Ask what the advertised price assumes, what the homesite adds, when selections get priced, what the warranty document actually says, and what the contract says about changes and timing. Builders publish some of this and settle the rest in writing, and at least one St. Louis area builder states that a written contract governs the sale exclusively.
A new construction price is not one number. It is a starting number, plus a homesite, plus everything you choose after that, and the document that decides all of it is not the one on the website.
This article is about the questions worth asking a builder before you sign, and about where the advertised price stops. It is not a comparison of building against buying existing, and it is not about who pays your agent. Both of those live elsewhere on this site and are linked at the end.
Written by Saleh Ihmoud, REALTOR®. Missouri license #2025005964, sponsored by Elevate Realty, 16141 Swingley Ridge Rd #201, Chesterfield, MO 63017, (314) 947-3137. Illinois license #475.218785, sponsored by Elevate Illinois Realty, 6 Ginger Creek Village Drive, Suite A, Glen Carbon, IL 62034, (618) 343-5444. Equal Housing Opportunity. This article is general education. It is not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice. Talk to a licensed lender about financing, an attorney about contract terms, an insurance agent about coverage, and the county assessing office about how a property is valued.
What should you ask a home builder before you sign?
Ask what the advertised price assumes, what the homesite adds, when selections get priced, what the warranty document actually says, and what the contract says about changes and timing. Builders publish some of this and settle the rest in writing. Builders also publish what their own websites are and are not good for, and at least one St. Louis area builder states that a written contract governs the sale exclusively and that a purchaser is not to rely on the website.
That last sentence sounds like a technicality. It is the whole reason this article exists, and it is worth reading in the builder's own words before anything else.
The builder's own website tells you not to rely on it
Marketing pages carry fine print. Most people scroll past it. On a new construction purchase it is doing real work, because it is the builder telling you, in advance and in writing, which document counts.
Here is what one St. Louis area builder publishes in the fine print of its own site. McBride Homes, read on its St. Charles County communities page on September 10, 2026, as one continuous paragraph:
"Prices, promotions, incentives, offers, features, options, amenities, floor plans, elevations, designs, materials and dimensions are subject to change without notice."
"Square footages and dimensions are estimates and may vary from actual construction."
"McBride Homes, Inc. is not responsible for the construction of any community improvements, amenities and recreational facilities which may be described and such community improvements, amenities and recreational facilities may be subject to change or cancellation without further notice."
"A written contract by and between purchaser and McBride Homes, Inc. shall govern the sale and purchase of the property exclusively."
"Purchaser shall not rely upon any information pertaining to the property presented on this website in their decision to enter into a contract for the property."
Read the last two together. One says the contract governs the sale exclusively. The other says the purchaser is not to rely on the website in deciding to enter that contract.
That is one builder's language and other builders write their own. It is quoted here because of what it tells a reader plainly: the floor plan, the square footage, the included features list and the price on a builder's website are marketing, and this builder says so in writing. What that means for any particular purchase is a question about a specific contract, and contract questions belong with a real estate attorney.
The sentence in the middle is the one buyers tend to skip. Amenities described in marketing are named there as things the builder is not responsible for constructing, and that may change or be cancelled. A pool, a trail or a clubhouse falls in that category.
Where the base price stops
The advertised number assumes things. Builders publish what those assumptions are, in scattered places, and three of them do most of the work.
The homesite is priced separately from the plan
Builders call it a lot premium or a homesite premium. David Weekley Homes, on a page updated February 19, 2025, defines it this way: "A “lot premium” or “homesite premium” refers to an additional cost incurred for the land when building a home from the ground up."
The same page states how it relates to the advertised price: "Each floor plan will have a base price that assumes the home will be built on a standard homesite for that community." It also states that "Not all homesites include a lot premium." Describing the ones that do, the page says: "These homesites often come with a lot premium, meaning it will cost more to build the same home on that homesite than on a standard one."
So the plan price and the ground it sits on are two numbers. Which homesites in a community carry a premium, and how much, is a question with a specific answer at each sales office.
Selections get priced after you are already in
Builders run design centers. McBride Homes calls its own the Design Studio, and its page, read September 10, 2026, states that "Design Studio is by appointment only." On what those selections cost, the page says: "We can give estimates and ranges per your community during your first design consultation appointment, but you get to choose your investment level on your new dream home!"
Note the sequence that sentence describes. Estimates and ranges come at the first design appointment, which for most buyers arrives after a contract already exists.
