Questions about a new construction in VA

[adam]

Hello All!

My wife and I are looking into buying a new construction in VA. I have a few questions:

Do we need a real estate agent for the new construction transaction? I've been told that we don't need a real estate agent if we are buying new, but I don't know if that is the smartest thing to do.

We were told by someone that if you buy a new construction and not use a real estate agent, you can negotiate the co-op (finders fee) into the price of the house. Is this at all true? We were also told by a real estate agent that by VA law, the builder cannot do this. Who is right?

To be a little clearer, a real estate agent did not find this new construction for us. We saw it online and went into the model by ourselves.

Let me know what you guys think. We have been very overwhelmed the past couple days.

[REOCITYcom]

Well everything you have been told sounds about right except the b.s. about being able to negotiate a better price with the builder, but remember if you buy the new build w/o representation you will be vulnerable to the builders contract, and most builders are not real estate brokers, and nor do they have your best intentions in mind, now if you want to use a broker look for a buyers broker, they specialize in buying contracts and will look out for your best interests, if nothing else and you want to negotiate price make sure you retain a real estate attorney to review your contract before signing, this will help level the playing field when dealing with the builder. Even though you should be in pretty good shape due to the fact VA approved institutions have stringent guidelines to adhere to.
:cool: