If you have begun your search for a homebuilder you’re sure to have heard the terms “standard features,” and “base price” many times. We would like to take a minute to explain exactly what these things mean to you.
Virtually every builder you visit will hand out some form of standard features list with a list of items that are included in every home. Some builders even advertise that they include more standard than any builder in town. This statement is a little misleading. The majority of any standard features lists are simply no more than a list of items that are required by city, state, and national building codes. In fact, if you were to compare the standard features lists you collect from various builders, they’ll almost be identical. This is because most of it is required of every builder.
The remaining items on a standard features list are simply options that the builder has chosen for the buyer to include in every home. Including these items standard suggests to the buyer or gives the impression that they are getting something for free. This is used by some builders as a sales gimmick to separate themselves from other builders. The truth is that regardless of whether an item is included standard or added by the buyer, the buyer is paying for it. If it’s standard, you’re paying for it in the base price. If it’s added as an option then you’re paying for it in the final sales price. The problem with including options standard is that the builder is making important decisions that should be left up to the buyer. In essence the builder is deciding what features go in your home. Another problem is that if a buyer doesn’t want a particular option that is included standard; most builders will not give a refund or a credit to the buyer for leaving that option out.
At David Rogers Homes you won’t hear the terms standard features or base price. We feel it is better to leave it up to the buyer to decide what is standard in their home. Each and every one of our homes include a certain set of features that we feel add to the value and longevity of the home, but after that it is completely your choice as to what options you include in your home. After talking with other builders around town you might see that Builder A offers crown molding or yard and sprinkler as a “standard feature.” You might even ask, “Why doesn’t David Rogers Homes include those options”? We would answer; we do offer all those things and more, but we leave you with the option to include it or not. We do not want to force our customers to pay for something they do not want. It has long been the trademark of tract builders to include options standard for the buyer. Remember from the discussion on the difference between custom vs. production builders. The fewer changes a production builder has to make the better. Custom builders are more customer oriented and generally give their customers a greater degree of choice and flexibility. So when you hear the terms standard feature or base price it is important to take into account what those terms actually mean. Before you decide which home is best for you or which builder is giving you the better deal compare the homes your looking at on a line by line basis to get a more accurate comparison. |
