Read your contract closely first, because new-construction contracts are written to favor the builder, and your real options live in those terms. On a resale, contingencies generally let you back out cleanly. With a builder contract, walking away often costs you your deposit. Know your exact terms before you consider anything drastic. Your negotiating room mostly comes down to the builder's inventory. A builder sitting on unsold homes has reason to work with you. If yours is the only available home in the community and buyers are lined up, you are largely on the builder's timeline, and pushing buys you little. The financing is where you have real control while you wait. Builders push their preferred lender hard, sometimes with incentives tied to using them, but plenty of new-construction buyers end up closing with an outside lender or broker because the terms come out better. VA loans in particular are worth shopping. Get at least one outside quote and compare it against the builder's offer on rate, fees, and how the credits actually net out. That comparison is exactly what we would run through with you in the free Roadmap conversation.