Buy · New Construction
Buying new construction? The builder’s agent works for the builder.
The friendly rep in the model home is paid by the builder to represent the builder’s interests — not yours. You need your own agent on your side of the table. And it typically costs you nothing, because the builder already pays the buyer-agent commission either way.
The premise
Going unrepresented saves you nothing.
Here’s the part the model home won’t volunteer: builders price a buyer-agent commission into the deal whether you bring an agent or not. It’s baked into the base price and the cost of doing business across the whole community. So walking in alone doesn’t earn you a discount — the builder simply keeps the portion that would have gone to your representation.
What you give up by going solo isn’t money — it’s your advocate. The contract is the builder’s contract, written to favor the builder. The upgrade menu is designed to maximize the builder’s margin. The construction timeline, the warranty language, the earnest money terms — all of it is structured around their interests, presented by someone whose job is to close on their behalf.
Bringing your own agent costs you nothing and puts an experienced read on every one of those documents.
Walking into the model home alone doesn’t save you a dime. It just costs you an advocate.
How it works
Your representation, from lot to keys.
Register Adam on your first visit
This is the one step you can’t undo later. Most builders require your agent to be named on your very first visit — if you tour the model home alone first, many builders will refuse to recognize an agent afterward, and you lose representation on that community entirely. Bring Adam, or name him before you walk in.
First visit, or not at all.
Contract & upgrade strategy
Adam reads the builder’s contract clause by clause — earnest money, delays, warranty, what you’re actually owed. Then the upgrade menu: his trades background is decisive here. He knows which upgrades hold value and are painful to add later, and which are pure margin you can do yourself for a fraction after closing.
Spend where it actually counts.
Independent inspections at every phase
New doesn’t mean flawless. Adam arranges independent inspections at the key phases — pre-drywall, when the bones, wiring, and plumbing are still visible, and again at final walkthrough. A trades-trained eye on the build catches what gets hidden behind sheetrock and a fresh coat of paint.
A trades eye before the walls close.
Side by side
Your own agent vs the builder’s sales rep.
About the realtor
Adam Bartulis.
REALTOR® · Good Public Group at LPT Realty
On a new build, Adam’s background isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the entire point. He spent close to a decade in the trades, including hands-on construction and elevator-installation work, plus the renovation projects that come from knowing how a building actually goes together. He has stood in framed, pre-drywall houses and seen what gets buried behind the walls.
That’s what he brings to your purchase: he reads the build the way the people who built it do. Which upgrades are worth paying the builder for and which are overpriced margin. What a pre-drywall inspection should flag. Where a contract quietly shifts risk onto you. It’s the buyer’s edge a sales rep can’t offer — because they work for the other side.
Common questions
New-build buyers ask these.
Does it cost me to bring my own agent to a new build?
Typically no. The builder pays the buyer-agent commission, and that cost is already priced into the deal whether you bring an agent or not. Going in alone doesn’t get you a discount — the builder just keeps the share that would have funded your representation. So bringing Adam puts an experienced advocate on your side at no added cost to you.
When do I need to register Adam?
On your very first visit — before you tour the model home unrepresented. This is the single most important rule of buying new construction. Most builders require your agent to be named or present on that first visit; if you walk in alone and register your interest, many builders will later refuse to recognize an agent on that community, leaving you without representation. The fix is simple: bring Adam with you, or name him before you go. If you’ve already visited, talk to Adam right away — sometimes it can still be sorted out.
Which upgrades are worth it?
This is where Adam’s trades background earns its keep. As a rule, structural and built-in upgrades that are painful or costly to add later — framing changes, rough-in plumbing and electrical, certain insulation and foundation options — are usually worth paying the builder for. Cosmetic finishes and fixtures you can swap yourself after closing for a fraction of the builder’s markup. Adam walks the upgrade menu with you line by line so you spend where it actually adds value.
Can Adam inspect during construction?
Yes — and he strongly recommends it. The two key moments are the pre-drywall inspection, while framing, wiring, and plumbing are still exposed and problems are cheap to fix, and the final walkthrough before closing. New construction is not automatically flawless; a trades-trained eye on the build catches the things that disappear behind sheetrock and fresh paint.
What builders and areas do you cover?
Adam represents new-construction buyers with the major DFW builders across Collin, Dallas & Denton counties — the active growth corridors through Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper and beyond. If you have a specific community or builder in mind, tell Adam and he’ll confirm the registration details before your first visit.
Buy · Begin
Bring your own expert to the build.
Before you tour a single model home, talk to Adam. Fifteen minutes to get registered the right way and put a trades-trained advocate on your side — at no cost to you.