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Why New Construction is Your New BFF

Prices are high, inventory is low and offers in the market are walking a fine line between homebuying and becoming a Vegas-level professional gambler funded only by your life savings. To say that the market is crazy feels a bit like an understatement these days and Covid has compounded the issue. I’ve seen Realtors take keys out of lockboxes to keep homes their clients are interest in from being shown (that’s a great way to lose your license), and I’ve had a Realtor enter without having scheduled a showing (another way to lose your license) which is technically trespassing and a great way to make the seller really, really angry. So as the buyer, how do you stay above the fray?

Two words: New Construction.

While it can be fraught with it’s own set of difficulties, new construction is a great way to keep out of the trenches of full-out real estate warfare known as the multiple offers situation.

Working with a builder means working with a company so they’ve got a plan to handle roll outs of lots and floorplans. They are held to a higher standard than a residential seller and must abide by equal housing opportunity laws. This means that a kindly worded love letter to the seller are off the table for tactics to win a home. The builder usually has an interest list and any newly available properties are offered to those on the list using a first-come-first-served basis. There’s no way to buy your way to the front of the line and sales staff are salaried meaning that their ability to take a shady financial incentive from a homebuyer is essentially zero.

Furthermore, because the sales staff is a step removed from ownership, they have no incentives to select buyers planning to build more expensive homes. As long as the lot is sold and a house is built, then the sales staff is happy whether the ultimate price of the home is 400,000 or 550,000. Meanwhile, if it was a seller selecting offers there’s a clear winner in that race.

Buying new construction also means that there’s more than one home for sale, so if your first choice of building lot happens to be scooped up, there are still other options for you. If you miss out on a re-sale home there is no true backup plan and your house hunt begins back at square one after losing the bid.

With new construction homes and especially those built by larger companies the pricing is more streamlined. It doesn’t always feel like that when you make what you think is a small tweak in the design showroom and it hits your bottom line hard, but it’s true. Shifts in pricing take a while to take effect in larger companies, so their pricing for an equivalent home on the resale market can actually be substantially less. Also, with multi-state builders pricing is often calculated for an entire region, so whether you’re in a big city or a more rural location you won’t see a tremendous jump in the price to construct a home. The majority of the pricing difference is due to the cost of the land itself and not much else.

Getting on a builder’s VIP list can feel daunting because there might be a ton of names on the list ahead of you, but try not to worry. With so many people looking for homes it’s easy to see a really large interest list but then because of the time required to complete the construction process the majority of those who were originally interested either found a home by other means or decided to exit the homebuying market all together. A lot can happen during the time a community opens and a certain home is ultimately built, so try not to feel discouraged.

If you’re sick of getting beat out in multiple offers, you don’t have a ton a money to put down on a house, or you have a difficult form of financing, then it’s time to look at new construction to see what options might work better for you!

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Real Estate and Your Income Taxes

Looking around Charlotte it’s easy to see that the market is appreciating, aka the home values are increasing. With more people moving to Charlotte and interest rates still low, there are more buyers than properties available. If you purchased your home even a year ago it’s worth significantly more in today’s market. This has many people very excited to cash out the equity this market situation has given them. But selling your home without having lived there for two full years has some serious drawbacks that most homeowners and even some real estate professionals DON’T know about.

Those drawbacks are related to your taxes.

Under the current tax guidelines, as long as a homeowner has lived in their home as their primary residence for any 2 of the last 5 years, they can exclude $250,000 or $500,000 worth of gain on the sale of their home depending on if you file as single or married filing joint.

… So, what the heck does that all mean?

Let’s say that you purchased your house in June of 2019 for $250,000 and you don’t make any major upgrades during the time that you own it. Later on you decide to sell you house and you sell it for $325,000. In this example, your gain, or the money you made on the sale, is $75,000. If you lived in the home as your primary residence for at least two years, you report the sale on your taxes but the entire $75,000 is excluded from being taxed. You received $75,000 and you didn’t have to pay any taxes for it. That’s a SERIOUS benefit.

What if you sold the house after living there only one and a half years? The entire 75,000 you made on the sale of the home is taxable by both the federal government and the state government. This would cost you more than $18,750 in state and federal taxes (depending on your tax bracket and other variables of course). Even if you turn around and buy another house, you will be held liable to pay the tax on the gain you received.

It’s important to understand the impact that your real estate transaction can have on your financial situation and also your tax situation for the year. Staying a few extra months in a home could mean big savings for you in the long-haul, and understanding this situation could also keep you from jumping into the next highest tax bracket by realizing taxable income that could’ve been non-taxable with a few small tweaks.

