Upgrade Costs New Home Del Webb Mesquite NV

Quick Column Summary:

• New building upgrades
• Credit for standard cabinets or flooring
• Original pricing for cabinets / floors plus price of upgrade

Larry Niccum, who now lives in Ogden, UT but is moving west to Mesquite, NV, had a stumper question to a sales rep at a Del Webb community. Here's what Larry sent me:

"We are building in a Del Webb Community in Mesquite, NV.  We are upgrading an additional $10,000 for kitchen cabinets or we could of got the standard at no additional cost.

Why were we not given credit for the standard cabinets?  The same with upgrading tile over standard carpet. We asked the builder and they said they did not know for they have never been asked that question."

Here's my answer to Larry:

Larry, that sales rep must have either not understood you or had been out in that blazing Nevada sun way too long.

As a former builder, this is an easy question to answer.

Del Webb is a spec builder. They build any number of models and offer them on the market  for a fixed price.

It's much like buying a car at a dealership. What you see for $XX,xxx on the car showroom floor is EXACTLY what your car will have and look like.

So Del Webb has already priced in the cost of the kitchen cabinets you wanted in the model. For sake of discussion, let's say the cabinets in the model cost $10,000. If you went to a cabinet dealer in NV, you'd have to pay $10,000 for the actual wood cabinets. You give the cabinet dealer $10,000, and he loads 15 or 20 boxes onto your car roof. Get it?

But, for some reason, you and your wife want cabinets that cost $20,000 because they're made from a better wood, have more accessories or are better made.

If you want THOSE cabinets in your new Del Webb house, Del is going to charge you an extra $10,000, not $20,000 EXTRA. You're already paying the first $10,000 in the BASE PRICE of the home.

The same is true for your carpet / tile situation.