The Things You Need To Do BEFORE You Schedule Your First Meeting With The Sales Rep!
Hello!
So today I thought I would write about what I wish we had known before our very 1st meeting with the local Ryan Homes Sale Rep. Basically this sums up what I have learned since our first meeting on April 2, 2017, only 19 days ago. This will be one post that I will continue to update as we move forward in the process.
1. JOIN THE RH FACEBOOK GROUPS
This is a must do! Right now, before you read on, go to the links directly below and request to join!
Why is this so important? In my opinion, there is no one that will give you quality, honest answers like another consumer of the same product/service. Remember, unlike with sales reps who make a commission based on persuading consumers to buy their product or service, there is no financial gain for other buyers!
These are groups of people, like you and I, who are in some phase of the process with RH. Their experience, knowledge, advice will be invaluable to you if you decide to move forward with RH!
The two FB groups I found that are exceptional and full of members who are willing to help are:
Go Join and come back! You'll thank me later!
2. TAKE YOUR REALTOR
Okay, they will never tell you this up front, so beware! Ryan Homes being the seller has to pay your realtor. If you don't bring your realtor to the very first meeting (because you assume like we did that the realtor doesn't need to be there for the first meeting when you are just checking things out) they will tell you that they won't pay your realtor! You didn't misread that, RH will not pay your realtor if you don't bring them to the initial meeting and have your realtors name put in the system with yours before you discuss anything!
When we were finally ready to really talk numbers, make offers and read the purchase agreement, our SR told us we could bring our realtor, but because our names were already in their system without a realtor name they would no longer pay for it! Sneaky, sneaky tactics RH!
So now, at present we are left with two options: pay our realtor out of our own pocket or represent ourselves. I think this was a low move on RH's part and has made me realize it is not about relationships or customer service, it's all about $$$ to them.
So trust me on this, no matter what RH or the SR tells you about their policy, TAKE YOUR REALTOR TO THE VERY FIRST APPOINTMENT AND GET THE REALTORS NAME IN THE SYSTEM!
3. TALK TO OTHER'S IN THE COMMUNITY
I highly recommend talking to others in your community before signing the contract. It may be a bit nerve wracking, but go knock on some doors and introduce yourself! After your introduction have a few specific questions to ask them, such as:
How was the building process with RH?
Are you happy with the quality of your home and the neighborhood?
Do you have any recommendations for me based on your experience building here?
Think of it this way, that one knock is accomplishing a lot! You will learn a ton about RH, the neighborhood, the building process and you get to see how cool your future neighbors are! 😀
4. Attorney: Don't sign anything until your attorney has read it, especially the contract! Ryan Homes will try to rush you. They will likely use a sales tactic such as, "you have only 24 hours to sign because someone else wants your lot and if you don't sign within 24 hours the lot goes to another buyer". Don't let them do this to you. Remember this is one of the biggest investments you will ever make! Insist they give you more time and have your attorney and realtor look over those contracts before you sign anything!
5. In Writing: Anything your sales rep or anyone from Ryan Homes tells you, Big or small - get it in writing! Their contract says they do not honor verbal agreements. Remember, their contract is not written to protect you- it is written by their attorneys to protect them.
6. Good Faith Deposit: It's negotiable! The SR will likely say 10% or even 20% of the sale price is required for your deposit. False! I know from talking to other buyers all over the country that this is negotiable! The deposit can be as little as a $1000. Don't give them a huge sum of money and I';; explain why. If for some unforeseen reason you need to walk away from building your dream home you will likely lose your deposit. Their contract makes it almost impossible to get your deposit back. The more money you give them upfront the tighter hold they have on you and they know the less likely you are to walk away should you need to.
7. Master Sheet: Insist your Sales rep gives it to you. It has many of the available upgrades and corresponding pricing for your model. You will want and need this to make informed decisions about your home.
8. Negotiate Price: Using the master sheet add every possible upgrade you want and then submit an offer of what you are willing to pay. They will come back with a counter offer and you can accept or begin taking some upgrades off to get to your budget goals. Negotiating after you sign that contract is less likely to happen- remember this.
9. Structural Changes: Tell your SR you want a minimum of 14 days to make structural changes and make sure that is written in your contract. They will try to make it less than 14 days if they can and this will not benefit you in the long run. They will say less time for changes will speed up the building process. Trust me an extra week or two is worth the wait!
You want at least 14 days to have time to think about your home and exactly how you want it. After that time period they will NOT, per their policy, let you make structural changes - so take your time making these choices!
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I am writing all of this to help prospective buyers prepare for and understand the process based on what we have learned so far. (*disclaimer: I am sure there are others who have had a positive experience with RH and others who have had it far worse, but this blog is based on our own experiences)
I will continue to update as we continue forward in this process...
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