There are those among us who make it a pastime to visit decorated model home complexes just – because.

• Because we may want to get interior design ideas

• Because we may want to see the latest in new home amenities, like bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets or home theater systems set up in all their glory.

• It might also be because we want to get a feeling for what we may be able to buy down the road.

• Some of us are just curious to see the house someone else we know just purchased.

• Or maybe we’re just bored -- and this is a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Whatever our reasons for pulling up to a model home complex, the builder stands ready to impress us, showing off their new homes in the best possible ways.

Are you dying to know how model homes all come together? If so, read on for a unique look into a world to which few consumers are privy.

The designers that decorate model homes aren’t actually given free license to decorate to their heart’s content. There is, in fact, an entire science to the way they do their jobs as well as a strict budget they must observe while they plan out the interior design of four or five models.

Put simply, the production builder assesses what it paid for the land (in addition to many other costs) as well as the cost of each floor plan with the basics offered as “included features” on their marketing brochure. He projects price ranges, then he and his experts create a marketing budget. This budget usually includes everything that is dedicated to getting the word out – which may include billboards, directional signs, exterior signs and placards, slick brochures, radio spots, newspaper and magazines ads – plus a lot of things we haven’t even mentioned. One of the bigger chunks of a builder’s marketing budget goes into the decorating and upkeep of the models—which, by the way, will eventually be converted into livable homes when the neighborhood gets sold out.

The builder must also make room in his marketing budget to maintain the models as if they had just opened their doors -- pristine and perfect in perpetuity. They must heat and cool each house, keep the landscaping manicured and colorful, make monthly mortgage payments on them (few pay for them outright) and write checks for light bills that drive them to drink.

Once the builder has determined its budget, it tasks its model furnishers and designers with working within that budget as creatively as possible. The designers examine the demographics data of potential buyers furnished by the builder – single professionals, young couples who may be first-time buyers, first or second-time move-up buyers, empty nesters, or active adults 55 and older.

Then the designers develop a color palette (usually no more than four basic colors per model to be used throughout) and conjure up an imaginary family based on the builder’s demographic target for each one. Then they go to town with their plans. They present their ideas to the builder like a PR firm present ideas for an ad campaign.

If the builder bites, the design firm begins identifying furniture, draperies, paint colors, and case goods from catalogues. These are “insider” wholesale-type catalogues, by the way, that you and I will (sadly) never see. Some model home designers and furnishers even scour garage sales, swap meets and antique stores to find just the right decorator touches to tell their stories. Gearing the builder’s available design center upgrades to the designs and colors they have just determined --and based on the upgrades the builder is eager to display to entice buyers to upgrade their new homes-- they order up interior surfaces like carpeting, vinyl, tile, granite, hardwood, and paint colors.

As closely as possible to the date the model construction has been completed, painters and wallpaper hangers rush in to do their thing. Time is money. Then flooring is usually added and – voila! – the models are ready to receive their real fantasy touches.

Watching a model home complex being decorated is like watching an old-fashioned barn-raising. Like a swarm of locusts, decorators, workers and sub-contractors descend on the houses and perform their magic. When all is said and done, they leave – exhausted, hopefully fulfilled and usually having received kudos from everyone who was lucky to enough to have watched it all come together. In many areas, these decorating firms’ work is so admired that it is entered into local builder awards presentation shows (somewhat like and Academy Awards for homebuilders) each year.

What you see on “Grand Opening Day”, therefore, is no minor feat. The models have been artistically designed and decorated to provide a sensory experience. The beauty of the colors and the decorating appeal to the eye, the soft music or soothing announcer’s voice in the background can be heard, the smooth, clean surfaces and gleaming hardware and glass invite you to touch them, and you breathe in the smell of fresh carpet and paint.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to buy a builder’s model home?

In reality, the purchase of a model home is not all that different from the purchase of a re-sale (used) home. Even though no one has lived there (except the imaginary family depicted in paper photos around the house), thousands of feet have no doubt trod through its rooms in their quest for a new home or in an attempt to spend a lazy afternoon of pent-up curiosity.

