List of upgrades with costs when you plan to build
 

I should of posted here instead of the new members forum......

Did anyone receive a list of upgrades with costs from their realtor before they started building? Our realtor is informing us that he does not have any pricing information or break down of upgrades and cost. The design team will give you pricing at the time the home is ordered. How does anyone budget for this?

We are very frustrated and just wondering how the process was handled with other villagers.

We would appreciate your feedback.

List of cost of options
 

It depends on the model you want.

I can't believe you have to wait till you ARE READY to build.

When I arrive in April I'll go through the roof if my agent told me that....:censored:

Find a few of people who will share their "build packages" of the same model with you. You should be able to rough out your intended extras without too much trouble. Maybe there are a few on TOTV who would help.

That's the way they do it here..................................

We just finished the buy/build process for an Aspen in Sanibel. Our realtor told us the same thing as yours did about updates, but he was willing to figure in rough costs for a few updates that were very important to us and would have been deal breakers if the cost was too high. That gave us a base price to consider. When we met with the design team, our coordinator was able to give us exact costs and we could decide what updates to include, and our final build price was in the ballpark of what our realtor figured initially.

So yes, it is frustrating that there isn't a list of updates and the costs, but we did get the info eventually and it worked out in the end. I would recommend you decide what is very important to you such as granite or a golf cart garage or a stretched lanai/rooms and ask your realtor to give you a ballpark based on those updates. Then make a list of the things that you see as you look at models that you might want, such as a shower-only option in the guest bath or whatever, and take that to your design appointment.

The design team has it down, by the way! Our gal was patient and organized and walked us thru so many choices and updates and changes. She took us back several times to view cupboards and counters in various models and didnt so much as frown when we changed our minds more than once! You will have plenty of consideration time and cost info about changes or updates.

By the time we were done, we had nothing but good things to say about the process, even though like you we were annoyed at times early on. Barely a week after finishing the design process, our house is under construction. Amazing!

I totally relate to the frustration of not having any information before you get to the meeting. I have been told that essentially the design people do not want the sales people to be giving any information so I pretty much know nothing. As I am coming for the meeting without my husband, I am trying to figure out things now if at all possible. We are also putting in a pool and so there are so many decisions to be made. It is a bit overwhelming. I do not relish the idea of taking it all in in 3 days and then making a decision without have a little time to mull..I asked if I could get someone from design to call me back and they just won't do it. They need to spend their time with the clients that they are working with ...just like they will do when we get our appointments. That said, it would be nice if TV would send some choices and possibilities before the meeting. All I got was a letter saying I should look at the models on line. I thought, "Wow, I am so far beyond that at this point."
So what actually IS an upgrade? I guess going from solid composite for counter tops to granite. Floors instead of carpet? What else? How many upgrades are there? If I could at least know what the upgrades were I would be ahead of the game. I know nothing.

No itemized pricing at closing
 

In the end, you get a list of everything, and I mean everything that you put in your home from outlets to door handles. However, you do not get a breakdown of what each costs. You get the final price and that's it. Your designer will tell you the cost of each thing you add but it is not priced out for each item in the end. I kinda thought that was strange. I wanted to see what each item cost on the final contract. I guess it's the bottom line that counts.

Exactly.

One of the TV sales reps showed us how the process works - all done via their sales system on the computer. They start out with the base price for the model of home you want, put it on the lot of your choosing, click off all the boxes for all the things you want on/with the house, and out pops a total final cost at the end. The only way to get a pricing breakdown item by item is to have a very patient and willing sales rep - have them start with the base house, add the one thing you want a price for, then look at the final total. Back out the base price of the house and you'll know what that single item prices out at. You'd have to do this for each and every item that's checked off for the house - it would be a very long and arduous process. Do you want a different front door than the standard one? It might be more money. Same thing for faucet and cabinet hardware, etc., etc.

Bill :)

Looking for confirmation
 

Please someone correct me if I am wrong. We went through the same thing as the above poster. Then we learned this. There IS A DESIGN TEAM to discuss all your questions and needs. HOWEVER to pay for this your sales rep will pay $500.00 from his commision to the design team. We drove all around to model homes picking out everything for a couple of days. It is troublesome to remember a carpet or tile at one model then try to picture it with something else at another model one hour later. So if my information is correct you need to tell your rep that you want to sit down with a design rep who has ALL the samples right in front of you to discuss. One time at an open model house we saw a couple going through all the various samples. So someone please enlighten me if I am wrong. We did ask many times when are we going to meet with the design person. Never happened. Other than that we love it here.

Bill is correct. We had our agent, Tony Trussler, price a new home for us last year and we had him figure the major upgrades we wanted to price, one at a time and were able to come up with a cost for most of them, so we could decide what ones we felt would be worth it and what would not. Your agent can walk you through what you want and help you price upgrades if he is willing to spend the time.

Hmmn. I guess my problem is I walked into a model and said I want this house exactly as it is. He told me how much it was and we went to find a similar golf site. Of course, now want to make changes so I really don't even know what a basic house is. What exactly do they have you pick and choose from. I mean do you have to decide on what kind of light switches and outlet covers you have or is that standard in the "basic" house? Do you need to make a decision on what kind of windows? what kind of door handle? what kind of pipes for the water pipes? The type of furnace? and a/c? I have no idea how extensive the decisions are. I have limited building experience so wonder if I need to start reading on how to build a house.

I too never got to meet with a design team. I was lucky though, my sales rep really took the time and figured out pricing as I went. SKYSAR, please take your time and ask many questions that you might have. Its very easy to overlook important decisions when you are so excited about the buying process. Any changes you make after you sign will cost you $250.

Thanks everyone for your information. Our sales rep will be calling this afternoon and maybe we can get this figured out.

Designer for everyone!
 

I wonder why some people get a design person included and others don't? Does it matter if it's a villa, cottage, designer or premium? I can't imagine building new without a designer. Does anyone know? Seems only right that every new build gets a designer.

As stated earlier:

Same thing told to us by our TV sales rep though he'd quoted it to us as $400 out of the sales rep's pocket. Regardless, (maybe the cost varies by which designer/team is used?), it's up to the sales rep to be willing to cough up the money for the designer's assistance.

Bill :)