Are you thinking about buying your next home from a local display homes company? Sure, display homes can be great fun to walk through and to look at, but how many people actually build this home to its exact specification? For the most part, people who want to build a home find that customised homes can be a better scenario for multiple reasons — particularly cost.

Looking at display homes can give you a lot of ideas. If you’re not too discerning, you might even be thrilled with one of the designs and not feel the need to look any further. But if you order from a display homes builder, will you be getting the home that you want? Chances are that you’ll see aspects of the display homes that appeal to you and have ideas of where certain changes would be more in line with your objectives. You may think it’s out of your means to design your own home but upon further investigation, you may find that you’re pleasantly surprised!

Custom House Designs vs. Display Homes

• Custom design homes can be designed for you. You can have them designed by a builder but designing them on your own, through a building brokers service, you’ll own the copyright on the house plans and be free to take them to any builder you choose. Some building brokers services can help you get multiple bids on your project.

• Display homes don’t always have the specifications you want but prices are often inflated. There is a markup on many of the items in the home to account for the design and the salary of the sales person. Prices are typically pre-set, without much room (if any) for negotiation.
• Display homes have an established builder with set prices.  When you do your own custom designed home, you could create somewhat of a bidding war, with builders that are willing to upgrade materials, lower costs, and /or provide other value added services to make their bid the most attractive.

Whether display homes are your preference or not is at your own discretion. Many frugal home buyers don’t realise doing a bit more negotiating could save a substantial amount of money. By creating your own custom home plans you could save thousands over buying a display home.