), instead they can only give me a site start in April (no sense at all), and pay 1000 (cap price) each month for 3 months to get a site start in July. If i want a site start in Oct, then i have to pay 1000 each month until Oct, that's a lot of money so i refuse. Penny, PD offer a price cap, I am not sure what the technical term is. It is not $1k per month though for LIfestyle homes....... Ask your sales consultant about it. Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 7Jun 02, 2008 8:57 pm They gave us a price cap of $2500 for a May start but now we are waiting to hear from the director if this is the case or if they have changed their mind. Now with the info from the developer that the build probably wont start til July I dont know what to expect Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 8Jun 02, 2008 9:03 pm i visited PD Aug 07 (last year already), at that time they only guarantee site start in April 08, and because my land title is in July, so they said i have to pay the cap price till July (to get site start in July).. but i prefer to build in Oct (due to my personal preference).. so it didn't work out as i do not want to pay 6000 extra.. When i was told at that time, the cap price is 1000 a month... But i think this may have changed now, since seeing some people saying that 3000 for 3 months something like that... anyway, i do hope that you can work out with them.. In fact, their house plan is very nice.... Blog - http://clageonewhouse.blogspot.com/ Building Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=10886&hilit=milan I am in, with my husband and my beautiful bunny Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 9Jun 03, 2008 9:10 am Thanks I hope so too!!
I think I would rather wait until they can guarantee a price for me for the July 09 start than lock in now and have $1000 per month increases A couple of sales reps I spoke to spoke about the market slowing down. You would think they would prefer to be guaranteed the business in this market rather than risk losing you to another builder over a few grand. I think we will hear something today or tomorrow in any case. Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 10Jun 03, 2008 10:22 pm The hard thing with PD is that they are flat out busy and can barely keep up with demand. The lock in fees are a bit strange i thought that all this would be is getting you to pay a deposit to make sure you didn't go elsewhere. If your're not happy about it find a similar house plan with another builder and get them to change the design to the features you like in the PD home. Be careful though not in infringe on copyright by showing the builder the house plan and by making an exact copy.
Bear in mind that PD decorate their display homes better (they are the only company which seems to have curtains and blinds), keep a set temp and play soft music in the home which creates a better feeling of homeliness which gets people in. Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 11Jun 03, 2008 10:24 pm Newbie,
When I was initially looking at display homes, I walked into PD displays, was subjected to Delta Goodrem and walked straight out. I'm still in therapy. Jo I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 12Jun 03, 2008 10:46 pm joles Newbie, When I was initially looking at display homes, I walked into PD displays, was subjected to Delta Goodrem and walked straight out. I'm still in therapy. Jo mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 13Jun 03, 2008 10:47 pm to_do_list joles Newbie, When I was initially looking at display homes, I walked into PD displays, was subjected to Delta Goodrem and walked straight out. I'm still in therapy. Jo Please explain?? Paula Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 14Jun 03, 2008 10:49 pm Paula to_do_list joles Newbie, When I was initially looking at display homes, I walked into PD displays, was subjected to Delta Goodrem and walked straight out. I'm still in therapy. Jo Please explain?? I hate display homes with crappy musak as well....I....can't....concentrate! mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 17Jun 03, 2008 11:15 pm I saw all these posts and thought someone had some info. Bloody Delta The plan does suit our block really well but H3enley has one similar and I just saw a Mcon design I dont mind. All in all if they are prepared to be reasonable I would stick with PD as I do love the house but dont want to be ripped off Re: Need Help with builders price lock-in Confused :( 20Jun 04, 2008 9:52 am We originally were looking at PD back in Jan.. the Peninsula I think. But we had a similar problem with getting a start date/fixed price (when I say looking, we'd only been through the house with the sales chick once and weren't that far into it). They wouldn't even give me an estimate at the time until I was ready to put down a deposit
By the sounds of it they have too much work, and we all know what happens when demand exceeds supply! Alan and Thuy in Melbourne Building a second time! If this is a custom build then I would expect the builder to set out the door frame closer to the wall to avoid the gap between architrave and the wall and or specify… 9 8306 1 4695 Wow I hadn't realised things had gotten that pricey in just a couple of years since I built, that is crazy with how much land is now costing if you aren't lucky enough to… 3 7112 |