New construction, Lafayette Parish
The agent in the model home works for the builder.
The person who greets you in the model home is pleasant, knowledgeable, and paid by the builder. Bringing your own representation costs you a negotiated fee and changes who is reading the contract on your behalf.
The one rule
Bring your agent on the first visit
Most builders have a registration policy. If you walk into the sales office alone and put your name on the sheet, the builder may decline to work with an agent you bring later. That is not a trick, it is a stated policy, and it catches people constantly.
So the sequence matters more here than anywhere else in real estate. Arrange representation first, then tour. It costs nothing extra on the day and it preserves an option you cannot get back.
What is different about a builder contract
It is their paper
A resale in Louisiana runs on a familiar purchase agreement. A new construction sale usually runs on the builder's own contract, drafted by the builder's counsel, and it allocates risk accordingly. That does not make it unfair. It makes it worth reading properly.
- Deposit.
- How much, when it becomes non-refundable, and what happens to it if the build is delayed past the date you were given.
- Completion date.
- Whether there is one, what excuses extend it, and what your remedy is if it slips a season.
- Allowances.
- Flooring, lighting, appliances and countertops are often set at an allowance figure. Overages are yours, and they are where budgets go.
- Change orders.
- What they cost to make, and when the window to make them closes.
- Inspection.
- Whether you are permitted an independent inspection before closing, and at what stages. Ask for it in writing.
- Escalation.
- Whether the price can move for materials, and by how much.
- Warranty.
- What the builder warrants beyond the statute, and what the process for a claim is.
The single most useful thing an independent inspector does on a new build is walk it before the drywall goes up. Everything is visible then and nothing is visible afterward.
Louisiana New Home Warranty Act
What the statute gives you
- One year
- Workmanship and materials, on defects due to non-compliance with the building standards.
- Two years
- The plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and ventilating systems.
- Five years
- Major structural defects, as the statute defines them.
- Notice
- The Act sets out how and when you have to notify the builder of a defect. Missing that step can cost the claim, so read the notice provisions before you need them.
- It travels
- The warranty runs with the home for the balance of its periods, which matters when you buy a two-year-old house from its first owner.
This is a summary, not legal advice. The Act is the controlling document and it has definitions and exclusions that matter. Talk to a Louisiana attorney about a specific defect.
Acadiana specifics
Three things to ask on a lot in this parish
What was here before, and how much fill went in
A great deal of the new subdivision inventory south of Lafayette sits on ground that used to be farmed and drained differently. Fill and compaction are ordinary parts of building here. Ask what was done and ask whether there is a geotechnical report.
What the flood zone is now, and what it was
Flood maps are revised. A lot can be developed and later remapped, and a new house in a special flood hazard area carries a required insurance premium for as long as there is a federally backed loan on it. Ask for the elevation certificate at closing and keep it. It is the document that proves how high the finished floor is, and it can lower a premium for decades.
What the subdivision restrictions and any association require
Recorded restrictions run with the lot. Read them before you buy, not after somebody objects to your fence. Where there is an association, ask what the dues are, what they cover, and who maintains the drainage.
Before the model home
Get represented first
Which builders you are looking at and roughly when you want to be in. One conversation before the first tour keeps every option open.
New construction questions
Before you sign the builder’s paper
Can I bring my own agent to a builder?
Yes, and you have to do it on the first visit. Most builders operate a registration policy, so walking into the sales office alone and signing the sheet can mean the builder declines to work with an agent you bring later. Arrange representation first, then tour.
What does the New Home Warranty Act cover?
One year on workmanship and materials, two years on the plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling and ventilating systems, and five years on major structural defects as the statute defines them. The Act also sets out how and when you have to notify the builder of a defect, and missing that step can cost the claim.
Does the warranty transfer if I buy a two-year-old house?
It runs with the home for the balance of its periods, which matters when you buy from a first owner. Ask for the warranty documentation as part of the transaction rather than assuming it followed the house on its own.
What should I ask about the lot?
What was there before it was a lot, how much fill went in and whether a geotechnical report exists. A great deal of the new inventory south of Lafayette sits on ground that used to be farmed and drained differently, and fill and compaction are ordinary parts of building here.
Can I get an independent inspection on a new build?
Ask for it in writing as a term of the contract, before you sign the builder's agreement rather than after. The most useful inspection happens before the drywall goes up, while the framing, the wiring, the plumbing and the flashing are all still visible. After that none of it is, and the second inspection at the end of construction can only report on the finishes. Both are worth paying for on a purchase this size.
Check it yourself
Sources and offices you can use directly
Everything on this page is checkable against a public source. These are the ones behind it.
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Louisiana law, in full
Successions, usufruct, indivision, partition and mineral servitudes are all in the Civil Code, published by the state.
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FEMA flood maps
The current flood zone for a specific address, from the source. Zones vary lot by lot and the maps are revised.
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Verify a license
Louisiana licenses are public record. Search a license number before you sign anything with any agent, including this one.
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REALTOR® standards
The code of ethics a REALTOR® is bound by, and what the 2024 changes to buyer representation actually require.
Related
Where to go next
The pages most people read after this one.
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Buying in Acadiana
Representation, flood zones, insurance, and the process through to the act of sale.
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Youngsville REALTOR®
A subdivision market, and how it prices.
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First-time buyers
Down payment routes, USDA eligibility, and what closing actually costs.
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Free valuation
A comparative market analysis from a person, against an automated estimate.