The Upgrade Price Is Only One Part of the Decision
A builder may call a selection an upgrade, option, addendum, design-center choice, or change order. The label matters less than the written effect. A selection can increase the purchase price, require a separate deposit, reduce another credit, change the loan amount, affect appraisal support, or create a deadline that is difficult to reverse.
The key idea: treat every change as a small contract decision. Ask what is being added or removed, who approves it, when payment is due, whether it is refundable, what happens if the product is unavailable, and how the revised total reaches the lender and closing team.
Florida Statutes define “extras or change orders” in the construction-lien context as labor, services, or materials authorized by the owner and added to or deleted from an earlier contract. Builder purchase agreements can use different procedures and remedies. This page does not interpret your contract or create a right to cancel, substitute, receive a refund, or require a particular product.
Before signing a change document, ask a Florida real estate attorney to review the actual contract language. Ask the builder, lender, appraiser, insurer, and inspector about their separate roles.
Map Every Change Before You Approve It
Create one record for each selection. Verbal explanations and showroom screenshots can help you remember, but the signed document should control the transaction.
| Written field | What to capture | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Room, elevation, location, quantity, model, finish, color, and installation method | Prevents a broad label such as “premium flooring” from hiding material differences. |
| Price | Base allowance, upgrade amount, taxes, installation, credits, and revised total | Shows the full cost instead of only the incremental showroom number. |
| Payment | Deposit amount, due date, payee, refund terms, and how it appears at closing | Clarifies whether money is separate from the main contract deposit or purchase price. |
| Timing | Selection deadline, cancellation deadline, order date, completion target, and delay effect | Late choices may be rejected, substituted, or move the schedule. |
| Substitution | Who may substitute, required notice, quality standard, credit or price adjustment, and buyer approval | Product availability can change between selection and installation. |
| Acceptance | Signature, date, incorporated addendum, and confirmation that lender/title received the revision | Creates a cleaner chain of documents for underwriting and closing. |
Separate the Base Price From the Real Installed Cost
Design-center pricing may show the difference above a standard allowance. Your decision should use the full installed result. Include related changes such as electrical work, plumbing, trim, permits, structural review, appliance connections, insurance effects, and future maintenance.
- Original base price and included standard
- Allowance or builder credit being removed
- Upgrade price and installation charge
- Required companion work
- Taxes or administrative fees
- Deposit paid before closing
- Revised purchase price and cash needed to close
- Items you may need to complete after closing
Understand the Upgrade Deposit Before Paying
Ask whether the upgrade deposit is refundable, credited at closing, forfeited after ordering, or treated differently if financing, appraisal, construction, or closing does not proceed. Do not assume the main contract deposit rules automatically apply to design-center money.
Confirm the payee, receipt, ledger treatment, cancellation deadline, and what happens when the builder—not the buyer—cannot provide the selected item.
Send Revised Costs to the Lender Early
An upgrade can change the purchase price or the buyer’s cash requirement. The lender may need updated documents, underwriting, assets, reserves, or appraisal review. The CFPB explains that a Loan Estimate can change under permitted circumstances; buyers should ask why a revised cost or term differs from the earlier disclosure.
Do not assume every upgrade adds equal appraised value. The appraiser analyzes the property under applicable standards; the lender determines how the transaction fits the loan program. Roland does not appraise the home or decide loan eligibility.
Read the Substitution Language Before Choosing a Finish
Supply conditions can change. Ask what happens if a named cabinet, tile, appliance, fixture, window, or flooring product is unavailable. A useful written process identifies the notice method, substitute standard, buyer approval rights if any, price adjustment, and schedule effect.
The sample does not build the house—the written specification does. A showroom board may look clear, but the contract record must identify what will actually be ordered and installed.
Connect Selection Deadlines to the Construction Schedule
Builders may lock choices before construction reaches the related trade. Missing a deadline can reduce options or trigger a standard selection. Ask for the decision calendar and identify which choices are difficult or impossible to change after ordering, permitting, framing, rough-in, or installation.
A requested change can also affect completion. Obtain written confirmation of any schedule adjustment rather than relying on an informal estimate.
Carry the Signed Selection Record Into Inspections and Walk-Throughs
Keep the final option sheet, plans, addenda, photos, receipts, and approved change orders together. During a pre-drywall inspection or final walk-through, compare visible work with the signed scope. A home inspector evaluates observable conditions within the inspection agreement; the inspector does not interpret contract remedies.
Professional Questions to Ask
| Professional | Question |
|---|---|
| Builder or design center | What exact document becomes part of the contract, and what can still change after I sign? |
| Florida real estate attorney | What do the change, deposit, substitution, delay, default, and remedy clauses mean in this agreement? |
| Lender | How does the revised price affect my Loan Estimate, approval conditions, reserves, appraisal, and cash needed to close? |
| Appraiser | What information may be considered when analyzing the completed property under the assignment? |
| Insurance agent | Could this selection affect replacement cost, coverage requirements, wind protection, or premium assumptions? |
| Inspector | What selected items will be observable during pre-drywall or final inspection, and what remains outside the inspection scope? |
| Title or closing team | Which signed addenda and upgrade deposits must appear in the final closing figures? |
A Calm Change-Order Checklist
- Identify the exact product, model, color, quantity, room, and location.
- Calculate the installed cost after allowances, credits, taxes, and companion work.
- Read the deposit, refund, cancellation, and default language.
- Confirm the substitution process and price adjustment.
- Confirm the selection deadline and construction-schedule effect.
- Send the signed revision to the lender and closing team.
- Keep one final option schedule with every superseded version clearly marked.
- Use the signed record during inspections and the final walk-through.
Review the Florida Bar consumer guidance on buying a home, Florida Statutes Chapter 713, and the CFPB Loan Estimate explainer. Use the current contract and current lender disclosures for your transaction.