The structure underneath it is the part worth knowing: there is an included features list, there is a selection list, and the second one gets priced on a schedule the builder sets. Asking for the selection price sheet, or at least the ranges, is a different request from asking what is included, and the two questions get different answers.
The advertised number is a floor, and it is labeled as one
Builder community pages state prices as a starting point rather than a price. Fischer Homes lists its St. Louis area communities with prices given as "From" a figure. McBride's community listings use "Priced from." Both were read September 10, 2026.
That wording is accurate and it is not a trick. It does mean the number in the ad and the number on a contract for the home you actually want are different numbers, and the gap between them is made of homesite, plan, elevation and selections.
The questions, and who actually answers each one
Not every question here belongs to the builder. Several of the ones that cost the most money belong to somebody else entirely, and asking the sales desk is how buyers end up with a confident answer from a person who is not responsible for it.
| The question | Who answers it | What to ask for in writing |
|---|---|---|
| What does the advertised price assume, and what plan and elevation is it for? | The builder's sales office | A written price breakdown for the specific plan, elevation and homesite you are discussing |
| Does this homesite carry a premium, and how much? | The builder's sales office | The homesite premium as a line item, and which homesites in the community carry none |
| What is on the included features list, and what is a selection? | The builder's sales office and design center | The current included features document, dated, for this community |
| When do selections get priced, and can I see ranges before I sign? | The builder's design center | Ranges or a selection price sheet, and the deadline by which selections must be locked |
| What is the warranty, in the actual warranty document, and does it replace any other warranty? | The builder, whoever administers the warranty if it is not the builder, and a real estate attorney on what the document does | The warranty document itself, not the summary page |
| What does the contract say about the builder changing materials or specifications? | The contract, and a real estate attorney | The clause itself, read before signing |
| What does the contract say about completion timing, and what happens if it slips? | The contract, and a real estate attorney | The clause itself, including any extension provisions |
| Is the earnest money or deposit refundable, and under what conditions? | The contract, and a real estate attorney | The clause itself, and the amount, in writing |
| Is there a homeowners association, what are the dues, and what do they cover? | The builder, and the association documents | The recorded indentures, declarations or restrictions, and the current dues figure |
| Are there restrictive covenants on what I can do with the property? | The recorded subdivision documents | The recorded document, not a description of it |
| Can I have my own inspection during construction and before closing? | The builder, in writing, before signing | Written confirmation of inspection access and at which stages |
| What will the property taxes be once the home is finished and assessed? | Not the builder. The assessing authority for the county the home sits in, which in Illinois may be more than one office | Nothing from the builder. Ask that county how a newly completed home is handled |
| Is any part of this homesite in a mapped flood hazard area? | Your lender and an insurance agent, with the FEMA map as the starting record | The flood determination, in writing, before your inspection or financing deadlines pass |
| What does my loan require, and how does financing work on a home that does not exist yet? | A licensed lender | Written confirmation from the lender, not from the builder's preferred lender alone |
That table is a list of questions. It is deliberately not a list of answers, because every answer in it changes by builder, by community and by homesite, and a general article that supplied answers would be supplying them for a house it has never seen.
What a builder warranty looks like when one is published
Most builders describe a warranty. Fewer publish its structure. One St. Louis area builder does, and it is worth seeing because it shows that "the warranty" is not one thing with one length.
McBride Homes publishes, on its warranty page read September 10, 2026, three separate coverages with three separate terms:
| Coverage as labeled | Term | What the page says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Workmanship | 1 year | "Your workmanship warranty establishes the standards applicable to the fit, finish and materials used in the construction of your home." |
| Distribution systems | 2 years | "Systems surety coverage against defects in wiring, piping, and ductwork in electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, ventilating, and mechanical systems" |
| Structural | 10 years | "Your structural warranty provides protection during the warranty term against structural defects to designated load bearing elements of your home." |
The same page states that warranty requests go through a homeowner portal, and it refers to one month and eleven month warranty reviews.
The useful thing here is the shape, not the numbers. A builder warranty is commonly several coverages of different lengths, aimed at different parts of the house, with different claim routes. So "does it come with a ten year warranty" is a question that can be answered yes while most of the house is covered for one year. The question that gets you further is which coverage applies to which part, and for how long, in the warranty document itself.