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Birthday Daze

Thank you to everyone that has reached out whether on Facebook, Instagram, video chat, phone call or text message to wish me a happy birthday. It always makes me feel so special and reminds me of how happy birthdays can be. Connection is really what life is all about, and I’m so happy to be connected in some way to each and every one of you. Thank you for being part of my circle and for being my family and friends.

This day is always one of reflection, which can be both positive and negative. I’m an inherently slower-paced human who tries to take that time to understand how I’m feeling, why I’m feeling that way and how those around me are feeling as well. I’m sorry if I’m distant today, that is very normal for me as I process through, but can be confusing for those around me.

My birthday has often been the marker in tough seasons of my life, which hit me today while on an elliptical machine as I started a workout. Being happy and sad at the same time is hard. I want to be that girl that throws a party and has this amazing, exhilarating day, but that wouldn’t be true to me and how I’m feeling. This day is a constant reminder of learning about things like what a drug overdose looks like and finding my brother in the depths of his struggle. It reminds me of the deep dark places I’ve been through during the loss of a marriage and the depressive spiral that came along with it. It’s a few short weeks from the anniversary dates of my survival of sexual assault while away on a business trip, and the almost sudden death of my husband a few years ago (yes, when he was my husband and we had been happily married for only a few short months).

Thank you for reminding me that birthdays are supposed to be joyful and that I can get out of my own way to enjoy it. I still move slowly through today, there won’t be a big raging party, and I’m surround myself with my closest friends and their greatest energy. There is so much to look forward to and so much to be thankful for, so please know that I’m thankful for you. All of you.

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Where are all the basements at?

If you’d like to tell any Charlotte Realtor that you’re relocating from the North without actually telling them that you’re relocating from the North… Just say that you need a home with a basement. As a girl that grew up in the snow belt of New York State, I understand the confusion and the deep longing that some people have for subterranean storage space. However, basements just aren’t really a popular thing here, and quite simply it’s because of science! And they’re cost prohibitive, also due to science.

First, you can find a few basement homes around the area. These are most-often built due to the topography of a building lot. If there’s a large slope in the grading this could be perfect for a walk-out basement, which is the style you’re most likely to see around here.

Frost line and footers

Climate is a huge factor surrounding the great basement debate. When a home is built, for it to be structurally sound the foundation must be secured beneath what’s known as the frost line. This is the depth of the soil that experiences freezing during the winter months. In a colder climate the ground freezes further down, meaning that home structures must be dug deeper to ensure that the freezing and thawing of the ground doesn’t shift the home’s foundation.

A quick google search will tell you how deep an area’s frost line is into the soil. In the area of New York where I grew up the frost line is approximately 48 inches below the surface of the ground. With these homes needing to be anchored 4 feet into the ground, you’re already almost halfway to digging a useable basement as part of the structural requirements. Here in Charlotte, our frost line is only 12 inches down. That’s a lot less digging and a lot less costly to build. Hence, why we have a lot of homes on crawlspace foundations; we don’t need much more than that for a sturdy base to a home.

Ground water depth

Another piece of the climate discussion is the height of what’s known as the water table, which is how close to the surface soil is consistently saturated with water. Here in NC, our water table is relatively close to the surface, which means when you dig something like a basement it’s really, really difficult to keep it dry. I’ve heard someone liken building a basement to trying to build a reversed swimming pool; where you have to make the structure completely waterproof to keep water out of the pool instead of in the pool. The level of waterproofing needed to ensure that there aren’t issues with moisture, mold and mildew in your basement is extensive to say the least.

Soil composition

Here in NC you will see that our soil is a high percentage of red clay. Clay is heavy. Wet clay is even worse. Based on the high water table level discussed above and the clay composition of our soil, basements are REALLY expensive to build.

Given the high cost of constructing a basement, the potential moisture problems that they can harbor and the fact that there is no need for the depth of the support structure in this climate, most homebuyers don’t see value of having a basement and would rather spend that money elsewhere in their home. If you’ve had a basement your whole life you might feel like you’re lacking storage when you look at homes here, but know that you’re also saving money on building costs of your home and you’re dodging potential maintenance issues down the line.

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Why Price Isn’t Everything

Charlotte’s real estate market is nutty right now and with very little inventory on the market the chances of a home going into a multiple offers situation is exponentially higher. Especially in price points under 350k, where first time homebuyers are up against investors with deep pockets, all-cash offers, homes on the market only a day (if getting on-market at all) and general real estate debauchery.

Multiple offers. Highest and Best. What does it all really mean for the average homebuyer? Maybe not quite what you think. There’s a lot that goes into a seller selecting an offer from a pile of eager buyers, and it’s not just who offers the highest price (but yes, that’s important too).

