Buying a New Home in Northern Virginia or Maryland from a Washington DC homebuilder? The information below will assist you to evaluate the parameters used to judge the Washington metropolitan area builders, new home communities and new residential real estate developments. As with any consumer durable investment, different builders offer a variety of qualities, materials, styles and approaches to customer service. The choices you make are largely determined by your housing needs, personal values, budget and access to quality information. BRC can help you navigate through the overwhelming quantity of new Homes, townhomes and condominiums available in Northern Virginia and Maryland. The two major studies available in the Washington DC region are:

JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey

Great American Living Awards - New Homes Washington DC

J.D.Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Survey rates
homeowner�s insurance companies, homebuilders and mortgage lenders. The survey allows you to research customer satisfaction results on each builder including press releases and more. Not all builders are surveyed, only those who build a certain volume, usually 400 or more homes per year, therefore smaller builders are not ranked by national surveys. The results are based on consumer reviews of new housing in a number of different categories. The Washington D.C. area is one of 16 housing markets evaluated nationwide.

The Great American Living Awards" for the Washington DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland homebuilding industry are determined by local industry representatives rewarding innovation, creativity and value for outstanding contributions to New Home building celebrating excellence in New Home architecture, interior design and marketing. As in any industry, politics do play a role in the selection process but of key interest to consumers is the particular winning builders, communities and model home awards. Congratulations to these Single Family, Townhome and Condominum award winners!

It has been our experience of all selection metrics, we generally do agree with the architectural and New Home community awards for these Northern Virginia and Maryland single family, townhome and condominium communities. Northern Virginia Builders and Maryland home builders use a variety of material qualities which are not necessarily considered as a selection parameter. Consumers interested in visiting award winning builders and new home developments in the Washington DC region are often more likely to find good new home construction options by evaluating The Great American Living Awards. These Award criteria evaluate: floor plans, exterior facades, costs/square foot, construction materials, craftsmanship, lot size, community density, ambiance, environment and market popularity for single family homes, townhomes and condos in and around Washington DC, Northern VA and suburban Maryland.

The Council encourages new home shoppers to contact us to assist in deciphering the region�s new home real estate market. Homebuyers feeling overwhelmed receive immediate service and inside information about homebuilders and residential investment perspectives. BRC will quickly assimilate new home investment opportunities for homebuyer's unique needs including mortgage financing alternatives. You can also do a dynamic New Home Search or visit the Builder Website Directory (login required) if you prefer to contact a builder directly.

Remember, JP Power is a consumer satisfaction survey which surveys Northern Virginia and Maryland builders of 400 homes or more per year so smaller builders will not be registered,( JD Power is only one variable, DO NOT solely rely on it)whereas The Great American Living Awards are inner-industry honors for New Homes across the board in the following Counties:

Fairfax County New Homes
Prince William County New Homes
Montgomery County New Homes
Anne Arundel County New Homes
Prince Georges County New Homes



Words of Caution... It's good counsel that counts most.

It is quite true as well as consumer perception, most Realtors do not understand new homes and builders as very few on a percentage basis have ever worked for a homebuilder plus the industry has a low educational barrier for entry, unfortunate but true. However, there are highly educated free-lance New Home specialists formerly employed by these building operations who share honorable and unbiased assistance to consumers free of charge to locate more attractive new home and mortgage alternatives for new homes near Washington DC.

Another misconception consumers sometimes have is they may be able to save a few dollars buying direct, nothing could be farther from the truth. Homebuilders, banks, congress and car dealers are pleased to have finally won consumer's trust and confidence nationwide (are you laughing or crying?) Sorry, builders are not going to change the price sheet... except up. Point is, once you walk into a builder's model home alone, they will disallow broker cooperative representation everytime. There is a good business reason why they do. The less you know, the more they earn, the more they can control including the consumer's mortgage and the overall process. It's that simple. People do not buy many homes in their lives therefore lack perspective and process familiarity. Unlike most consumer goods, New Homes are far from "fair traded." Good wallpaper and design can shield plenty of sin. What you don't know can't hurt you. Are you sure?

Generally speaking in relationships, the lady chooses the home. The decision is highly emotional so vigilance appealing more to logic and qualtiy information is paramount. Residential homebuilders know the power of manipulative merchandising to evoke buyer emotions right down to the smell of fresh chocholate chip cookies as you walk into your dream model home. Be informed, take your time and seek-out people working inside the industry who have no self-interest in recommending one particular property over another rather simply earning the satisfaction of your respect for helping you engineer a smooth and rewarding home building experience whether it is a luxury estate home, $500 townhome or $300,000 condominium.

What costs consumers most is buying the wrong property, getting the wrong lender or mortgage, dealing with the wrong builder or taking advice from ill-informed Realtors who can't tell the difference between sheepdo and wild honey. We call them lockbox engineers, wallpaper salesmen and ebullient tour guides. If it's not true, why are certain homes, certain builders in certain areas or communities in Northern Virginia and Maryland prone to higher percentages of foreclosures, higher depreciation or lower appreciation rates? In most instances it's simply bad advice, no advice, self-serving Realtor "babblespeak" or consumers not finding well-trained industry counsel. New Home buyers read The Washinton Post, listen to friends or Realtors who may not be sharing the best suggestions. Usually, none of these information sources worked for home builders.

BRC is different, you will find new home professionals who have built 100's if not thousands of new homes, know the building industry players, communities, option game, material qualities, lot premium hoopla, better lenders, lower mortgage rates ect... in sum, the ropes and pitfalls. Responsive executive caliber experts are on staff to address immediate questions and concerns. What is the difference? You'll get first rate advise free of charge, learn inside infromation, save time and thousands of dollars. It takes a moment to hear the difference: 703-314-4314. Try it, see what happens?

Another Misconception:

Buying the lowest cost per square foot is the best new home investment... quite the contrary when evaluating all variables nothing could be farther from the truth. Accountants and Engineers either software, mechanical or electrical are more inclined to this type of anlaysis. It works in quantitative disciplines, but not ideal or merely one consideration for new home evaluation metrics. Go cheap and you get cheap, likely to save a dollar in the beginning but lesser builds often do not appreciate well or appear untidy a dacade later. Location Location Location - Schools Schools Schools - Metro Metro Metro access.

In addition to sharing New Home awards data and inner-industry contacts, the primary objective of Builders' Realty Council is to offer consumers free access to unbiased new housing counsel, more efficient New Home search expertise while expressing concern about inexperiened, unconnected Realtors who may be on a RELO network, a "friend of the family" or referral with little or no builder or real estate acumen. Asking very specific questions about particular builders often displays a knowledge barometer of sorts. Unfortunately, it's a common problem which annoys not only home builders but also professionally trained and connected New Home representatives who properly guide consumers free of charge in Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland and Washington DC. If you are making what is likely the largest home investment of your life, seek-out a seasoned honest profesional with good credentials and the specific skillset or unwanted consequences may surface when it's too late.

Good luck in your New Home search in the Washington metropolitan area. Feel free to contact us if you want more specific information. There is no Fee or obligation for the service. By combining our knowledge of local and national homebuilders, industry contacts, professional opinions and consumer surveys, you will greatly improve the quality of your new home shopping and building experience.