What Does a Builder’s Warranty Actually Cover in Utah?

Most buyers skip the inspection on a brand new Utah home, and Micah understands why. Inspections run around $400, and the home already comes with a builder warranty, so it’s fair to ask why you’d pay for something the warranty already covers. Most of the time, that logic holds up. In 25 years, Micah has…

It depends on the buyer, but in Micah’s opinion, an inventory or spec home will almost always be the better deal. If you’re very concerned about look, finishes, fixtures, and picking your own lot, a dirt start could matter to you specifically. But builders almost never offer incentives or rate buydowns on dirt starts. Their…

Many high-volume production builders in Utah — DR Horton, Edge Homes, Flagship Homes, Salisbury Homes, and others building at scale — often undersize the AC relative to what a homeowner actually needs during a real Utah summer. It likely meets code on flow and unit size, but in practice, once Utah gets over 100 degrees,…

A spec home – also called an inventory or quick-move-in home – is built by the builder without a specific buyer, with the builder choosing all the finishes. It is for sale and you can typically close and move in within weeks. A model home is the fully decorated home the builder uses as its…

Walk the model with a notepad. Write down everything you like, then have the sales representative go down your list and tell you which features are included in the base price, which are upgrades, and which are not available at all. Utah builders who let you choose finishes typically see buyers spend about five to…

If you are trying to spend upgrade money well on a Utah new construction home, put it toward structural things that are difficult or impossible to change later: a nine-foot basement ceiling instead of eight, an extra window, a dining-room pop-out, real stair railings instead of a pony wall, and the third-car garage. You almost…