Type of Financing

The type of financing that a buyer has can have vast implications when it comes to getting the transaction through to the closing table. FHA and VA loans are guaranteed by the government, but they also require more stringent approval processes. And because they are government-backed these processes can move slower and be more difficult to navigate. Down payment assistance programs can be another caveat within the process. A buyer would be silly not to take free money, but when that money comes with strings and stress for the seller, it might be best foregoing that money with our current market.

Buyer Liquidity aka money in the bank

Buyer liquidity is a natural extension of financing. Certain financing is geared towards helping buyers that don’t have much money to put down on a home. For example, there are VA loans that are 100% financed loans, so the buyer is bringing no money to closing. That’s great for the buyer, but what if the home doesn’t appraise up to the purchase price that’s written on the contract? The lender is only going to lend up to the appraisal price (aka what the home is “worth” in the eyes of the lender) so if the seller knows that the buyers aren’t bringing money for a down payment (or aren’t bringing much) then the likelihood is high that buyers won’t have cash to bring to cover the difference in the appraisal and purchase price. If this can’t get figured out in a timely manner then the buyer will have to terminate the contract.

Which brings us to…

Due Diligence and Earnest Money Deposits

If a buyer needs to terminate a contract the money that they have on the line is their Due Diligence money and potentially their Earnest Money. Whether or not they lose Earnest Money is dependent on when they terminate the contract (during or after the due diligence period) and certain types of financing require the buyer to receive their Earnest Money back if the home does not appraise for the purchase price (I’m talking about FHA and VA loans here).

If any of these termination scenarios were to occur, would the DD and EMD received from the buyer really be enough to compensate for the lost time and the seller having to go back to square one in selling their property? Riskier financing means more DD and EMD is needed to entice the seller to take a chance on the buyer.

Closing Date

Depending on the moving situation that the seller may be in, they may want to move very-very quickly and be done with the sale or they may want to stay in the house a few extra days or weeks to make the move-out process smoother. This can also lead in to the discussion of seller possession after closing. If, for example, the seller needs to sell their home to put money towards a new construction home they’re building they may need to close soon but then they don’t have a place to live until their home is completed and ready for move-in. A closing with seller possession after closing, also known as renting back a house after the sale, may be very-very important to the sellers. There are liability issues with the seller staying in a home they do not own for a period of time, so if this is something you’re interested in doing or offering, make sure you understand what could go wrong.

Buyer and Agent Requests

For the buyer this means other things that are requested as part of the contract. Usually it’s requesting the seller to pay a portion of the buyer’s closing costs, leaving personal property behind like a fridge, washer or dryer, or paying for a one-year home warranty for the buyer.

Requesting closing costs reduces the overall amount of money that the seller receives from the sale, and sellers don’t really like less money. Also, such a request tells the listing agent that the buyer is likely already strapped for cash because they need help paying their closing costs. It’s important to note that closing costs can’t really be financed as part of your loan amount, someone needs to pay them at the closing table. If those expenses are already tough for the buyer to cover are they really going to have money to cover an issue if the home doesn’t appraise? Likely not.

Another thing that goes into decision-making is how the buyer’s agent conducts themselves. I know, it doesn’t sound fair to be judged by someone else’s actions, but if that person is representing you and they aren’t conducting themselves in a professional manner then that’s a problem. If a seller receives two largely identical offers but one has a knowledgeable, communicative, and courteous agent and the other has a trainwreck of an agent, I have to tell the seller because it could impact the buyer’s ability to get things done in a timely and accurate manner, which could cause the buyer to need to terminate the sale.

Seller Preferences. Maybe.

This is where things turn into a grey area. It’s common practice these days for buyers to write personal letters to the sellers explaining why they love the house and why they should choose their offer over any other. Depending on the seller these may work, or they may backfire, so if you’re the buyer be careful! I had a client going through a messy divorce and they got a ton of letters explaining how the buyers saw themselves building their family with their spouse in the home. It was hard to read knowing the circumstances of the seller, who had also planned to grow their family in the home, but life ended up much different than they had expected.

I had another client who got their offer accepted because both the buyer and the seller were veterans. The seller felt so strongly about supporting a fellow veteran that they took a more-difficult VA loan as opposed to a conventional loan.

Seller preferences can get sticky if their preferences could appear to be a violation of fair housing laws. Choices based on the buyer’s race, gender, family status, etc. are highly discouraged by real estate professionals so we’ll try to keep these details out of the discussion if at all possible. When I talk to a seller about selecting an offer and personal details about the buyer are invovled in the submission I forewarn the seller than I will remove photos or information that could violate fair housing. If this is a problem for the seller then we have another issue entirely.