Is this a tract builder or a custom builder? That makes a difference I believe.

We are building in a planned subdivision with a custom builder. We will be buying the lot ourselves from the builder and then the builder will build our house. We didn't use a buyers agent. No need. We went to a real estate lawyer who is knowledgable in building.

BTW: We negotiated the price of the lot, but not the price to build the house. Since ours is custom, there are not "upgrades". We have allowances and then options. We choose what we want.

Definitely not custom.

Is the house already built, or are you building on a lot owned by the builder?

The builder owns the land all of the subdivision will be built on. They are selling in advance of building. Lot lines are drawn and each lot has a particular model already designated for it.

I've bought two newly built houses so far. I always have an agent. They negotiated for us on several things which I'm happy to not have had to deal with. Personally, I wouldn't go in without one when it comes to buying from a builder. In each case, the builders paid our agents half of the commission at closing.

While there are some exceptions, such as suzi's example above, I don't think you need an agent for a new house. I say this as a person that has built 3 houses that ran the spectrum of builder types: large tract, national builder, semi-custom (builder owned lot) and built our house based on a design his draftsman drew (some choices in options--not many), and a custom home on a lot we purchased (with no obligation to use a certain builder).

We used a realtor for the semi-custom home and to purchase the land for the custom home. The agent for the semi-custom home was paid for nothing--literally did nothing after we made the initial offer on the lot. He called us to find out when we were closing so he could pick up his check. He also stopped at the house with us after closing to take a peek at it. There was no value in using him for the purchase.

Later I became an agent. I still would contend you don't need an agent--even after "helping" a sibling buy from a new home builder.

We educated ourselves on the building process and had looked at new houses in the area to know what others were doing in the interior in our price range.

A smart attorney and a few good books on construction will cost less.

I just sold a townhouse that was developed and built by the same contractor, it is ten years old, my advice to you, mine was an inherited property, is to have a separate agent, or attorney, and to DEFINATELY have it inspected by an independent inspector before you sign on the line. I cannot begin to tell you what they do not do in new builds. One other important factor was the furnace was three years old when it was installed, the stove top was 2 years old, and the original refrigerator had a recall for the ice maker. They stockpile appliances for years.