Get the builder's lender's complete offer first, then put an independent quote next to it the same day. Builders often attach incentives you cannot get anywhere else, like closing-cost credits or a rate they have paid to buy down, and sometimes an outside lender genuinely cannot match the package. But keep straight what a builder credit is: your own money, moved around. The credit comes in lieu of a lower price, so judge the whole deal rather than the shiny incentive. The math does not lie, so compare apples to apples on total cost. Line up two full itemized Loan Estimates and read every line, rather than comparing headline rates or the size of the incentive. A $5,000 builder credit can easily be outweighed by higher fees or a worse rate elsewhere in the same offer, and the side-by-side is the only way to see it. On buydowns specifically, we lean against paying points with your own cash; builder money changes the math, but the test is still net cost against the resulting rate. One more caution: with new construction, execution matters. A lender who reliably hits the closing timeline is worth more than one who quotes a hair cheaper and then stumbles. If the builder's deal really is the best one, a good independent lender will tell you to take it. A clean side-by-side against the builder's numbers is exactly what we run in the free Roadmap conversation, about 20 minutes with your real numbers, so you can see which option costs you less over the time you will hold the loan.