Questions to Ask a Builder Before You Build in North Texas

What does the base price actually include?

The base price is a floor, not a total, and the gap between them is where North Texas builders differ. Ask for the complete written breakdown before you compare anything: base price, lot premium, design center minimum, and any mandatory community items such as perimeter fencing, landscaping, sod, irrigation, gutters, or a yard that the neighborhood's covenants require. One builder can quote a lower base than another and finish at a higher total once the lot and the mandatory items are in.

Ask which appliances come with the home and which are allowances, and whether the allowance covers the model in the model home or only the builder's entry-level version, because the difference is a classic upgrade ambush. Ask the same question about flooring, countertops, and cabinet finishes: what is standard, what the model home shows, and what it costs to match it.

How much will upgrades really add to the base price?

DFW buyer guides put the usual upgrade stack, upgraded flooring, countertops, cabinets, appliances, and the lot premium, at roughly 10 to 25 percent over the base price, and the range is wide because the lot premium alone runs from a few thousand dollars into six figures on premium lots, with selections compounding from there. Extend into structural changes, added rooms, and site work, or take the full design center menu, and the total can reach 20 to 50 percent over base, which is why the budget question comes before the selection appointment, not during it.

Ask the design center for a line-item quote on the exact selections you want before you commit, and compare that total against your lender's approval, not against the builder's base. Also ask which selections are structural and must be bought now, versus cosmetic and safely deferred, because a finish installed through the builder carries a premium over the same finish arranged after closing. The design center upgrades chapter walks the buy-versus-skip table in full.

What incentive is on the table, in writing?

Builder incentives in the current DFW market are commonly reported in the $15,000 to $40,000 range, delivered as closing cost assistance, rate buydowns, and design center credits, and the stack is a big part of why comparing builders on base price alone misleads. Ask for the incentive in writing, with the exact dollar amount and every condition attached: which lender must be used, which closing date, which inventory. A 2-1 buydown is temporary rate relief, so ask how the points are funded, what the payment reverts to in year three, and whether a permanent price reduction beats the buydown over the years you plan to stay. Chapter 3 works the incentive math, and the compare-offers chapter shows how to test two stacks side by side.

What is the completion date, and what happens if it slips?

A typical North Texas build runs roughly 6 to 7 months from contract to closing, and weather, materials, permit schedules, and design change orders all move that date. Ask for the estimated completion date in the contract, the definition of a delay (builder-caused versus buyer-caused versus weather and force majeure), and the consequence if the builder misses the date. Ask the mirror question too: what happens if your financing or your move date slips, because the date-change and termination clauses in a builder's contract tend to protect the side that drafted them. The pre-move timeline chapter maps both calendars so the contract date and your move date can land in the same month.

Which warranty structure will I sign, and what does it exclude?

Texas has required no standard new-home warranty since the Texas Residential Construction Commission was abolished in 2009, so the warranty you get is whatever the builder's contract says. Ask for the warranty document before you sign the purchase agreement, and ask which structure you are getting: the 1-2-6 plan (1 year on workmanship and materials, 2 years on the major systems, 6 years on major structural components), which matches the six-year claim window that HB 2024 created for builders who provide that written warranty, or an older 1-2-10 style plan. Ask what is excluded, because site preparation, soils, landscaping, and cosmetic settling are typically carved out, and ask the claims process: written notice to whom, within what deadline, and what the cure process looks like under the Residential Construction Liability Act. The inspections and warranty chapter reads the structure clause by clause.

The 10-year to 6-year change matters because the warranty structure you sign decides how long you can pursue structural issues. The builder vetting guide explains the change in full: when the 6-year window applies, when the 10-year default survives, and why the 1-2-6 warranty should be confirmed in writing before you sign.

Can I inspect at the phases that hide everything after them?

The two inspections you can never redo on a new build are pre-pour, before the slab hides the footings, rebar, vapor barrier, and under-slab plumbing, and pre-drywall, after framing and rough-in but before the walls close. Ask whether the builder allows third-party inspectors at those stages, and whether the contract gives you inspection windows you can actually use rather than the builder's checklist pace. For an out-of-state buyer, pre-drywall is the stage worth a flight for, with your agent photographing every phase in between. The build phases chapter walks each stage and what to look for in it.

Which contract am I signing, the TREC form or the builder's?

Texas builders are not required to use the TREC resale contract, and most use their own attorney-drafted purchase agreement, which typically has no option period. Ask what the contract gives you: termination rights, inspection and repair procedures, the timing of earnest money deposits (commonly 1 to 5 percent of the price, often staged at contract, slab, and closing), and the process and price for change orders after you sign. Ask whether you can bring your own agent, and when the builder's agent-registration policy kicks in, because visiting a model home before registering your representation can change the terms of the sale. Chapter 5 compares the two contracts clause by clause.

The print list: your questions in one place

Print this list and take it to every builder meeting. The answers go in writing, not in a sales center's verbal assurances.

• What does the base price include, in writing? Base, lot premium, design center minimum, and every mandatory community item, itemized.
• What is the realistic all-in total? A line-item quote for your actual selections, compared against your lender's approval, not the builder's base.
• What incentive is on the table, in writing, with conditions? Exact dollars, lender, closing date, and inventory requirements included.
• When does the home close, and what happens if it slips? The date, the definition of delay, and the remedy in the contract.
• Which warranty structure am I signing? 1-2-6 or 1-2-10, what is excluded, and how claims are filed.
• Can I inspect at pre-pour and pre-drywall? Your own third-party inspectors, on a schedule you can actually use.
• Is this the TREC form or the builder's contract? No option period means every protection has to be in writing.
• Can I have my own agent, and when do I register them? Before your first model-home visit.