A new-home sales office will show you a long list of options, and it is easy to spend more than you planned. A good rule is to think about what is hard to change later and what is easy. This is a framework, and your own priorities come first.
Often worth deciding now
- Structural and layout options: a different floor plan, extra windows, a bigger garage, or an added bedroom or bath are usually hard or costly to change after the home is built.
- The lot: location, size, orientation and view are permanent, and a lot premium is a choice you cannot reverse.
- Electrical and wiring: extra outlets, lighting circuits, EV charging, and low-voltage wiring are much easier before the walls are closed.
- Plumbing rough-ins: for a future bathroom or kitchen change.
- Insulation, windows and energy features, if they affect comfort and bills.
Often fine to do later
- Paint, light fixtures, and many finishes.
- Window coverings, closet systems and landscaping details, which others sell for less.
- Some flooring, though compare prices: a builder's cost for the same item is sometimes higher or lower than an outside installer's.
How to compare
- Ask for the price of each option in writing and what it includes.
- Get outside quotes for the items that can be done later and compare.
- Ask whether the builder offers a credit toward options, closing costs or a rate buy-down, and how it compares with taking a lower price.
- Think about resale: popular, durable choices tend to be easier to sell.
- See the numbers: Compare Two Homes shows the monthly cost of each option set, and the mortgage payment calculator shows how upgrades financed into the loan change it.
Use an agent
A buyer's agent can compare offers across communities, check incentives and negotiate. Read why use an agent for a new build.
Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Point Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #231073), at (619) 475-4095. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Rules, schedules and programs change, so confirm current details with the official source.
More guides
- The Best Time to Buy or Sell in San Diego, Month by Month — Charts and numbers show which months San Diego homes sell most, when prices peak and when buyers have the most room to negotiate.
- Printable Neighborhood Sheets by ZIP Code — A one-page, printable snapshot of any San Diego County ZIP code: typical values, rent, days to sell, income and the age of homes.
- Questions to Ask a Mortgage Lender Before You Choose One — A printable list of questions that help you compare lenders on equal footing, and what to look for on the Loan Estimate.
- HOA Dues and Mello-Roos Taxes: What They Are and What to Ask — Two costs that sit outside the mortgage and change what a home really costs each month, with the documents to request before you buy.