Model homes are designed to make you stop asking questions. They are staged beautifully, the sales counselor is genuinely pleasant, and the whole experience is built to move you toward a signature while you are still feeling good.

New construction can be a fantastic choice in Brevard County. Builders are active in Viera, West Melbourne, Cocoa, Titusville, Palm Bay, and along the Melbourne corridor, and a brand-new home built to current Florida wind codes has real, measurable advantages here. But the builder's contract is not the standard Florida Realtors contract most buyers have seen, and the things that cost people money later are almost never the things they asked about in the sales office.

Here are the questions we tell our clients to ask, in the order they actually matter.

Before You Walk Into the First Model

1. Can I bring my own agent, and do I need to register them first?

Ask this one before anything else, because the answer has a deadline attached. Most Brevard builders will work with your agent and pay for that representation out of their marketing budget, so it costs you nothing. But nearly every builder requires your agent to be registered on your very first visit.

Walk in alone, sign the visitor card, and you may have permanently given up your right to independent representation on that purchase. The sales counselor in the model is a lovely person who works for the builder. They are not negotiating on your behalf.

2. What is the total price, including the lot premium?

The advertised "from" price is a base home on the least desirable lot in the community. Water lots, conservation lots, cul-de-sac lots, and oversized lots carry premiums that can run well into five figures in Brevard.

Ask for a written breakdown: base price, lot premium, required structural options, and estimated design center spend for the finish level you actually want.

Questions About the Land Itself

This is where Brevard County differs most from a generic new-construction checklist, and it is where we push hardest.

3. What flood zone is this lot in, and has the elevation certificate been issued?

We are a barrier island and lagoon county. Flood zone designation drives your insurance cost for as long as you own the home, and it varies lot to lot within a single community. Get the zone in writing and get the elevation certificate when it is available rather than taking a verbal answer in the sales office.

4. Is this home on county sewer or septic, and city water or well?

Plenty of newer Brevard construction, particularly in parts of Palm Bay and unincorporated areas, is on septic. That is not automatically a problem, but it affects maintenance costs, future expansion, and resale. Ask directly and do not assume new means sewer.

5. What is going to be built behind me?

That beautiful open field or tree line behind your lot has an owner and a zoning designation. Ask what the approved future phases of this community look like, and ask what the adjacent parcel is zoned for. The lot that is quiet today because it backs to nothing may back to a different builder's Phase 4 in two years.

6. Is the lot a retention or drainage lot, and where does water go in a heavy rain?

Ask where stormwater is designed to flow across your lot. Brevard gets serious rain, and the low lot in the community is a known quantity to the site engineer long before it becomes your problem.

Questions About Money You Have Not Budgeted For

7. What will my property taxes actually be in year two?

This is the single most common new-construction surprise we see on the Space Coast, and it catches smart people.

Your first tax bill may be based largely on the unimproved land, because the house was not standing on January 1 of that assessment year. Once the completed home is on the tax roll, the assessment jumps, and so does your payment if taxes are escrowed.

Do not budget off the first bill or off the builder's estimate. Ask what the assessed value is expected to be with the home complete, and verify it yourself with the Brevard County Property Appraiser at bcpao.us. Also note that Florida's homestead exemption has to be filed, and the deadline is March 1 for that tax year. Nobody files it for you.

8. What are the community association fees and assessments, and what do they cover?

Get the full picture in writing: what you pay, how often, what it includes, when the builder turns control of the association over to the homeowners, and what the association's reserve position looks like at turnover. Community association fees and assessments vary by community, so confirm the specifics with the association itself before you buy rather than relying on a sales-office summary.

Ask for the governing documents and actually read the sections on rentals, vehicles, fences, and exterior changes. Also ask whether there are any planned increases already approved.

9. If I use the builder's preferred lender to get the incentive, what is the rate and fee comparison?

Builder incentives tied to a preferred lender are often real money and worth taking. They are also sometimes offset by a higher rate or heavier fees. Get a loan estimate from the preferred lender and at least one outside lender, and compare them side by side at the same lock terms. Ask whether any portion of the incentive survives if you finance elsewhere.

Questions About the Build and the Contract

10. Can I have my own independent inspections, including before drywall?

Yes, you should, and the answer to whether you may should be an unambiguous yes. A pre-drywall inspection is the only chance anyone gets to look at framing, strapping, and rough plumbing and electrical before they are sealed behind a wall for fifty years.

Hire your own licensed inspector. The municipal inspector is verifying code compliance for the jurisdiction, which is a narrower job than representing your interests.

11. What exactly does the warranty cover, for how long, and who honors it?

Most new homes come with a tiered structure: roughly one year on workmanship and materials, around two years on major systems, and up to ten years on structural. Ask which components fall in which tier, whether the warranty is backed by the builder directly or a third-party administrator, and what the claims process looks like.

Ask specifically about the roof, the HVAC, and the windows, since those are the components that matter most in our climate.

12. What happens if the home is not finished on time?

Ask what the contract says about delays, what remedies you have, and what happens to your deposit and your rate lock. Then ask the harder version: what is the builder's realistic current timeline in this community, not the brochure timeline.

13. Does this contract include binding arbitration or a dispute-resolution requirement?

Many builder contracts do, and it affects your options if something goes wrong later. Separately, Florida law requires a notice-and-opportunity-to-repair process before a homeowner can file suit over most construction defects. You are not obligated to love these terms, but you should know they are there before you sign rather than discovering them during a dispute.

14. Which upgrades should I do now, and which should I do later?

Structural changes have to happen now. Anything involving moving walls, adding a lanai extension, plumbing rough-in, electrical placement, or slab work is dramatically cheaper during construction and sometimes impossible afterward.

Cosmetic finishes are usually cheaper aftermarket. Design center pricing on light fixtures, mirrors, backsplash, and window treatments is rarely competitive. Spend your upgrade budget on what you cannot change later.

The Question Behind All the Others

Ask everything in writing, and get answers in writing. A friendly verbal assurance in a model home is not a contract term, and the sales counselor who gave it may not be there when your closing comes around.

None of this is a reason to avoid new construction in Brevard County. We have helped plenty of clients buy new and be thrilled with it. It is a reason to go in with the same rigor you would bring to a resale, because the polished process is genuinely designed to make that feel unnecessary.

Ready to Make Your Move on the Space Coast?

We're Rachel Langley and Nichole Barna, Florida REALTORS® based in Brevard County. Whether you're buying, selling, or just exploring your options, we're here to help — no pressure, just real answers.

We work days, nights, and weekends — because your timeline matters.