The builder's representative works for the builder. How to buy a new home in Bend or Redmond with your own broker: the contract, the upgrades, the inspections, the rate lock, and the warranty offer Oregon requires.
New construction is a large share of what is for sale in Bend and Redmond, and the builder's model home is where most of those sales start. The one thing to know before you walk in is that the person at the desk works for the builder. This guide covers how to buy a new home in Central Oregon with your own broker, and what to watch in the contract, the upgrades, the inspections, and the timeline.
Before you walk into the model
Many builders ask visitors to register on the first visit, and some will not allow you to add your own agent after that. Sign a buyer representation agreement with us first and we register you ahead of the visit or go with you. The builder's representative is helpful and knowledgeable and represents the builder. Our job is to represent you. Working with a buyer's agent in Bend explains the agreement.
Spec, production, semi-custom, and custom
A spec home is already built or under construction and priced to sell. A production home is a builder's plan on a builder's lot in a subdivision, with a menu of finishes. A semi-custom home starts from a plan and allows changes. A custom home is designed for your lot. Most new homes for sale in Bend and Redmond are production or spec homes in active subdivisions on the east side of Bend and across Redmond. The current inventory is on the search page with a new-construction filter, and the Southeast Bend and Redmond pages show where the subdivisions are.
Contract and upgrade pitfalls
A builder's contract is the builder's form, not the standard Oregon purchase agreement, and it is written for the builder. Read the sections on the earnest money and when it becomes non-refundable, on the builder's right to substitute materials, on the completion date and what happens if it slips, and on what the warranty covers and for how long. Upgrades are where the price moves. The model is usually shown with the upgraded package, and the base price is for the base package. We price the upgrades you want against what the same finishes cost in the resale market, and we negotiate on upgrades, closing cost credits, and rate buydowns through the builder's lender, which is where builders more often give ground than on the base price.
Inspections during construction
A new home gets city or county inspections at each code stage. Those inspections check the code, not the quality of the work. Hire your own inspector for a pre-drywall inspection when the framing, plumbing, and electrical are exposed, and a final inspection before the walk-through. Builders in Central Oregon are used to this. Bring the list from both to the final walk-through and get the fixes in writing before closing.
Timeline and rate locks
Ask the builder for the realistic completion date in writing and plan the financing around it. A rate lock has a term, and a build that slips past it can cost you a lock extension or a new rate. Builders with an affiliated lender often offer a long lock or a rate buydown as an incentive. Compare that offer with an outside lender before you commit, because the incentive can be worth less than the rate difference.
Warranties, HOAs, and what Oregon requires
Oregon does not set the terms of a new-home warranty. What state law requires, under ORS 701.320, is that the contractor make you a written offer of a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, and you can accept or refuse it. The terms are the builder's, so read the warranty section and get it in writing before you sign. Oregon also requires the builder to be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board, and the CCB runs a notice-of-defect process for construction claims. Almost every new subdivision in Bend and Redmond has a homeowners association. Read the dues, the rules, and the transfer fees before you write the offer. Our HOA guide covers what to look for.
What the city charges to build
System development charges are the one-time fees a city collects at permit for the water, sewer, and road capacity a new home uses. Bend's adopted schedule, exhibit A to the council's fee resolution, lists the residential single-unit rate as an average of $7,181 for water, $5,890 for sewer, and $9,426 for transportation, $22,497 in total, with tiers by home size, and it is not phased in for residential. The parks charge is set separately by the Bend Park and Recreation District and is not in the city's table, so there is no single published all-in figure. A builder's price includes these fees. A custom build pays them at permit. The Census Bureau counted 646 new single-family units authorized by the City of Bend in 2025 and 1,166 across Deschutes County's permitting jurisdictions, so the fees fund a pipeline that is still well short of the state's target, covered in Bend's housing target.
New homes permitted in Bend from May 15, 2026, and in Sisters and unincorporated Deschutes County from April 1, 2026, are built to Oregon's R327 wildfire code. The vents, siding, deck materials, and the noncombustible zone at the foundation are in the plans because the code requires them. Wildfire building codes and defensible space covers what that means for insurance.
Resale comps still matter
A new home is priced by the builder, not by an appraiser, until the loan is underwritten. If the price with upgrades is above what comparable homes in the subdivision have closed at, the appraisal can come in low. We pull the closed sales in the subdivision and the nearby resale homes before you sign, so the number you agree to is one the lender will support.
Questions
Do I need my own agent for new construction?
You are not required to have one, and the builder's representative works for the builder. Sign a buyer representation agreement first and register your agent on the first visit, because some builders will not let you add one later. Our fee is negotiated with the builder as a term of the sale.
Are new builds cheaper than resale in Bend?
Not on a per-square-foot basis in most subdivisions, once upgrades are added. New homes sell on newer systems, warranties, and builder incentives on financing and closing costs. Compare the all-in price with upgrades against the closed resale homes nearby, which we pull before you sign.
What should I negotiate on a new build?
Upgrades, closing cost credits, and rate buydowns through the builder's lender. Builders protect the base price because it sets the comps for the rest of the subdivision, and they give ground on incentives instead.
How do inspections work during construction?
The city or county inspects at each code stage. Hire your own inspector for a pre-drywall inspection while the framing and systems are exposed, and a final inspection before the walk-through. Get the fixes in writing before closing.
New construction in Bend versus Redmond, what is different?
Redmond has more active subdivisions and larger lots at a lower price per square foot. Bend's new construction is concentrated on the east and southeast side and prices higher. Both have HOAs in nearly every new subdivision. The current inventory for each is on the search page with the new-construction filter.
Next step
Get listing alerts with the new-construction filter for Bend or Redmond, or book a call before your first model-home visit.
Matt RyanOwner & Principal Broker at Ryan Realty.
