{"id":5752,"date":"2025-06-02T10:45:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/02\/newly-built-homes-may-be-less-expensive-than-you-think\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T10:45:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:45:37","slug":"newly-built-homes-may-be-less-expensive-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/02\/newly-built-homes-may-be-less-expensive-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly Built Homes May Be Less Expensive Than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"<body>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Blog-Header-Image-original.png?w=1220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Newly Built Homes May Be Less Expensive Than You Think Simplifying The Market\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both; max-width: 100%;\">\n<p><strong>Do you think a brand-new home means a bigger price tag? Think again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Right now, something unique is happening in the housing market. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/construction\/nrs\/current\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Census<\/em><\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/research-and-statistics\/housing-statistics\/existing-home-sales\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>National Association of Realtors<\/em><\/a> (NAR), the median price of newly built homes is actually lower than the median price for existing homes (ones that have already been lived in):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Newly-Built-Homes-Are-Less-Expensive-Than-Exisiting-Homes-original.png?ssl=1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Newly-Built-Homes-Are-Less-Expensive-Than-Exisiting-Homes-original.png?w=1220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"a graph of sales and prices\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>You read that right. That brand new, never-been-lived-in house may cost less than the one built 20 years ago in a neighborhood just down the street. So, if you wrote off a new build because you assumed they\u2019d be financially out of reach, here\u2019s what you should know. You could be missing out on some of the best options in today\u2019s housing market.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why Are Newly Built Homes Less Expensive Right Now?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>1. Builders Are Building Smaller Homes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Builders know that buyers are struggling with affordability today. So, instead of building big houses that may not sell, they\u2019re building smaller ones that will. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/construction\/nrc\/pdf\/quarterly_starts_completions.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">According<\/a> to the <em>Census<\/em>, <strong>the average size of a newly built single-family home has dropped considerably over the past few years <\/strong>(<em>see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Builders-Are-Building-Smaller-Homes-original.png?ssl=1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Builders-Are-Building-Smaller-Homes-original.png?w=1220&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"a graph of a growing graph\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>And as size goes down, the price often does too. Smaller homes use fewer materials, which makes them less expensive to build. That helps builders keep prices lower so more people can afford them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Builders Are Offering Price Cuts and Incentives<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In May, according to the <em>National Association of Home Builders<\/em><strong> <\/strong>(NAHB), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nahb.org\/news-and-economics\/press-releases\/2025\/05\/soft-spring-selling-season-takes-a-toll-on-builder-confidence\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>34%<\/strong><\/a><strong> of builders lowered their prices, with an average price drop of 5%<\/strong>. That\u2019s because they want to be sure they\u2019re selling the inventory they have before they build more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>On top of that, 61% of builders also offered sales <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/05\/13\/why-buyers-are-more-likely-to-get-concessions-right-now\/?a=783612-02a11606fc81d6a6e402d49bc5bfe20b\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>incentives<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 like helping with closing costs or buying down your mortgage rate. These are all ways builders are making their homes more affordable, so these homes sell in today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Your Next Step? Ask Your Agent What\u2019s Available Near You<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>If you\u2019re trying to buy a home right now, be sure to talk to your agent to find out what builders are doing in and around your area. They can find new home communities, as well as builders who are offering incentives or discounts, and hidden gems you might not uncover on your own.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, buying a newly built home often means there are different steps in the process than if you purchase a home that\u2019s been lived in before. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to have your own agent who can explain the fine print. You want a pro in your corner to advocate for you, negotiate on your behalf, and make sure your best interests come first.<\/p>\n<h3>Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p>You could get a home that\u2019s brand new, with modern features, at a price that\u2019s even lower than some older homes. Talk with a local real estate agent about what you\u2019re looking for and see if a newly built home is the right fit for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If buying a home is on your to-do list, what would stop you from exploring newly built options?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you think a brand-new home means a bigger price tag? Think again. Right now, something unique is happening in the housing market. According to the Census and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the median price of newly built homes is actually lower than the median price for existing homes (ones that have already [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5753,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-5752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602-Blog-Header-Image-original.png?fit=750%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdz2Zu-1uM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}