The model home is
not the base house
By Justin Kelly
NJ Real Estate Broker-Salesperson
A model is built to show a plan at its best. Here is what is often an upgrade in one, and how to see what the base price includes.
At a glance
- Flooring, kitchen finishes, fixtures and trim in a model are often upgrades
- Layout changes are chosen before construction starts; finishes are chosen later
- Furniture and decor are there for display and do not come with the home
Guide
A model home is built to show a plan at its best, so it usually carries many of the options the builder offers. The home at the base price can look quite different.
In a model, these are often upgrades: hardwood or upgraded flooring where the base home has carpet, the kitchen cabinets, countertops and appliances, lighting and plumbing fixtures, trim and molding, a finished basement, and stone or upgraded siding on the front of the house. Furniture, window treatments and decor are there for display and do not come with the home unless the contract says so.
Upgrades come in two kinds. Layout changes, such as a morning room, an extended garage or an added bedroom, change the structure of the house, so they are chosen before construction starts. Finishes such as flooring, countertops and fixtures are chosen later, at the selection stage.
The setting shapes the first impression too. A model tends to sit on a finished lot with mature landscaping, and that lot may carry a premium a standard homesite does not.
The standard features list for the community you are looking at shows what the base price includes.
This describes what is often an upgrade in a model home, not what any specific home or community includes. Written by Justin Kelly, NJ Real Estate Broker-Salesperson. More at South Jersey New Construction.
What to know
Each builder sets its own standard features, and they can differ by community. Comparing new homes? We can go through the list for each one with you.
