When the homes on the market just aren't fitting the bill, sometimes it's best to just make one.
Congratulations on the purchase of your brand-new home, you three! This home truly checks every one of your boxes and I'm so excited that after months of waiting for it to be built - it's finally move-in time!
Back in May, my sweet friend and lending partner, Bryson, put me in touch with Chuck and Brittney about selling their townhome. Remember this cutie?? With one baby in the house and potentially more coming along, they had outgrown their space and were ready to take on the "Single Family Home Lifestyle". It was time to find this awesome family their "forever home"!
When we sat down in May to discuss their sale, we also chatted about what their next home would look like. I set them up on a search as we got geared up to sell the townhome and soon it was time to find the following:
3+ Bedrooms with at least two on the same floor
2,100+ SqFt
Attached 2-car garage
Basement: a must
Easy access to 285/I25
Ideally, enough grass to "let the baby and the dog out"
A pretty straightforward list for a growing family, I'd say. What we didn't realize was that the layout of the home played into the importance just as much as the items on this checklist. And a layout is much harder to nail down within a conversation. It was time to look at houses.
For example, some of the homes we saw (technically) checked all of these boxes, but there was something missing with the flow of the home. The playroom was in a spot that didn't make sense for a baby, or the kitchen and living room were too far apart. With interest rates in the high 6's and 7's during the months that we were searching, it just didn't make sense to pull the trigger until we found the perfect "forever" home.
And then it hit us - just build it. Considering the fact that they were looking in the Thornton area, and there are several new-build communities popping up, it seemed like a good option to look into. They started poking around and fell in love with the Willowbend community by Lennar.
This was my first experience in the new build sector, and I was grateful that Lennar included me in the process. (HOT TIP: not all new communities are welcoming to "outside" real estate agents. Many prefer to discard us from the contract so that they represent both the seller [the builder] and the buyer [you]. I highly recommend chatting with your agent before touring new builds to ensure they'll be able to rep you). I like getting paid as much as the next guy - but that is not what this PSA is about... you need your own representation when buying a home to protect your rights as a buyer and only a buyer's agent can promise you that.
Okay, I'm getting off of my soap box now to show you how absolutely worth the wait this house was! Below are photos of Lennar's staged version of the model Chuck and Brittney picked out for their beautiful corner lot.
Toward the end of the build (after drywall was up) we started doing weekly tours to observe the progress. We brought along my in-house TLC Consultant and it was interesting to see the advancements made in the house, week by week. He was instrumental in helping explain the home-building process and gave Chuck and Brittney an idea as to what we could expect to see next time we were there. It was also exciting to see how quickly and efficiently Lennar's well-oiled machine built homes!
By November, the home was ready for move-in, and the builder walked us through the systems and what to expect during each season in the home. By closing day, everyone was PUMPED! But what's a good story without a hiccup?
As consumers, I think it's important for you to be aware of these scenarios. An hour before arriving at the closing, Lennar's title company called to inform Chuck that he and Brittney would need to bring an additional $5000 to closing - separate from what they had wired the day before. Basically, every buyer's worst nightmare. It was my pleasure to inform my clients that not is not only illegal for a title company to change the amount due the day of closing, it's unethical. A tiny bit of pushback was all it took, and magically, the $5000 requirement "went away". Money was saved, Chuck and Brittney closed on their home, and at the end of the day, everyone was ecstatic that it all worked out!
Congratulations, again, Chuck and Brittney! It took a good chunk of the year, lots of patience, and a little bit of tenacity- but we did it! I am so honored to have been able to help you find your special slice of paradise. Enjoy the grass, baby Poppy & Sir Campp!
As always, I owe my undying gratitude to the following folks:
TLC Consultant: Richard Coite
(@RichBunRoll )
Transaction Coordinator: Paige Gebba
Listing Photos Courtesy of: Pinnacle New Home Plans | Willowbend | Lennar
MLS: N/A
To learn more about buying a home with The DEN Collaborative CLICK HERE