New Construction in Schaefer Ranch: Builder Homes, Bought as Resales

Buying from a builder and buying a resale are two different processes. With a builder, the contract is the builder's and the sales agent works for the builder. The price and upgrades are negotiated on their terms. With a resale, you're negotiating with an owner through their agent, using comparable sales. We've handled both over more than 20 years and nearly 2,000 transactions.

In Schaefer Ranch, the builder still matters on a resale. A Toll Brothers home, a Discovery Homes home and a Standard Pacific Homes home can have different floor plans and finishes, and their sales should be compared with each other carefully. We sort that out before you tour.

Our office is in Dublin, and Jameel and Ramez still do this work themselves. You'll get a straight comparison, not a pitch for one option.

What a newer community like this offers is a finished setting. Schaefer Ranch Park is already built next door. It has tennis and basketball courts, a covered picnic area, walking paths and tot lots. The open space, ponds and trails around the community are in place. You're not buying a lot and hoping the neighborhood turns out the way the brochure showed.

What to weigh is cost. Newer communities in Dublin can carry Mello-Roos, and any HOA adds to the monthly payment. Our post on why your tax bill can be higher than your neighbor's explains how Mello-Roos works. We confirm both on every home you're considering.

There's also the question of what you give up by waiting for a build. A new home comes with a construction schedule, and schedules move. A Schaefer Ranch resale is a home you can walk through today, on a lot you can stand on, with the setting and the slope in front of you. You can see how the landscaping has grown in and how the home sits next to its neighbors. In a hillside community bordering open space, the lot is a big part of what you're paying for. We'll help you weigh that against the appeal of choosing your own finishes. We'll also show you recent sales so you know what a finished home here costs compared with a new one elsewhere in Dublin.

If you want a brand-new home with a builder contract, read about new construction in Dublin and our new construction guide. For the community, see our Schaefer Ranch neighborhood guide or our page on buying a home in Schaefer Ranch. Want help deciding? Tell us which way you're leaning.