‘$50,000 in Homebuilder Incentives Helped Us Buy More House for Less’

A Dallas couple is settling into their dream home that they never saw coming. With a $400,000 budget, but not pre-approved for a mortgage, Nader Huneidi and his partner, Cecilia Gonzalez, set out to see what they could find and ended up saving $50,000 upfront.

"We thought we might have to settle for fewer bedrooms or sacrifice some features to stay within budget,” Huneidi told Realtor.com®. "But we always kept the faith that we would qualify for the home our family needed."

Their search stretched over six months, mostly in what he calls the “lookie-loo phase”—browsing listings and weighing options without being ready to commit. They focused on Aubrey, TX, and Princeton, TX—two communities north of Dallas that offered new homes in growing neighborhoods. The August median list price in the Dallas metro is $430,000.

Finding the right fit

At one point, the family applied for a home in Aubrey—a smaller property with two fewer bedrooms than they wanted, but they were pre-qualified now and considered moving forward.

The very next day, however, their real estate agent encouraged them to keep looking. That’s when they discovered a home in Princeton’s Winchester Crossing community that checked all the boxes. Their agent quickly helped them get pre-qualified again, and this time it was for the house they truly wanted: a four-bedroom home.

“Having the right agent made all the difference,” Huneidi says. “She guided us every step of the way and made sure we didn’t miss the chance to go after our dream home.”

Though the search took months, everything moved much faster once they chose new construction.

“The speed of the process really surprised us,” Huneidi recalls. “With our builder, D.R. Horton, and our agent working together, everything from the initial offer to closing went smoothly. What had taken months of browsing turned into just weeks once we made our decision.”

Incentives that exceeded expectations

The couple said the biggest surprise was the builder incentives. D.R. Horton offered them a 3.9% interest rate, reduced their down payment from $20,000 to $13,000, and lowered the final price of the home from $370,000 to $332,000.

On top of that, the home came equipped with major appliances, including a washer, dryer, and refrigerator.

“We expected some support, but this went far beyond what we imagined,” Huneidi says. “The incentives weren’t just helpful, they were a game changer. Between the price reduction and the included appliances, it felt like we were getting tens of thousands of dollars in extra value.”

All in, the couple saved roughly $50,000 upfront, and thanks to the 3.9% rate, they’re saving hundreds per month compared with today’s typical mortgage rates, which stand at 6.26% for the week ending Sept. 18.

In June, the couple settled into their new Princeton home and grateful they didn’t compromise.

"It was everything we hoped for and more," he says. "Thanks to the incentives and the support of our agent, we ended up with more home than we thought we could afford."

Huneidi's story is one of many that highlight how builder incentives can open doors for buyers. Do you want to see what’s out there for you? Download our free Smart Shopper’s Incentives Guide (PDF) to explore the kinds of limited-time deals builders are offering right now through the Realtor.com Days of Deals.