What are “Quick Move-in” homes, how do they differ from “To-be-built” homes and what’s right for you?

Convenience and consumer choice drives the new home market

From quick-service restaurants to home meal delivery to lottery ticket quick picks, we thrive on fast. As consumers, we want what we want, and we want it now. As time-stressed buyers, we demand convenient, fast solutions. It’s no different when it comes to buying a home. This is where “Quick Move-in” homes fit in.
 
No doubt you’ve heard the terms “Ready Now,” “Quick Move-In,” and “To be built.” What do they mean and how does this affect your choices and selection of a new home?

 

What is a Quick Move-in home?

According to Charlie Tipton, Division President, Coastal Carolina Division of The Pulte Group, “These are homes that are pre-designed and are under construction, which makes them available to close in a quicker time frame.”
 
You may have heard these referred to as Spec Homes or Ready to Move-in Homes or Inventory Homes. On the whole, each of these terms defines new construction homes which are ready for you in the immediate time frame. The bottom line is that you get a brand-new home when it’s convenient for you. No waiting, no wondering if it will be ready when you are.
 
Choosing a Quick Move-in home, allows you to get a brand-new home in as little as 30 days, depending on your builder and your mortgage lender. Buyers paying cash can sometimes move in even more quickly.

   
 

Is Ready Now the same thing as Quick Move-in?

Beazer Homes makes a distinction between Ready Now and Quick Move-in. For Beazer Homes the two phrases can mean the same, but a Quick Move-in is a home that will be ready in 30 to 60 days compared to a home that is ready now or within 30 days.”

 

Are there advantages to choosing a Quick Move-in home?

“Quick Move-Ins or inventory will have a pricing advantage over a ‘To Be Built’ home,” says DRB Homes' Lindy Sfirlea, Director of Sales and Marketing Charleston Division. “Typically, a buyer might be able to get more in closing cost, a move-in package and/or special advertised pricing.”
 
Sfirlea advises buyers who might not think of choosing a Quick Move-in to consider one. “With the low interest rates that we are seeing a buyer can increase their ‘buying power’ by looking at a Quick Move-In home. For example, they might be able to get more included and/or buy a bigger home.”
 
Builders may also give buyers an advantage if they choose a Quick Move-in home. Most of the time, these homes have some type of discount or could have a discount if you could close within the month you are purchasing the home.
 
Tipton notes that the most time-intensive part of the build process is on the front-end. With a Quick Move-In, that time is saved.
 
An additional bonus for buyers who opt to go this route: A professionally designed home. Tipton points out, at Pulte, “we have professional designers that pre-design the quick move-ins so you are still getting a professionally designed home that includes the most popular design trends.”

   
 

What you see is what you get with a Quick Move-in

Not every buyer has the ability to comprehend a new home design plan and understand how it feels to live in it. For this reason, builders construct model homes and outfit them so buyers can walk through and tour them. Find out which builders are hosting Open Houses of their homes.
 
Some customers have a hard time visualizing the livability of a floor plan if there is not a model of the home, they want available for them to walk thru. For many buyers it is hard to understand how big or small a room can be from a marketing brochure. For these buyers, choosing a Ready Now or Quick Move-in home is a better option.

 

Typical new home construction timeline for To-be-built house

Building a new home from the ground up — from the selection of the lot to the framing and roof —    can take anywhere from five to eight months depending on the builder, the plan, the lot preparation, and permitting. Not every buyer has time to wait. A “To-be-built” home, or presale, is a home for which “a buyer picks their floor plan and the home site and watches their home be built from scratch,” says Ms. Sfirlea.
 
A To-be-built home allows the buyer to select features and finishes they want in their new home and also gives them the opportunity to see what is built behind the walls as well.

 

How do you choose between Quick Move-in and To-be-built homes?

It all comes down to time and money. If you want a pricing advantage or incentives or and can move fast, you owe it to yourself to check out Quick Move-in homes. Your builder might just have a deal for you.
 
If you want to make all your own design selections and have the time to wait for your home to be constructed, you should select a To-be-built home.

 

Can’t choose between these two options?

Some builders have homes that are intended to be spec homes and are not yet under contract. If you catch the timing right, you may find one that is early enough in the build process that you can select your finishes. While not a Quick Move-in, these in-between homes are usually ready in 90 to 120 days. Check out homes that meet these criteria.
 
Did you know Charleston New Homes Guide provides a full list of Quick Move-in homes that are ready for you now? So, no matter where in the greater Lowcountry you’re looking for a home, we’ve got you covered.

 

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Thank you for reading and sharing our articles from The Greater Charleston New Homes Guide. Our business is to know Charleston, SC's new home construction, home builders, neighborhoods, and homes so we may assist you as you take your new construction home journey. Please take the time to explore our site. The Greater Charleston New Homes Guide is considered the best and most reliable ‘local’ resource to new home construction, builders, neighborhoods, and homes throughout the Lowcountry since 2004.

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