One more thing to look for in that document, because it is easy to miss. Builder warranty paperwork commonly includes a clause stating that the written warranty is given in place of any other warranty. What a clause written that way does, and what if anything applies to a newly built home beyond the written warranty, are legal questions rather than real estate ones. They belong with a real estate attorney, and they are worth asking about before signing rather than after.
Three questions the builder cannot answer for you
Property taxes. The builder does not assess the home, so a number quoted at a sales desk is not the assessing authority's number.
In Missouri, RSMo 137.115, the section as posted showing an effective date of January 1, 2026, states that "the assessor or the assessor's deputies in all counties of this state including the City of St. Louis shall annually make a list of all real and tangible personal property taxable in the assessor's city, county, town or district," and that "The assessor shall annually assess all real property, including any new construction and improvements to real property, and possessory interests in real property at the percent of its true value in money set in subsection 5 of this section." Valuing property and setting a rate are separate jobs. The City of St. Louis Assessor's page, last updated July 8, 2024, states: "The Assessor does not determine or set the tax rates charged by the political subdivisions."
In Illinois, the Department of Revenue's property tax page states: "The Illinois Department of Revenue does not administer property tax." The same page states that "It is managed by the local governments including cities, counties, and taxing districts," and it tells taxpayers where to go: "If you are a taxpayer and would like more information or forms, please contact your local county officials."
Those are each state's own source describing its own system. The question worth asking, in whichever county the home sits, is how a newly completed home is handled and when it first shows up on a bill.
Flood. Whether any part of a homesite sits in a mapped flood hazard area, and what that means for a loan and for insurance, is a lender and insurance question. The FEMA Flood Map Service Center is the public record of the maps. In a metro built around three rivers, this is worth settling before your deadlines pass rather than after, and the people who answer it are your lender and a licensed insurance agent.
Financing a house that does not exist yet. This is a lender question and only a lender question. Rate locks, draw schedules and what happens if completion slips past a lock all sit with a licensed lender, and a builder's affiliated lender is one option rather than the only one.
One federal disclosure that works differently on a brand-new home
Buyers who have shopped older homes in this metro will have seen the federal lead-based paint disclosure. It does not follow you onto a new build.
The EPA's real estate disclosure page, last updated May 27, 2026, states that the requirement "applies to most pre-1978 private housing, public housing, federally owned housing, and housing receiving federal assistance," and lists among the housing to which the rule does not apply: "Housing built after 1977."
That is one paragraph of paperwork you will not see. It is included here because an article about what to ask should also say what has dropped off the list, and because the absence of a familiar form is not evidence that a different one is missing.
What this article deliberately does not cover
Two things, and both are on purpose.
It does not rate neighborhoods or schools. That is a deliberate choice on my part rather than a legal opinion. Fair housing law prohibits steering a buyer toward or away from areas on the basis of a protected class, and the cleanest way to stay well clear of that line is to not rank places at all. School and neighborhood information is published by the districts, the state education agencies and the municipalities themselves, and those sources are better than any agent's summary of them.
It does not tell you whether new construction is the right call. That comparison is on the new construction vs. resale page.
Where a general article stops being useful
Everything above is the same for everyone. What it means is not.
| If your situation looks like this | What tends to be on the table | The question worth settling first |
|---|---|---|
| You have not visited a community yet | Everything above is still ahead of you, in the order it appears here | What each community's published policy and pricing actually say, before the first visit |
| You are choosing between two communities from the same builder | Homesite premiums, included features and incentives can differ by community even under one builder | Whether you are comparing the same plan on the same terms, in writing, in both |
| You have a contract and have not been to the design center yet | The selection ranges, the lock deadline, and what the contract says about change orders | What your contract already commits you to before selections are priced |
| You are selling an existing home to buy the new one | Two timelines that have to meet, one of which is set by construction | What the builder's contract says about timing, and how that interacts with your sale |
| You are shopping on both sides of the river | Two states, each with its own assessing authorities, its own municipal requirements and its own representation paperwork | Which state each community is in, and whether your agent is licensed in both |
One disclosure, so you can weigh it. I am a real estate agent, and an article telling you to bring more questions to a builder is written by someone who represents buyers for a living. That is a reason to check the sources rather than take my word for it. Every quotation above is linked to the page it came from, and you can read all of them without me.
Here is what a general article genuinely cannot do. Every row in that table changes meaning depending on which builder, which community, which homesite, what has already been signed, and what your own timeline looks like. Those interact, and they contradict each other often enough that the combinations are the whole problem.