Carpets have been well cared for but are nonetheless used, paint colors may not be exactly what you had in mind, selections for every bell and whistle are already in place and the location may not be superior within the neighborhood (but then again, the opposite may be true). That being said, there is much to recommend this type of purchase that would not be available to the rest of the homeowners in the new home neighborhood – at least at the price the builder is asking.

Builders customarily don’t ask full retail for upgrades or the cost of decorating done by their design firms when selling their model homes. Nor do they usually charge top dollar for items like lavish landscaping, sound systems, custom window coverings, security systems, pools, spas, crown molding, granite counters, fancy light and bathroom fixtures, jetted tubs, decorator tile or customized driveways they may have installed -- not only because it was probably written off as a marketing expense -- but also because, like a resale home, they know they can’t get 100% of their return on investment. Similar to the depreciation hit that occurs when driving a new car off the lot, builders know that they won’t get their return on all the money they poured into their model homes.

What you’ll have to possess as a model home buyer, however, is both patience – since the builder will tell YOU when they’re finished using the place to sell other homes – and in many cases, the ability to purchase the home and lease it back to them. This is not always true, since some builders market the models as the project ends. But many more builders prefer the feeling of knowing that their models are spoken for well ahead of time, so that they can move on to other projects and get out from under their model mortgages and upkeep. Keep in mind that lenders will offer non-owner-occupied types of loan programs for this kind of advance purchase, which is usually a higher interest rate than what you would get when instantly moving in when escrow closes. Still, check with your accountant if the write-off helps offset the added expense for the length of time it will be continued to be used by the builder.

In this type of purchase, the builder should pay what is called “triple net.” This means that not only do they cover every imaginable expense tied to using the model home before you take possession of it (all utilities, security, and maintenance of the interior, exterior and landscaping) – they also compensate the purchaser their monthly principal, interest, taxes and insurance costs, sometimes even throwing in homeowner’s fees, if any. In other words, you have no risk of losing your renter and you can get 100% of your monthly outgo for the purchase. Quite a deal when you can get it.

Creative “wiggle room” for negotiation can take place because this is a unique type of purchase, so ask the builder to discuss the following:

• When blasting out the walkways, can the builder match other existing customized concrete (if any)?

• If it’s something that interests you, will the builder leave the garage area room-finished, perhaps with existing ceilings and lighting?

• Will the builder throw in some or all of the furnishings or permit you to purchase them at a hefty discount? If so, you can sell some or all pieces on consignment even if you don’t want to keep them all.

• If bed linens and comforters match custom window coverings, will the builder permit you to keep them as well? Ask the same question about custom cut area rugs and other things they may not re-use in a future model home.

• Although model homes are usually sold “as is,” will the builder perform touch up tasks such as paint and trim on the home’s interior or damage caused by heavy pieces of furniture? What repairs will and will not be done by the occupancy date?

• To pin down the specifics of a model home purchase, ask the builder to list each upgrade to the base priced version of the model’s floor plan and assign a value to it. It’s not uncommon for a builders to enumerate these, add them up, and then demonstrate just how much of a bargain you are receiving

• On the flip side, to clarify what is automatically included in the purchase price of the model, ask the sales person to list the items on a sheet of paper, so that there are no unrealistic expectations on your part.

• Again, if it interests you and it is indeed permitted by your local building authorities, find out if the all part of the garage must be converted. For instance, with a three car garage, can the third stall be finished into a separate room for – perhaps an office, extra bedroom or home gym?

• What is the target date for occupancy after conversion is complete and how much notice will you be afforded?

• When does the clock start ticking on the new home warranty and the appliances and systems installed and how much of the warranty periods are left? (The model home may have already seen several years of service.)

• If the home does not appraise at the sales price you and the builder have agreed to, are they willing to make an adjustment?

As you can see, the purchase of a model home is indeed a unique one. Finding model homes for sale and not already spoken for may not be that easy, so start inquiring early. Just think, though. While others in the neighborhood are still getting their backyards installed and trekking to home improvement stores every weekend, your model home landscaping will already be maturing while much of your decorating is not only complete, but professionally installed!