5-Minute PRIME: Bite-Sized Investing Insights

The Builder's Fire Sale: Why Brand-New Is Cheaper Than the House Next Door

Martin Maxwell Season 1 Episode 122

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0:00 | 9:51

Right now on Lennar's website, there's a brand-new 3-bedroom townhome in Jacksonville — 1,717 square feet, quartz countertops, stainless appliances, LVP flooring — listed at $264,876 with a 3.99% FHA rate and $15,000 toward closing. The resale median in that market? $330,000. A new house is cheaper than a used one. That hasn't happened in 25 years.

Builders are sitting on 124,000 finished, unsold homes — the most since 2009. Lennar's average sales price is down 25% from peak. Earnings dropped 55%. Two-thirds of all builders are using incentives just to move inventory. They're buying down your mortgage rate, covering your closing costs, and throwing in $15,000-$25,000 in upgrades — because every month those homes sit empty, it costs them money. Their crisis. Your buying window.

In this episode of the 5-Minute PRIME Podcast, host Martin Maxwell breaks down why new construction just became the best deal in real estate — and exactly how to take advantage before the quarter ends.

Tune in to learn:

  • "The Builder's Fire Sale" — why 124,000 unsold homes and collapsing margins have Lennar, D.R. Horton, and Shea giving away deals not seen since 2009
  • "The 99 Basis Point Gift" — how builder-financed rates at 5.27% vs. the market's 6.26% save you $176/month ($63,400 over 30 years) on a $400K home, and you don't even have to negotiate for it
  • "The Flip Tax" — the $15K roof, $8K HVAC, $700/year insurance premium, and $963/year energy penalty that resale buyers pay and new-construction buyers skip entirely
  • "The QMI Play" — how to find Quick Move-In homes at quarter-end when builders are most desperate, with 93%+ of projects offering incentives in Jacksonville, San Antonio, and Port St. Lucie

Are you paying 6.5% on a resale that needs a new roof while brand-new homes sit empty at 3.99%? Is your next rehab project going to take four months and $30,000 before you see a rent check? There are 124,000 new homes with the keys in the lockbox — and the builder will pay you to take one off their hands.

Subscribe now to buy new for less than used.

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