That part takes a conversation, and that part is my job. In a consultation I hear the actual circumstances first, and only then work out what I would recommend for that person specifically, as their agent once we have a written agreement in place. Nothing on a web page can do that, including this page.
If you want to work through your list before you walk into a sales office, start a conversation with me. No obligation and no pressure.
The comparison between building and buying existing is on new construction vs. resale. What builders publish about paying an agent is in who pays your agent when you buy new construction. What representation involves generally is on working with a buyer's agent, the full sequence is in the home buying process, financing is on mortgages and financing, and if you want the calendar rather than the paperwork, I wrote about how long it takes to buy a home in St. Louis.
Builder pages were read on the builders' own sites on September 10, 2026, and builders change prices, policies and included features without notice, so confirm anything here with the builder before relying on it. The David Weekley Homes page quoted was updated February 19, 2025. The EPA real estate disclosure page was last updated May 27, 2026. The Illinois Department of Revenue property tax page was read September 10, 2026 and carries a 2026 copyright. The City of St. Louis Assessor page was last updated July 8, 2024. The Missouri statutory text was fetched from revisor.mo.gov on September 10, 2026 and the section as posted shows an effective date of January 1, 2026. Rules, prices and market conditions change, so check the linked sources before relying on any of this.
Frequently asked questions
What does a new construction base price actually include?
It depends on the builder and the community. The pattern to expect is that the advertised number is for a specific floor plan on a standard homesite, and that a homesite carrying a premium is priced on top of it. David Weekley Homes, on a page updated February 19, 2025, puts it this way: Each floor plan will have a base price that assumes the home will be built on a standard homesite for that community. Separately, builders keep an included features list and a selections list, and items on the second one are priced later. The document that settles what you are buying is the written contract, not the website. McBride Homes states on its own St. Charles County communities page that a written contract by and between purchaser and McBride Homes, Inc. shall govern the sale and purchase of the property exclusively.
What is a lot premium or homesite premium?
It is an additional cost for the ground the house sits on, charged on top of the plan price. David Weekley Homes defines it on its own page as an additional cost incurred for the land when building a home from the ground up, and states that not all homesites include a lot premium. The same page describes premium homesites as ones that often come with a lot premium, meaning it will cost more to build the same home on that homesite than on a standard one. Which homesites in a specific community carry a premium, and how much, is a question with a specific answer at each sales office, and it is worth asking for as a line item rather than folded into a total.
When do I find out what the upgrades cost?
Later than most buyers expect, and the builder sets the schedule. McBride Homes states on its Design Studio page that the Design Studio is by appointment only, and on pricing it says: We can give estimates and ranges per your community during your first design consultation appointment, but you get to choose your investment level on your new dream home. For most buyers that first appointment arrives after a contract already exists. Asking for the selection price sheet or the ranges is a different request from asking what is included, and the two questions get different answers.
How long is a new home builder warranty?
There is usually no single length, because a builder warranty is commonly several coverages of different terms aimed at different parts of the house. One St. Louis area builder publishes its structure. McBride Homes lists workmanship at 1 year, distribution systems at 2 years, and structural at 10 years, with the structural coverage described on its page as protection during the warranty term against structural defects to designated load bearing elements of your home. That is one builder's published program and other builders publish different terms. The question that gets you further than a length is which coverage applies to which part of the house, and the document to read is the warranty itself rather than a summary page. One clause to look for is language stating that the written warranty is given in place of any other warranty. What a clause written that way does, and what if anything applies beyond the written warranty, are legal questions for a real estate attorney.
Can the builder tell me what my property taxes will be?
The builder does not assess the home, so a figure quoted at a sales desk is not the assessing authority's figure. In Missouri, RSMo 137.115, the section as posted showing an effective date of January 1, 2026, states that the assessor or the assessor's deputies in all counties of this state including the City of St. Louis shall annually make a list of all real and tangible personal property taxable in the assessor's city, county, town or district, and that the assessor shall annually assess all real property, including any new construction and improvements to real property. The City of St. Louis Assessor's page states that the Assessor does not determine or set the tax rates charged by the political subdivisions. In Illinois, the Department of Revenue's property tax page states that the Illinois Department of Revenue does not administer property tax, that it is managed by the local governments including cities, counties, and taxing districts, and that a taxpayer who would like more information or forms should contact their local county officials. Those are each state's own words about its own system. The practical step is to ask the county the home sits in how a newly completed home is handled, and note that in Illinois more than one local office can be involved.