Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate : New Homes: Many builders are offering deals, but it’s up to buyers to determine how good they are.

There’s no doubt about it: A glut of new homes, coupled with single-digit mortgage rates, has made this one of the best times to purchase a new house in several years.

But to maximize your savings, you’ll need to do some research and also brush up on your bargaining tactics.

Negotiating for a new home is different than negotiating for an older house, and in some ways it’s more complicated. With the plethora of new homes currently on the market, you probably won’t just be haggling over the price--you may also be able to dicker for free upgrades, cut-rate financing or other items.

Location, of course, should be a primary consideration; so should your satisfaction with the home itself.

Once you’ve zeroed in on an area that you like, check out all the new developments and see which ones offer the best quality, design, floor plans and amenities.

If you really want to be thorough, you can ask salespeople at each tract for the names of other projects that the builder has completed and then visit homeowners in those communities to see whether they’ve had good experiences with both their builder and their homes.

Also ask yourself whether each new tract is laid out smartly. Can you enter the development and get to your house easily, or do you have to make your way through a maze of streets to find your front door? Are there enough street lights, trees and open space to make you feel comfortable and secure?

If you’re looking to maximize your home’s appreciation potential, it’s usually best to avoid buying the most expensive home in the tract, said Joe Gallagher, an executive with builder Leisure Technology.

Instead, consider buying one of the mid-priced or least-expensive models. Its value will likely be pulled up by the value of the more expensive properties that surround it. It’s what real estate experts call the “theory of progression.”

There is one exception to this rule: If you’re buying a home in a recreation-oriented community chock-full of golf courses, lakes, parks or other amenities, it’s generally best to pick the unit that has the best view you can afford.

People who move into these communities put a high priority on such items and are usually willing to pay a premium for a good view or closer proximity to the golf course or lake.

Exactly what kind of concessions you can get--and how big those bonuses will be--often depends on how many finished homes the developer has available.

If you go to a tract where there are relatively few homes for sale, you might get some type of “builder’s close-out” bonus such as a price discount, but room for negotiating other concessions will probably be limited.

On the other hand, “if you go to a development where the builder has several dozen completed homes, you’ll probably have more room to bargain,” Gallagher said. “Builders don’t like to have empty houses because their carrying costs are so high.”

Most developers are reluctant to reduce their asking prices, but many are willing to provide upgrades at little or no cost.

“If you see something like upgraded appliances or mirrored walls in the model, ask if you can get them in your home for no charge,” said Robert J. Bruss, a syndicated real estate columnist.

“If the builder has a choice between giving you a few thousand dollars in free upgrades or losing a sale, most will give you the upgrades.”

Some salespeople will tell you that the builder is willing to make concessions the moment you walk into their office. Others won’t offer any deals unless you ask if there’s room to negotiate.

As with most other types of negotiation, even builders admit that it’s typically not a good idea to seem too excited about buying the house. If the salesperson figures that you’re hooked on the home, he’ll probably be less inclined to lower the asking price or provide some other type of incentive.

It can, however, pay dividends to tell the salesperson all you can about your personal financial situation. If you like a particular home but can’t sell your current house, some builders will offer to cut their asking price if you offer to cut yours by the same amount.

Other builders might offer a cash bonus to any realtor who produces a buyer for your current home, while others might provide a large rebate when you close escrow to help you through a cash crunch.

“We want to sell you a home, but we can’t help you if we don’t know what your problems are,” said Dan Brumlik, a vice president with builder SBA Industries.

Whether it’s price discounts, cut-rate loans, free upgrades or credits to use at the builder’s design center, do your best to figure out the true value of the discount that you’re offered.

For example, if you’re offered a $10,000 price discount or $10,000 in credit that can be used for nice drapes or wallpaper at the builder’s design center, it’s usually better to take the price cut.

That’s because most builders put a retail markup on their upgrades and design-center items. You might get $10,000 in fancier drapes and other items, but their wholesale value could be less than $7,000.

Also think about what you’re willing to do and what you’re willing to pay for. For example, builders sometimes charge several thousand dollars for a landscaping job--something you might be able to accomplish by spending a few hundred dollars on plants and a weekend of your time.

You can usually figure out savings provided by cut-rate financing with the help of a loan-amortization book. Or, the salesperson can help you.

First, get all the details on the loan that’s offered by the builder, and then calculate your payment using the amortization book. Then, find out what rates and terms are being offered by other lenders and determine your payment based on their loan programs.

Remember though, that most builder’s discount financing programs last only for a limited time--typically from six months to three years. That’s why it’s so important to know exactly how the builder’s loan program works: If you calculate your savings assuming that the builder’s low rate will last forever, but later find out that it converts to market rate in three years, you won’t have an accurate idea of how much you’ll really save.