I, Laura, was a Realtor in west Texas in the late '70s. At that time, in that state, the rules were that you always represented the Seller, whether it was your listing or not. I don't think it meant much to me or to my Buyer which party I represented, and there was, literally, never a problem with that fact. Fast-forward to today, and I am surprised and appalled that any Buyer, looking for a resale or a new home, would begin to enter into negotiations to purchase without representation.
Any time someone is selling a property, resale or new, the Seller is one hundred percent motivated by their own interests. And since we are talking about New Homes today, that Seller is the Builder, who may be their own representative, or who may have a Realtor representing them. It is really a lot of fun to drive around, look at new homes, fall in love with a particular subdivision or property, and then walk into the office there, look at different floor plans, talk with the onsite agent about what you would like to have, etc., but you have already given away a huge percent of your negotiating ability! Choose your own Representative first! You can still go out, look around, ooh and aah (out of earshot of the on-site rep) and then begin the process with someone who has only your best interests in mind, negotiating on your behalf to not only save money off the purchase price, but to get many bonus items included gratis, inspect the property pre-contract and include items in the offer to be remedied, and on and on.
Our Buyer's Agent works hard for you. Don't go shopping without one!