Square foot comparisons

In many new housing markets across the nation, home buyers tend to lean on a cost per square foot calculation to compare one builders sales price to another builders sales price.  This is not always an accurate method of comparison.  There are so many variables that make up the cost of building a new house that I will only touch upon a few here.  Lets start with the raw lot cost because this can in any one subdivision vary by several thousand dollars a lot based upon lot size, does it back up to water, possible a corner lot.  From there you can move on to what type of windows and doors did the builder install, did one builder use Low E glass or wood windows and the other builder did not.  Is the house wired for whole house audio/video perhaps.  Does one house have higher efficiency heat/air equipment, does it have built in humidifiers or air purification equipment.  Does one house have basic 12″ x 12″ floor tile and the other has larger floor tile and maybe laid in a nice pattern.  The style of cabinets and interior trim work can differ a great deal,  Maple cabinets with a custom glazed finish is much more expensive than oak or ash cabinets with a basic stain and lacquer finish.  One house may have solid core interior doors with a nice raised molding applied to enhance the appearance, while the other house may just have hollow core doors.  The quality of the plumbing fixtures and the finish of them can vary a great deal in cost. The level of the landscaping can vary a great deal also.  Obviously I have just touched upon a few of the many variables than can impact the price on a new house.  So when you are out there looking for your next new house, make sure you make direct comparisons between all features and don’t just do a direct comparison based on square footage because if you do, there is a chance that you will not make a complete informed decision.