The truth is out.

Well, as time passed, we soon realize we may have made a mistake especially after we received a scolding both from our realtor and the Richmond American Homes sales rep.  I thought they were just trying to scare me but after a while, I realized they were telling the truth.

The first think I'd like to mention is never to listen to anyone except from those you trust, your friends, family or a trust real estate professional. The sales rep is the last one you should trust when it comes to your personal financial situation and overall well being.  One of the biggest things I had trouble with was how could the SR try to fit my seven member family in a 1402 base sf house?  How could that be her best professional advice?

After asking a few questions, I found out the SRs were not real estate professionals so it was no wonder. In Florida you had to be a licensed real estate agent but it was the opposite in Virginia where you were not allowed to have a real estate license (so I was told by the SR).  Needless to say we went through several rounds of discussions (negotiations) and finally settled on a price we could live with. Through negotiations we discovered Ryan Homes incredibly inflates their option prices. This differed greatly with Richmond's pricing model where there is very little room for negotiation. On the other hand, Richmond's option prices were very reasonable.

And the $20,000 grand opening incentive?  That was just a ploy to get you excited and in the door. Had nothing to do with the real pricing of the home.  Something that differed from Florida where we really did get something for free if they advertised it.  If we were offered a free pool it would literally be that much less which could easily be compared to the price of the homes without pools.  That made negotiations a lot tougher because you never really knew where you stood especially with the more options you take.

After a while it becomes a game of chicken with Ryan trying to price the house just right before you walk away from the deal and not too high so the house will appraise.  That's the one good thing about using VA 100% financing because the VA's looking out for you. They won't let you get into a house that doesn't appraise and they won't let you pay for overpriced options.